Myself, Nor the Forum Is Responsible... (Required Reading)

[MJ DeMarco]

I Am Not Responsible for Your Actions on This Forum, or The Actions Of Any Other Participants.

If you engage in any kind of business activity via either indirect (Phone/Email/Skype) or direct (PMs/Threads/Messages) participation of this forum, you are responsible for your actions, not me or my company. If you engage in a partnership, mentorship, investment, agreement, etc. with ANYONE, you are responsible and liable for any and all actions to that effort.

TFF, MJ DeMarco or Viperion Corporation makes no warranty of any person, any person's financial status, any investment, or any strategy other than to provide a medium to communicate. PARTICIPATE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

DO YOU OWN DUE DILIGENCE BEFORE ENGAGING IN ANY INVESTMENT, PARTNERSHIP, STRATEGY, BUSINESS, JOINT VENTURE, RELATIONSHIP, EVENT -- I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE. If you receive emails, private messages, or other solicitations by way of this forum, they are not the responsibility of this forum, myself, or my company. If you feel any solicitations are of illegal nature, please report it to me via email at mj - at -thefastlaneforum.com

If you do not agree nor accept these terms, please leave the forum as you are ineligible to participate here.

Additionally, you should immediately read the forum Terms of Service as your agreement to them is required for continued use and access to this site.

Regards,
MJ @ Fastlane

 

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[Vigilante]

It is unfortunate that this thread needs to be bumped again. This is a reminder to be careful what you post, who you are dealing with, and what you share.

If you are a newbie or a creeper here, the things that are posted for everyone here are EXAMPLES of process, and not samples of a dinner before you decide to steal the cook's recipe. We kiddingly say there is honor amongst thieves here. In fact, we have distain for thieves and put integrity high on the benchmark of whose company we keep.

If you ask someone for help around here, you better make damn sure it is with pure intentions to undergird your own ideas, your own process, and your own work.

The fact that the ownership and companies that built this forum are neutral does not mean that the owners of the individual intellectual property that post here are. In fact, I would and have encouraged members to be protective and litigious about their owned intellectual property. Don't think that because you have a screen name here that you are anonymous. If you post on the internet, you are not anonymous and are not immune from an individual protecting his or her work product.

The forum ownership and management is neutral. Individual posters --- are not. Help us protect the integrity of this forum. The bottom line is if you are here to learn, take off your coat and stay a while. If you are here to contribute, you are the lifeblood of the Fastlane forum.

There's a difference between learning best practices, and blatantly copying someone's work and intellectual property. If you don't know the difference, ask. Many are here to support your learning and entrepreneurial education. However, members here have zero tolerance for theft of any kind. We have even been known to protect non-forum members work product when people looking for the "easy" way copy someone else's work, member or not.

If you respond to this post with "well, that's life and that's business" you are missing the point and/or are not understanding the culture that allows people to share ideas freely here. We need contributors to not be afraid to roll up their sleeves and help people. Help us undergird and support people who are here to give back what they have learned, what they have built, and what they are willing to share.

I can tell you that I am pretty sick of some of the stories I have heard of people looking for the easy way. There is no easy way. There is no magic beans. If you don't have what it takes to become an entrepreneur without it coming at the expense of people who try to help you along the way, than I for one hope you show yourself to the door before we show you there.

Sorry for the negativity, but having just seen a repeat of a cycle around here again, this OP needed to be reshared as a reminder for all.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Seems like every day I have to bump this thread.

And when some type of shit goes down behind the scenes at this forum, people come running to the management looking for us to have some type of solution. As if we have a magic wand.

Sorry, but we have no solution for due diligence.
We have no solution for your intuition.
We have no solution for "Pay me $10K in advance before I work on your project".

I repeat, the forum DOES NOT VET members, advertisements, signature links, or monitor PMs or side deals.

If you give a stranger money half way around the world with no recourse in retrieving that money if something goes south, please take responsibility.

I'm sorry that I continually have to bump this thread. When the forum receives emails about deals gone south, as if we can mediate, the only solution I can offer is THIS THREAD.

In the end, losing money on a bad deal is the price of experience.

Take a look at this thread.

Beware of PLS Literary Agency, Korea, FRAUD / SCAMMERS

My inexperience cost me $16,000. But I can guarantee you, I learned from it. And yes, it sucks azz so I can identify with the sickening feeling.

Don't be the next person who is writing the forum about deal gone bad because you didn't read this thread.

This is the freaking internet and a thief will always be one click away.

Never drop your guard. Play worse-case-scenarios. Trust, but verify.

 

[Vigilante]

Please note the following :

1. Don't do business with forum members

2. When you ignore 1., you do so at your own risk

3. When a problem occurs because you ignored 2., don't ask us to intercede

4. If you screw other members on the forum, inevitably we will find out about it

5. While we don't intercede in people's private business, we will still think you are an a$$.

6. The forum won't be used to exert pressure on members to honor sidebar business deals

So, please go back and read the OP of this thread. And, if you are an a$$ who screws other forum members, what comes around goes around.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Bump.

When a scammer logs into the forum and posts a "too good to be true" offer (say for example, an eCommerce site that makes $K/year) and you fall for it (and fail to do due diligence) I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Just to put some hypothetical scenarios on this...

If someone anonymous from the forum sends you a private message asking you to invest in "some great program" or "some great stock" and you give them money, and you eventually lose it/get scammed, IT'S YOUR FAULT.

If someone well respected from the forum sends you a private message asking you to invest in "some great program" or "some great stock" and you give them money, and eventually you lose it/get scammed, IT'S YOUR FAULT.

If someone anonymous or well respected from the forum sends you a private message you and invites you to be mentored in his program for one easy payment of $3,000 and you give him money, and eventually you lose it/get scammed/learn nothing, IT'S YOUR FAULT.

If someone anonymous or well respected from the forum sends you a private message you and invites you to download this file so you can "give me your opinion" and it has a virus, IT'S YOUR FAULT.

The bottomline, you should treat your inbox here as you would your Yahoo inbox. Do you download files from anonymous strangers? Do you give money to anonymous strangers?

For the love of God, be an adult, not a child.

And as the original message of this says, if you have EVIDENCE of something nefarious going on behind the scenes here at the forum, please let us know. Sorry but speculation, guesses, and implausible coincidences is NOT evidence. Everyone here should know, if SOMEONE is doing something ILLEGAL/UNETHICAL/SCAMMY/ETC. I HAVE NO HESITATION IN REMOVING THEM-- REGARDLESS OF THEIR INFLUENCE, REGARDLESS OF THEIR REP CASH, OR REGARDLESS OF THEIR REPUTATION HERE.

I give zero F*cks. If you are up to no good, you will be removed.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Folks...

If a stranger comes on this forum and their first post is a vague opportunity and asks "PM me for details" -- PLEASE DO NOT.

Report the thread for deletion.

This is against the rules and not an appropriate use of the forum.

 

[lowtek]

I feel so left out. I never get propositioned by randos on the internet for their super duper awesome business opportunity. How the hell am I supposed to make money under these conditions?

 

[JAJT]

Story Time.

You want to start a fast food chain selling burritos, but don't know how.

So the owner of a McDonald's sees your trouble and graciously says "come see how I do it, to give you ideas".

A month later the McDonald's owner visits you at your new chain restaurant and upon entering becomes enraged.

Instead of burgers you have burritos, yes, but the store looks identical. The layout is identical. The prices are identical. The bathroom is identical. The menu is identical. The staff greet you the same and the coupons you mail out are the same. You even kept the same colors and uniforms.

Everything is identical, except you sell burritos and slapped your own name on it.

Then you say "I don't see what's the problem, I'm not selling burgers and I'm not using your name - what's the issue?".

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Another bump. There's a lot of "behind the scenes" deals going on. Sales, supposed "mentorships", partnerships, Skyping, etc.

Just because someone claims "X" doesn't mean X is true... could just be "Y" casting a shadow of X.

Be responsible. Research. Examine. Question. Don't take someone's word for it just because they say so. Due diligence is a cornerstone of being a Fastlaner and not everyone here shares a value driven focus...

 

[Vigilante]

Timely update for all the newbies (and old school as a reminder) to do your own due diligence. This is the wild, wild west and you need to do your own research, come to your own conclusions, and watch your own back. The best filter of what and whom you let into your world is YOU. The old adage of trust but verify doesn't apply online. It is VERIFY first, then TRUST sparingly. The only one looking out for you is you.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Just a reminder that myself nor the forum controls any communication that occurs behind the scenes here, whether that's private messaging, Skyping, or offline meetings. I say that because some people exclusively use the forum to "network" for specific objectives -- contracted reps, partners, money, investments, or whatever.

Just because someone posts something (whether it's a great progress thread or screenshots of some type of results) doesn't necessarily make it fact.

Remember, we're on the internet and anyone can say anything.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Bump.

Among other things, there's been a couple of threads with "PM me for details" crap that I've had to delete.

 

[Vigilante]

Bump.

This includes the content, advice, and posts from anyone on this forum. You read here at your own risk, you act on your own accord. There's nothing on this forum that should be considered legal advice, and no specific posts are endorsed or condoned as valid by the forum owner or related companies, regardless of "likes" or affirming statements given by the forum owner, moderators, or anyone else on this forum. Any message posted on the Forum expresses only the views of the author of that message and does not necessarily reflect our views or the views of any other person on the Forum. We accept no liability for any material submitted by users to the Forum and we are not responsible for its content or accuracy. You, the user, agree that you are solely responsible for the content of your messages, videos, sound-bites and stills and that you will not hold us responsible for any claim based upon the appearance and/or transmission of your submission. Any message posted on the Forum expresses only the views of the author of that message and does not necessarily reflect our views or the views of any other person on the Forum. Any failure to remove particular material from the Forum does not constitute an endorsement or acceptance of it by the forum owner or related companies.

Bits and pieces of this added disclaimer were copied from best practices from other forums, although not the block above in it's entirety. Consider this an addition to the terms of service, and if you post here you agree to the above. If you don't agree, show yourself to the forum exit.

 

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[Mac]

I used to think this kind of thing only happened on the internet...

Until I came across a conman in real life.

This was a great life lesson for me and many of you should run in the opposite direction if you see these signs...

I've been living in Thailand for a few months and I've managed to move into a house with several guys doing eCommerce.

We ran into someone in town that said he came from San Francisco (Silicon Valley)...

He was a chill guy at first. We looked up his name and everything checked out.

He said he recently sold his company for $x amount (in the millions)... which made us suspicious.

But we searched up his company and we saw several articles saying it was acquired.

There was also several podcasts he had been on, he was on their Product Hunt page and on their LinkedIn page.

Everything checked out.

Every time he came by the house, he provided us with a lot of value.

He knew what he was talking about and was very confident.

I showed him my results with FB ads and he told me that he had some friends with startups in Silicon Valley that were looking for a FB ads manager.

Wow, what a great opportunity... right? That's what I thought...

Only thing is, I was supposed to pay this guy $300 and he would find these companies for me.

I said f*** that... naturally. All of my friends agreed it was a bad idea.

Anyway, he dropped the issue and said it's all right - I didn't have to use his service. And that was that...

Fast forward a week later, we go to a meetup that this Chinese hardware incubator was holding.

One of the members of this reputable incubator was holding a speech (and he was legit).

At the end of the meeting him and the conman were talking about an investment deal... which... psychologically convinced me that the conman was legit...

Little did I know that he was playing both sides. Even one of the owners of the incubator thought this guy was legit.

...except the conman positioned himself as knowing the founder of the incubator for years.

I never thought to ask the guy how they met.

He never pushed further for $$, besides using his service (which was a "reasonable" service... but I can close my own clients without paying a cent so I didn't go for it).

We all leave the meeting with high energy, feeling like we're networking with the right people.

Fast-forward a week later, the conman brings a guy to our house that is doing dropshipping.

He told this guy that I was the "best" marketer on the planet.

... then I started talking to the dropshipping guy alone. He tells me that they're going to work together on his store.

That's when a big red flag went off in my head.

Obviously a big-shot Silicon Valley investor would never work on a dropshipping store with a kid he met in Thailand.

I just wish I told the guy before he left the house not to trust the guy.

A few days later, the dropshipper meets my friend at a bar.

He says the conman is asking him for $5,000 to invest in cryptocurrencies for him.

We tell him to stay far away from the guy.

...but little did we know that he already installed a RAD (remote access device) virus onto the dropshippers computer.

It's a virus that keylogs your computer and gives you remote access when connected to WiFi.

He accessed the dropshippers Shopify store and changed the bank account info to his own.

The guy with the Shopify store was getting over $1k-$2k payouts a day, so he ended up losing around $4K.

Luckily with insurance he was able to get some of the paypal $ back, so he only lost $1k in the process.

But we all had to wipe our computers, change our info and enable two-factor authentication.

Anyway, we hit up some more people in the community and we find out that this guy ripped off the Silicon Valley companies' founders for $15,000 and another $15,000 from a marketing consultant that he "went into business with."

He also was charged in court for ripping off $15,000. He ripped off another person in Thailand for $700 last year.

Apparently he invited his former partners to his house for dinner, introduced them to his family and the whole shabang.

He now has a lawsuit pending on him in Cali. Only problem is he keeps bouncing around South East Asia "on the lam."

These types of people are sociopaths and will unfortunately have to live their lives on the run... forever.

The weird thing is this guy was actually talented. He knew what he was talking about...

He just had a sick perversion to make his money by scamming others.

Hopefully this helps somebody else. ALWAYS do extra due diligence. You're not only vulnerable on the internet.

TLR Guy posing as silicon valley investor tried to scam me for $300, then ended up scamming a new friend of mine for $3k-$4k (but he got most of his money back through Paypal), had a history of scamming people in Silicon valley for up to $30,000. Now he has a pending lawsuit on him.

I know some of you are going to read this and say "Wow, you should have known he was a con artist from the beginning."

But like the Darren Brown video above, this guy was very good at using persuasion techniques.

He brought different groups of people together as "unsuspecting victims" to build trust among both groups.

 

[Scot]

I vote for a wall of shame. If a forum member is a shady a$$, I don't think it would hurt to let the rest of the forum know.

 

[Vigilante]

It has become necessary yet again to remind people here that your personal security and non-– sanctioned business interests and connections that you may meet here or elsewhere on the Internet have nothing to do with, nor do they create any liability for the company that owns this forum. You are here at your own risk, and if it anytime you feel that risk is disadvantageous to you… Leave. And as a very gentle reminder to everybody here… If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The best/only person to look out for you… Is you.

 

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[jon.a]

Timely update for all the newbies (and old school as a reminder) to do your own due diligence. This is the wild, wild west and you need to do your own research, come to your own conclusions, and watch your own back. The best filter of what and whom you let into your world is YOU. The old adage of trust but verify doesn't apply online. It is VERIFY first, then TRUST sparingly. The only one looking out for you is you.

Every time this gets bumped I wonder, did I miss an awkward post?

 

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[Razz]

Common Sense Check:

This forum is not your mom. Individuals here spend a lot of time dispensing invaluable knowledge, from experience, life, and everything in-between.

What are you attracting when you login?

A get rich scheme? Someone to hold your hand and guide you on the playground? Have you even read the book?

This forum doesn't care about what you want. A tale as old as time, there are people out there, just like you, that will gladly offer you their services in return for your $$$.

Stop whining, take responsibility. Produce action. Only you control what you spend time and money on. You get what you put into it.

Grab the shovel and dig. Take what you find and determine if its crap or worth your time. Dismiss the former, investigate the later. The information may eventually just click. Congratulations on investing in yourself.

What you find can turn into gold. It's up to you what you do with it from there.

But Razz, you don't understand... I have this awesome deal in my inbox...

If someone PM's you with their OMG John Doe, I've got the system for you... but don't tell anyone... I'm only offering this time exclusive deal to you... because you're an amazing newbie and no one is like you at all... and you give them money? Hopefully it's the only time you've done that.

Don't blame the admins. You only have yourself to blame.

Call them out on it. Post it publicly, and do some digging.

Protip: Be valuable. Find value. Create Value. Stop taking away your focus. Take action. Show the forum your results. Even when you fail, you tried. Someone here might be able to help. Otherwise, if your history is full of BS - no wonder why no one answers your posts.

Stop feeding negative greed-based decisions that ultimately waste your time. It wastes everyone's time. And ultimately alienates yourself. You put yourself into the feedback loop you believe.

You're distracting members that provide constructive feedback and experience-based criticism that can positively influence lives.

Don't like it? You may not be cut out for this. It isn't an insult, it's just who you are or where you're at right now. Do everyone a favor and don't log back in again.

Can we just gold sticky this thread? Or make it a required thread to be replied to with: yes I understand? to gain forum access?

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Just want to mention that just because an AD is approved in the Marketplace, it does NOT mean I approve it, endorse it, or ANYTHING.

I "approve" ads in the marketplace to make sure they are relevant, and moreover, not MLM crap. My approval does not mean I endorse any product, service, person, coaching, etc.

Once again, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE for your actions.

 

[Vigilante]

In light of some issues that have transpired lately with regard to issues that often plague public message boards, it is worthwhile to repost this message. Please safeguard your own interests, and know that the owners, companies, and moderators of this forum are not your babysitters. Do your own due diligence, share information intelligently, and be guarded when prudent. We are not going to rehash problems and issues here... this post is just a reminder that the forum management is not responsible for your interactions and interests on the forum.

Carry on.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Please note the following :

1. Don't do business with forum members

2. When you ignore 1., you do so at your own risk

3. When a problem occurs because you ignored 2., don't ask us to intercede

4. If you screw other members on the forum, inevitably we will find out about it

5. While we don't intercede in people's private business, we will still think you are an a$$.

6. The forum won't be used to exert pressure on members to honor sidebar business deals

So, please go back and read the OP of this thread. And, if you are an a$$ who screws other forum members, what comes around goes around.

Ethics doesn't come into play when you're chasing paper.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Guys,

I've been here to 10 years.

Over those 10 years, we've had MILLIONS of people come and go.

Of these millions, you can be 100% sure there are certain individuals who are here for nefarious motives. We've already seen this several times. From MLM crap to sketchy mentoring schemes, these people are here for ONE REASON ONLY: RECRUITMENT.

Just because someone on the forum has a certain illusionary cred (whether that's rep bank, years here, posts, etc.) does NOT mean you can give them your bank account number and the keys to your house.

You can never let your guard down and I'm saddened that I continually NEED to repeat this. (And bump this thread.)

Be careful, not just here, but anywhere on the web where you are approached with offers for X, Y, or Z.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

 

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[Vigilante]

I wish I could set this post to Limitless reposting so every Alexander, Bill, Tom or Andrew that found this site through a google search of entrepreneurs would be careful to do their due diligence before falling for a sales pitch. Know that we as volunteers nor the CEO / ownership of the forum do not vet, authenticate or endorse any of the claims made on the pages within nor do we coach people on how to engage with others. Do so at your own risk.

 

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[socaldude]

The world is a mean, crazy, cold and nasty place. Nobody is ever gonna give a shit about you.

You must be aggressive in your due diligence, have a healthy dose of skepticism and stay alert to protect yourself emotionally, physically and financially.

 

[RHL]

I really need to get a BOT and just bump this every month.

Deep down I always hoped this thread was a joke. That nobody would really need to be told that your business decisions on the internet were your own responsibility.

 

[Scot]

I feel so left out. I never get propositioned by randos on the internet for their super duper awesome business opportunity. How the hell am I supposed to make money under these conditions?

I also feel left out. Ever think that maybe I want to be roped into an MLM or Affiliate Scam? No. You didn't. You only think about yourself.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I am new here so can someone please explain what "Bump" means. Thanks in advance.

It just puts the thread back at the top of the active conversations. In other words, it makes more people read the original topic that might have not yet read it. Such "bumped" content usually is transcendent, meaning, this post will be relevant today, next year, and next decade.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

WARNING: THERE IS SOMEONE ON THIS FORUM WHO IS USING IT TO PANHANDLE via Private Message.

He does it via conversation and masks it as a loan for some type of business venture or business finance. (Oh I need it to launch an eBook, blah blah)

If you receive one of these, please REPORT it. He has been warned, however the next infraction will result in his removal.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

So, whats up with the guppy tank thread(s) missing and @IceCreamKid changing his thread title, talking about how he "used" to have a mentor from this forum, zen not posting anymore after years on the forum etc. And then that post from MJ. Did I miss sth or just a coincidence?

Draw your own conclusions. As for "missing something" -- you didn't. Forum drama is not publicly aired for all to discuss. We move forward.

 

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