COLUMN: Well, friends and fans, we have another scumbag using robo-calling tactics to call my home phone number (about 2:20pm PDT today, Sunday). Expecting me to be home to listen to your call, frak you, here’s what you get: this week’s award for being one of the lowest bottom feeders in the ad industry. Why would anybody sane sign up for your “wealth building” and MLM (its says MLM on Mr. Hogan’s sites) schemes? The call came from a caller ID of “Chris Hogan” and the phone number (501) 691-3245. If you research that number in Google you’ll find all kinds of MLM crap. Appears to be yet another “fruit juice” sales MLM.
If you look on YouTube there is all kinds of “Mandura” marketing crap, and funnily enough they’re using “scam” videos to try to get you to look at whether it’s a scam, but then try to convince you to get on board the fruit juice gold digger train. (Really?) What’s funny, too, is if you type in “mandura juice scam” in Google the first five pages of results are all about the supposed scam, where the MLM folks are making up pages of junk sites content to get you to go there to find out if it’s a scam. Junk PR sites, junk article sites, etc. — but don’t be fooled. And if you want to get involved with law breakers, then you get what you deserve.
Basically, if you’ve seen all the spam for Mangosteen juice, for Acai Berry, and related junk, this is the latest thing.
The 501-691-3245 phone number has been reported to the FTC for violating my privacy rights, and my phone number being on the national do not call list. Also sent a note off to the California state attorneys general office about the violation of both the robocalling law and privacy law violations on “Chris Hogan’s” various sites. He “appears” to be in Arkansas. I’ll have to look up the State AG in Arkansas to file complaint.
TO REPORT A ROBOCALLER TO THE FTC for calling your home number on the do-not-call registry, go here:
https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2 .
The site being pushed in the robo-call is “StormofWealth(.com)” which redirects to “StormofWealth(.net)” – as in “storm of wealth.” Suuuuuuure. Want to buy this bridge I have out back? It’s a keeper, and you can make internet millions and all the honeys will love you with that big bridge in your back yard. Aw, c’mon, it’s a multi-level bridge. Double decker, even.
What cracks me up is using this tagline on one of the sites, “presented by Rev. Chris & Angelique Hogan” ((chogan.mandurarep(.com))… as if being a Reverend means anything good in the world of questionable MLM. When you break the law, being a “Rev” doesn’t mean God absolves you of your evil doing, brother, and accept this gilt edged invitation to hell. Or, H E double hockey sticks, pal.
Here is the WHOIS record for “StormofWealth(.net)”:
Registration Service Provided By: 1COMS .COM
Contact: +44.7773590344
Domain Name: STORMOFWEALTH .NET
Registrant:
stormofwealth .net
Chris Hogan ()
box 282
Heber Springs
AR,72543
US
Tel. +1.5016913245
Fax. +1.5016913245
Creation Date: 09-Sep-2009
Expiration Date: 09-Sep-2010
Domain servers in listed order:
ns2.hostluck .com
ns1.hostluck .com
Administrative Contact:
stormofwealth .net
Chris Hogan ()
box 282
Heber Springs
AR,72543
US
Tel. +1.5016913245
Fax. +1.5016913245
Technical Contact:
(SAME)
Billing Contact:
(SAME)
Status:ACTIVE.
The server seems to land at a Mumbai, India hosting company, mydosty(.com), with an IP of 75.127.68.101. What’s funny is if you type in the IP for hostluck(.com), listed as the name servers, it comes up with an “this account has been suspended” message. So, you can see there is a bit of jiggery pokery going on behind the scenes with the companies hosting these sites. And, of course, since it’s in India, we can’t really complain about the site owner (Mr/Mrs Hogan) violating US/California laws. They don’t care. Thank you India for making robo-calling such a money maker for your companies and fracking off so many US citizens.
The Storm of Wealth site appears to be living as a shared IP at 75.127.68.98. For those of you wanting to block the IP range in your firewall(s), you can likely block the 75.127.68.1/24 IP range and be happy keeping the scum out of your mailbox, too.
As always, worth noting that the mandura rep site is in violation of various privacy laws including California’s privacy law. The ManduraRep site seems to be an MLM powered by the upstream www.mlmteamsites(.com). With “MLM” in the domain name, you know it’s “gotta be good.” And that site seems to be owned by MLMpublicity(.com) is a division of TenBrink International (a one man company, apparently, aka “Ryan Tenbrink” in Carrolton, TX; one BBB complaint).
So, Rev. Chris Hogan, thank jesus as today you are this week’s award winner for official robo-calling scum of the week. Congratulations.
About Christopher Laird Simmons
Christopher Laird Simmons is a 25+ year veteran in the advertising and marketing business and has helped launch numerous companies including MacMall®, FindWhat.com, and Send2Press® Newswire. He is an award winning photographer, designer, and one of the first experts in the field of SEO. He is a former contributing editor to numerous magazines. He is a PR pro and member of the PRSA, a professional musician and member of ASCAP, and the founder of Neotrope®. He is the author of FRACTOPIA, an art book (Neotrope Press, Dec. 2008). UNAUTHORIZED REPUBLICATION OF THIS CONTENT IS PROHIBITED UNDER U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAWS.
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Mr Simmons whereas I agree wholeheartedly with the condemnation of “robo-calling” and any such illegal contact system that violate the do not call laws. However your ignorance of MLM or Direct marketing is overwhelmingly abundant. Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump and 2 time Presidential economic adviser Paul Zane Pilzer endorse legitimate Direct marketing as a legal way to distribute merchandise. And if you think it’s just overpriced merchandise keep in mind that a $100 item on the store shelf cost $15 to make and $85 to get it to that shelf for you to purchase. If you want to see a “pyramid scheme” look no further than corporate America, for example Bill Gates leveraging his 72,000 employees to make him one of the richest men in the World. Do us readers all a favor and do some freaking research before you spew your ignorant rantings against any legitimate businesses.
Mr. Cochran
I am neither ignorant nor inexperienced. I’ve been in the marketing business since the mid 1970s, and have seen all sorts of MLM scams come and go. From water purification, to “fruit juice” to many travel discount programs, to entertainment coupon books. The majority of these multi-level marketing endeavors offer over priced, sub standard products, and the whole endeavor becomes more about building a downline at any cost with no regard for the actual customer at the bottom of the whole shenanigans. I appreciate you may be involved in MLM and enjoy doing that, however 50% of the spam I get is related to MLM, I am getting illegal robocalls from MLM folks who are ignorant of good practices or local and Federal laws, and demonstrate their lack of professionalism or good citizenship at every step. Direct marketing (I am a former member of the DMA and have managed national campaigns pushing 2-10 million pieces of mail at a time) is not MLM if you don’t know who you are dealing with “directly.” Good DM is when a company promotes itself and its products “direct” to the consumer, whether that is direct mail, opt-in newsletters, or social media. Hiring somebody to hire somebody to hire somebody to hire somebody to sell your product is NOT direct marketing, as the company who made the product may have NO actual contact with the customer. MLM is much more akin to “affiliate marketing.” But, you should know that, right? Robocalling is not direct marketing – it’s “phone spam” — so, you obviously don’t know the difference and might want to educate yourself before trolling news sites in defense of illegal activities, scams, and MLM b.s. I’ve been interviewed by Entrepreneur 3 times, have a design award for direct marketing from Apple Computer, two Harvey Measurement Awards for “most responsive advertising,” and my company is on the INC 5000. I know whereof I speak, buddy. Robocalling is evil. Most MLM is evil. But you’re welcome to it. Cheers.
– Christopher Laird Simmons, April 1, 2010.
Mr Simmons,
I told you I agreed that the robo-calling and the spamming are a scourge. My point was your disdain for direct marketers in general, at least it seemed that way. Legitimate direct marketing is the face to face person to person selling, and it is a good model as long as there is no front loading or high priced sign on fees.
Good day.