Our Gasoline Membership’s web site doesn’t straight present firm possession or government info.
For that you need to particularly go to the “webinars” part, whereby it’s disclosed Troy Mason is President and CEO of the corporate.
BehindMLM first got here throughout Mason again in 2013 with Gasoline Membership of America.
Gasoline Membership of America was a easy matrix-based pyramid scheme, mixed with penny auctions.
Penny auctions have been a factor on the time, largely owing to success of the by then shutdown Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme.
Different MLM corporations launched by Troy Mason embrace Zlicense (2015) and ZBlackCard (2018).
As recounted by Mason in an April eighth 2022 Our Gasoline Membership company webinar;
I noticed a pattern, okay, that I’d seen earlier than, okay.
And so I need to make this completely clear to you guys. After I noticed this pattern began to occur, it was one thing that was taking place again in 2008 I believe it was, during which I observed that kinda the fuel costs have been beginning to creep up.
I watched it for a minute and I unhappy, “Waitaminute, maintain on. That is on the point of repeat 2008.”
And so we began making ready again over 4 months in the past, for what’s taking place proper now right this moment.
Our Gasoline Membership’s web site area was registered on March 2nd, 2022.
Figuring there was a excessive chance Mason had launched different fuel schemes between 2008 and 2022, I ran a search and got here throughout Ztegrity.
Observe the date of the video, November 4th 2021. This loosely suits in with Mason’s “4 months in the past” declare above.
Right here’s the place issues get attention-grabbing. Previous to being rebooted because the precursor for Our Gasoline Membership, Ztegrity was a foreign exchange alternative.
In June 2021, the CFTC sued Mason and Ztegrity for fraud.
The Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee introduced right this moment that it has filed a civil enforcement motion within the U.S. District Court docket for the Southern District of Texas in opposition to Troy Mason of Houston, Texas and his Texas-based firm, ZTegrity, Inc., charging them with fraudulent solicitation and failing to register with the CFTC as required by the Commodity Alternate Act (CEA).
The criticism alleges that from not less than October 2019 to the current the defendants used numerous web sites and social-media platforms to fraudulently market their foreign currency trading pool as a model of a financial savings account that supplied a higher yield with equally low or no danger.
The defendants known as this foreign currency trading pool “The Black Membership” and “The Foreign exchange Financial savings Membership,” which their web site claimed had acquired over $460,000 from 411 contributors.
The criticism additional alleges the defendants induced participation of their foreign currency trading pool by falsely claiming to “assure” to repay contributors the funds they contributed to their particular person “Foreign exchange Financial savings Accounts” and falsely supplied contributors “with a 100% certainty” parts of the “substantial revenue[s]” to be generated utilizing contributors’ pooled funds to commerce foreign exchange.
I pulled up the case docket. On June ninth the CFTC filed an emergency movement in search of an ex parte statutory restraining order.
The movement was granted on June tenth, prohibiting Mason from
withdrawing, transferring, eradicating dissipating, or disposing of any funds, property or different property acquired in reference to (the) illegal operation of the Foreign exchange Financial savings Membership.
Mason was additionally prohibited from destroying and associated Ztegrity proof.
On July 2nd the CFTC filed for a preliminary injunction, which might supersede the already granted statutory restraining order.
A preliminary injunction was granted in opposition to Mason and Ztegrity on July thirteenth.
As of September 1st, a trial has been scheduled for February or March 2023. Mason filed his response to the CFTC’s lawsuit on September twenty third.
Ztegrity’s late 2021 fuel providing was put collectively after the CFTC shut down Mason’s foreign exchange scheme.
For all intents and functions Ztegrity’s fuel providing is a reboot of Gasoline Membership of America, and Our Gasoline Membership is a rename/reboot of Ztegrity.
The rebranding is probably going an try to distance public affiliation with the CFTC’s Ztegrity fraud lawsuit.
Learn on for a full assessment of Our Gasoline Membership’s MLM alternative.
Our Gasoline Membership’s Merchandise
Our Gasoline Cub markets $19.95 entry to an app-based low cost platform.
No specifics in regards to the platform are supplied.
Our Gasoline Membership’s Compensation Plan
Our Gasoline Membership’s compensation plan pays on recruitment of $89.95 a month fee-paying associates.
Commissions are paid down two ranges of recruitment (unilevel):
- stage 1 – $25 a month
- stage 2 – $15 a month
Commissions are paid every month so long as recruited associates proceed to pay their $89.95 price.
Becoming a member of Our Gasoline Membership
Our Gasoline Cub associates should first join the $19.95 app-based low cost portal.
Affiliate membership is then $79.95 a month.
Our Gasoline Membership Conclusion
The “fuel” facet of Our Gasoline Membership is advertising and marketing for what’s in any other case a bog-standard pyramid scheme.
The ruse is Our Gasoline Membership earnings are “greater than sufficient to cowl the price of most individuals’s month-to-month fuel utilization”.
Again in 2013, I wrote this of Gasoline Membership of America;
What any of this has to do with “fuel” I don’t know.
The identical is true of Our Gasoline Membership. The upfront pitch is “assist cowl rising fuel prices”. What is just not brazenly disclosed is that is achieved via an unsustainable pyramid scheme.
Our Gasoline Membership associates join the low cost platform for $19.95. Regardless of the third-party fee is on that is pure revenue for Troy Mason.
You then join “Platinum Membership”, which doubles as affiliate membership, for $79.95 a month.
Maintain paying this price and recruit others who do the identical to receives a commission.
Our Gasoline Membership does present advertising and marketing materials to advertise the scheme with however that doesn’t change the pyramid nature of the enterprise mannequin.
As per the FTC, MLM corporations with out important retail gross sales are pyramid schemes.
One may argue the low cost platform constitutes a retail service. Whereas it very properly may, it has nothing to do with Our Gasoline Membership’s MLM alternative.
100% of commissions paid out by Our Gasoline Membership are tied to recruitment.
Talking of the FTC, Our Gasoline Membership can also be possible violating the FTC Act:
The above is clearly an earnings declare, which might fall below deception. Ought to the FTC examine, I believe the one one that comes wherever close to to creating six figures a yr in Our Gasoline Membership is Troy Mason.
It goes with out saying working a pyramid scheme can also be a violation of the FTC Act.
As with all MLM pyramid schemes, when affiliate recruitment dries up so too will commissions.
Downlines will cease paying $79.95 a month, seeing these above them cease getting paid. They cease paying their charges and earlier than you understand it an irreversible collapse is triggered.
The mathematics behind MLM pyramid schemes ensures nearly all of contributors lose cash.
Given Ztegrity was the precursor for Our Gasoline Membership and Mason is working each schemes, I’ve added the CFTC’s Ztegrity lawsuit to BehindMLM’s case docket calendar.
Keep tuned for updates as we proceed observe the case.
Replace thirteenth September 2022 – Troy Mason has rebooted Our Gasoline Membership as 25X Membership.
Replace twelfth October 2022 – Troy Mason has settled Ztegrity foreign exchange fraud fees with the CFTC for $943,570.