In 2004, a new company called Vemma Nutrition started offering a life-changing opportunity
2004年，一家名为维玛营养品的公司开始提供一个改变人生的机会，
to earn full time income for part time work.
只需要做兼职即可获得全职报酬。
Vemma's offer was open to everybody, regardless of prior experience or education.
维玛的这个职位向所有人敞开，不论你是否有工作经验或教育背景。
There were only two steps to start get started earning:
只要两步即可开始赚钱：
purchase a $500-600 kit of their liquid nutrition products, and recruit two more members to do the same.
购买一份500到600美元的该公司营养饮料产品的装备，并招募再两名成员也来做这件事。
Vemma Nutrition Company grew quickly,
维玛营养品公司成长迅速，
becoming a global operation that brought in 30,000 new members per month at its peak.
并在国际范围内运转，最高时每月能招募30000名新成员。
There was just one problem... while the company generated $200 million of annual revenue by 2013,
这其中只有一个问题，当这家公司在2013年达到年利润达到2亿美元时，
the vast majority of participants earned less than they paid in.
大部分的参与者赚的没有投入的多。
Vemma was eventually charged with operating a pyramid scheme:
维玛最终被以层压式推销（也就是金字塔骗局）起诉：
a common type of fraud where members make money by recruiting more people to buy in.
这是一种常见的骗局，参与者们通过招来更多的人投资来赚钱。
Typically, the founder solicits an initial group of people to buy in and promote the scheme.
创始人一般说服起始的小团队投资并宣传他们的计划。
They are then encouraged to recruit others and promised part of the money those people invest, while the founder also takes a share.
接着鼓励他们招募新人并允诺回报他们投资的那部分钱财，同时创始人也捞上一笔。
The pattern repeats for each group of new participants,
这一模式在新的参与者中重复，
with money from recent arrivals funneled to those who recruited them.
最后新投资人的钱汇总回馈给招募者。
This differs from a Ponzi scheme, where the founders recruit new members
这和庞氏骗局不同，庞氏骗局的创始者招募新人
and secretly use their fees to pay existing members, who think the payments come from a legitimate investment.
并私底下用新投资者的钱回馈现存的老投资者，老投资者们认为回馈是来自合法的投资。
As a pyramid scheme grows, it becomes increasingly difficult for new recruits to make money.
当金字塔骗局壮大时，新投资人很难再赚到钱。
That's because the number of participants expands exponentially.
因为加入者的数量呈指数型递增。
Take a structure where each person has to recruit six more to earn a profit.
就拿一个需要招募六人来实现盈利的结构来说。
The founder recruits six people to start, and each of them recruits six more.
创始人招募六个人来开始计划，每一个人再招募六个人。
There are 36 people in that second round of recruits, who then each recruit 6 people... a total of 216 new recruits.
完成第二轮招募就有36个人，他们再每人招募6人，总共216个新投资者。
By the twelfth round of recruiting,
在第12轮招募过后，
the 2.1 billion newest members would have to recruit over 13 billion more people total to make money, more than the entire world population.
21亿的新成员将不得不招募超过130亿的人来赚钱，总共130亿人参与盈利--超过整个世界人口。
In this scenario, the most recent recruits, over 80% of the scheme's participants, lose all the money they paid in.
这个情况下，最新加入的投资者，即整个骗局的80%，将会失去他们投入的全部钱。

And in real life, many earlier joiners lose out too.
在现实生活中，许多老投资者也会亏本。
Pyramid schemes are illegal in most countries, but they can be difficult to detect.
金字塔骗局在大多数国家是非法的，但它们很难被察觉。
They are presented as many different things, including gifting groups, investment clubs, and multi-level marketing businesses.
它们以很多种外表呈现，包括礼品销售团队，投资俱乐部，多层营销公司。
The distinction between pyramid schemes and legitimate multi-level marketing can be particularly hazy.
合法的分级营销和金字塔骗局有区别，但界线非常模糊。
In theory, the difference is that the members of the multi-level marketing companies
理论上，它们的区别在于，分级营销公司的员工
primarily earn compensation from selling a particular product or a service to retail customers,
主要通过销售特定商品或服务得到报酬，且卖给零售消费者，
while pyramid schemes primarily compensate members for recruitment of new sellers.
而金字塔骗局主要通过招揽新投资人给老投资人报酬。
In practice, though, many multi-level marketing companies make it all but impossible for members to profit purely through sales.
实际上，许多分级营销公司让员工通过单纯销售而可能获得盈利。
And many pyramid schemes, like Vemma Nutrition,
而像维玛这样的层压式推销组织，
disguise themselves as legal multi-level marketing businesses, using a product or service to hide the pay-and-recruit structure.
通过所谓的产品或服务掩盖招募-回馈的架构，把自己伪装成合法的分级营销产业。
Many pyramid schemes also capitalize on already existing trust within churches, immigrant communities, or other tightly knit groups.
许多层压式推销组织还利用教堂，移民社区或其他紧密联结的团体成员之间的信任。
The first few members are encouraged to report a good experience before they actually start making a profit.
最先加入的投资者在真的开始获取利润之前被要求说自己体验良好。
Others in their network follow their example,
团体中的其他人也效仿这种做法，
and the schemes balloon in size before it comes clear that most members aren't actually profiting.
在大多数人意识到他们并未赚到钱之前骗局像气球一样不断膨胀。
Often, the victims are embarrassed into silence.
通常骗局的受害者会羞于启齿。
Pyramid schemes entice people with the promise of opportunity and empowerment.
层压式推销组织还利用机会和授权的口头保证诱骗人们。
So when members don't end up making money, they can blame themselves rather than the scheme,
所以当投资者没有赚到钱时，他们会责怪自己而非这个组织，
thinking they weren't tenacious enough to earn the returns promised.
他们认为自己不够顽强，所以赚不到事先保证的收益。
Some victims keep trying, investing in multiple schemes, and losing money each time.
一些受害者受骗后会继续尝试，在多个金字塔骗局中投资，但每次都无功而返。
In spite of all these factors, there are ways to spot a pyramid scheme.
尽管有上述因素，还是有办法能识别金字塔骗局。
Time pressure is one red flag, be wary of directives to "act now or miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
“时间紧迫性”是一个警告，一定要警惕“现在入手否则错失人生良机”的指示。
Promises of large, life-altering amounts of income are also suspect.
一些诸如“巨大的，改变人生数额的收益”的承诺也很可疑。
And finally, a legitimate multi-level marketing business shouldn't require members to pay for the opportunity to sell a product or service.
最后，合法的分级营销不应该要求员工为销售该组织产品的机会付款。
Pyramid schemes can be incredibly destructive to individuals, communities, and even entire countries.
金字塔骗局对个体，团体，甚至整个国家，是毁灭性的。
But you can fight fire with fire by sending this video to three people you know, and encouraging them to do the same.
但你可以以毒攻毒，把这个视频发送给你认识的三个人，也让他们继续转发下去。