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Perth salesman forced to hand over $24 million and private island

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Perth salesman turned entrepreneur Matt Lloyd McPhee has been ordered to hand over a Fijian resort island pay back US authorities $AUD 24.5 million of his own money after swindling worldwide investors out of $190 million.</p> <p>Matthew Lloyd McPhee started My Online Business Education (MOBE), which sold the dream of financial security to vulnerable aged pensioners as well as war veterans through social media and live events.</p> <p>The ‘business education program’ offered by MOBE promised a 21-step system with a money-back guarantee and aimed to teach participants how to make millions of dollars from their own internet marketing business.</p> <p>The program was sold to investors through live events in Australia, Los Angeles, Vancouver, London, Panama and Las Vegas.</p> <p>People spent up to $USD 84,000 ($AUD 128,485) to join the program in the hopes of becoming financially free.</p> <p>McPhee purchased the 19-hectare Fijian island, complete with a resort, in 2017 and bragged about his purchase on Instagram.</p> <p>“Individuals with a high net worth always have money near the top of their hierarchy of values,” he wrote on Instagram in 2018.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjK9c1LFbSP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjK9c1LFbSP/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Matt Lloyd (@mattlloydonline)</a> on May 24, 2018 at 12:04pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Complaints were lodged to US consumer protection agency the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which explained that MOBE charged a $USD 49 ($AUD 75) entry fee and badgered participants for tens of thousands of dollars to continue the 21-step program.</p> <p>People who paid would watch McPhee in videos explaining his humble country beginnings in Western Australia.</p> <p>The FTC has alleged that the MOBE ‘education’ program was worthless and that most people who paid for the expensive memberships were unable to recoup their costs.</p> <p>“Many experience crippling losses or mounting debts, including some who have lost more than $USD 20,000 ($AUD 30,591),” the FTC said on its website.</p> <p>MOBE swindled more than $USD 125 million ($AUD 190 million) and shifted the money to offshore accounts.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjKo3NEFUoO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjKo3NEFUoO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Matt Lloyd (@mattlloydonline)</a> on May 24, 2018 at 9:04am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The FTC has since sued McPhee along with his associates and after an issue was ruled against McPhee on behalf of all those accused, he was ordered to pay back almost half a billion dollars.</p> <p>The massive sum of $USD 318,512 ($AUD 583 million) was in ‘equitable monetary relief’, which means some of the money would go to paying back the victims.</p> <p>He agreed to surrender more than $USD 16 million ($AUD 24.5 million) worth of his own cash and property to the FTC.</p> <p>McPhee was also ordered to surrender his island in Fiji, as well as his interest in a Costa Rican leisure resort and two apartments in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.</p> <p>McPhee has neither confirmed nor denied any of the allegations, according to court documents.</p> <p>The FTC has issued a warning to consumers worldwide about internet work-from-home schemes.</p> <p>“With this action, we've put an end to the MOBE scheme, but consumers should be on guard for any work-at-home pitch promising substantial income.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

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What really happens when a car salesperson goes to "talk to their manager"

<p><span>We’ve all been in a situation where we are negotiating with a salesperson, ready to close the deal, when they say they need to speak to their manager.</span></p> <p><span>A user on Q&amp;A site Quora has asked whether the salesperson is actually discussing the deal when they duck away or if it is just a sales technique.</span></p> <p><span>According to one respondent, the “talk to the manger” routine is just an overused sales trick.</span></p> <p><span>“LOL, great question! The answer is NO,” wrote consultant Daniel Pearl.</span></p> <p><span>“There is a popular technique in sales, which has been mastered by the auto sales industry, called the ‘higher authority’ close.</span></p> <p><span>“Simply put, the salesperson asks the prospect for a commitment to do business, in return for a price (or other negotiable item) which they already know they can obtain. So while there are times they truly need approval from a manager, most of the time it’s just a technique.”</span></p> <p><span>Daniel explained that the technique best used is when the salesperson says: “I would need to get approval on your request, but I hesitate to ask for such a huge concession unless you are certain there are no other obstacles to moving forward.”</span></p> <p><span>He adds, “If my manager approves this, are you prepared to move forward immediately? If not, let’s discuss any other obstacles BEFORE I go to my boss with this request, so I don’t get egg on my face by getting his approval and then having to tell him you were just curious.’”</span></p> <p><span>Software salesman Dough Wampler disagrees and says that when buyers ask for a discount above a certain threshold, approval is needed by a manager.</span></p> <p><span>“Many salespeople are given certain pricing parameters and many times the buyer is asking for above what the salesperson can give without further approval,” he wrote.</span></p> <p><span>“This is often well known and abused by savvy buyers who won’t take any offer until they get to a manager so it’s become a stale tactic to signal to the potential buyer that the sales rep has fought for the best price without actually doing so.</span></p> <p><span>“So the answer to your question is, ‘No, it’s not always real’, but not always sleazy.”</span></p> <p><span>However, product specialist for Volkswagen claimed that manager approval was always needed.</span></p> <p><span>“As a product specialist for Volkswagen I can give some real world insight to this,” wrote Elliott Moos.</span></p> <p><span>“The short answer is yes, we always go speak to a manager. Managers have the entirety of the decision-making power in the dealership when it comes to numbers and figures. Our job is to ask hypothetical questions and be the first, second, third and fourth ‘no’.</span></p> <p><span>“When buying a new car it’s important to know that the internet basically destroyed all efforts in making really, really good car deals. Today, it’s more about hundreds of dollars than thousands and even in a desperate situation a large discount off an already-discounted price is pretty rare.</span></p> <p><span>“Long story short — find the highest-volume dealer for your desired make that’s most local to you, and the odds are it’s a great deal no matter what.”</span></p> <p><span>Former mechanic Doug Scott also said the “manager talk” was real but said that salespeople do not discuss your deal in the conversation.</span></p> <p><span>“Yes they do, and with most dealerships now having offices with glass walls it is too easy to get caught not going to the manager,” he wrote.</span></p> <p><span>“That does not mean they are getting approval, it actually means the salesman goes in and tells the manager what he is planning on doing with his commission, and maybe a joke or two. They are not discussing your offer.</span></p> <p><span>“And something else to remember, you do not need to give a deposit before the salesman goes to the manager. They use that ploy to make their story of going to the manager easier to believe.”</span></p> <p><span>Quora user Kevin Burke said the manager talk was real “to some degree”.</span></p> <p><span>“Many dealers use what is called a ‘track’ system to sell vehicles,” he wrote.</span></p> <p><span>“The salesman runs back and forth between the customer and the sales manager delivering offers and counter offers, trying to close a deal.</span></p> <p><span>“In a case like that, obviously they talk. Other dealers price differently — no-negotiation stores are catching on, some do internet pricing to reduce the hassle, but no car or truck EVER leaves a dealer or is sold without the salesman submitting it to a sales manager for approval.</span></p> <p><span>“The cars belong to the dealer, not the salesman, and the manager has to make sure there is enough money in the deal.</span></p> <p><span>“Regardless, sales managers and sales people do talk, but neither of them is really working for the buyer. Everyone is paid on gross profit — so the conversation is, ‘How do we bump this deal up?’”</span></p>

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Dustin Hoffman accused of sexually harassing teen girl

<p>Writer Anna Graham Hunter was just 17 years old when she interned on the 1985 made-for-television film adaptation of <em>Death of a Salesman</em>, but her first experience working in Hollywood left her with lasting emotional scars.</p> <p>Hunter wrote in a guest article for <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/dustin-hoffman-sexually-harassed-me-i-was-17-guest-column-1053466" target="_blank"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Hollywood Reporter</span></em></strong></a> she was subject to constant sexual harassment from Dustin Hoffman, now 80.</p> <p>“He asked me to give him a foot massage my first day on set; I did,” she wrote. “He was openly flirtatious, he grabbed my ass, he talked about sex to me and in front of me.”</p> <p>At first, Hunter admits she “loved the attention”, but things quickly took a dark turn.</p> <p>“One morning I went to his dressing room to take his breakfast order; he looked at me and grinned, taking his time. Then he said, ‘I’ll have a hard-boiled egg … and a soft-boiled clitoris.’ His entourage burst out laughing. I left, speechless. Then I went to the bathroom and cried.”</p> <p>Hunter, who kept a detailed diary during her time as an intern, shared some unsettling extracts describing the harassment she experienced.</p> <p>“Today, when I was walking Dustin to his limo, he felt my ass four times,” she alleges. “I hit him each time, hard, and told him he was a dirty old man. He took off his hat and pointed to his head (shaved for the part) and said, ‘No, I’m a dirty young man, I have a full head of hair.’”</p> <p>On another day, she wrote, “This morning when I asked Dustin what he wanted for breakfast, he said something that beat even his lows. It was worse than anything anyone has ever said to me on the street. It was so gross I couldn’t say anything. I just turned around and walked out.”</p> <p>Upon being contacted by <em>The Hollywood Reporter</em>, Hoffman issued the following apology: “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.”</p>

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Car salesman rescues elderly woman after she mistakenly calls him

<p>A family in the UK have thanked a car salesman who rushed to help their grandmother in distress after she called his dealership for help by mistake.</p> <p>Dang Vuong, a car sales manager at BMW in Wallsend, was working on Sunday when he received a call from a distressed woman who was trying to call her daughter for help, after she had fallen while running a bath.</p> <p>Dang didn’t think twice about hurrying to help the distressed woman.</p> <p>“I drove over there while our receptionist kept her talking on the phone,” he told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/how-tyneside-grans-wrong-number-11691804">The Cornicle Live</a>.</strong></span></p> <p>“When I arrived, she was in shock more than anything, there was blood on her face and the bath was overflowing. I told her who I was and then scooped her up and put her on the sofa and covered her with a blanket and waited until her carers and family came.”</p> <p>Dang said he was happy to help but believes “anyone would have done the same”.</p> <p>He said: “I would have thought anyone would have done the same, especially with her being an old lady, I didn’t even think about doing anything else. I was raised to look up to my elders.</p> <p>“I’m from Blyth, and we’re a close-knit community, I know that anyone else from Blyth who had got that call would have done the same thing.”</p> <p>Sara Tweedy, the granddaughter of the woman Dang rescued, said without his help it would have been hours before anyone found her.</p> <p>“We can’t thank him enough,” she said.</p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/06/over-60s-fitness-gurus/"><em>Over-60s fitness gurus prove it’s never too late to get fit</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/06/working-full-time-over-90/"><em>Inspiring people who work full-time over 90</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2016/06/great-grandmother-walking-from-sa-to-darwin/"><em>Great-grandmother walking from South Australia to Darwin</em></a></strong></span></p>

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100-year-old man still working as car salesman 66 years later

<p>One-hundred-years young and not slowing down anytime soon. Derrell Alexander, a Wyoming man rang still works at a car dealership 66 years after making his first sale.</p><p>As long as he can get out of the house, Derrell Alexander said that he’ll be showing up for the job he loves at White’s Mountain Motors in Casper.</p><p>The father-of-two hasn’t even taken a vacation since his children were young.&nbsp;</p><p>But his daughter Sheri Rupe said she believes work has “kept him going”.&nbsp;</p><p>“He’d probably be gone by now if he went home and sat down and did nothing,” said Rupe who, unlike her father, is happily retired. &nbsp;</p><p>Alexander worked on ranches, a pipeline and as a mechanic before finding his dream job in car sales in 1949. Once a top salesman, Alexander now sells to the children and grandchildren of his old regular customers.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Related links:&nbsp;</strong></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://oversixty.com.au/health/wellbeing/2014/09/73-year-old-aussie-grandma-to-attempt-channel-swim-today/" target="_blank"><em><strong>73-year-old Aussie grandma to attempt Channel swim today</strong></em></a></span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://oversixty.com.au/health/wellbeing/2015/01/make-this-your-best-year/" target="_blank"><em><strong>How to make this your happiest year yet</strong></em></a></span></p><p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/technology/2014/10/the-74-year-old-on-a-mission-to-make-technology-easy-for-all-seniors/" target="_blank"><em><strong>The 74 year-old on a mission to make technology easy for ALL&nbsp;</strong></em></a></span></p>

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