Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

[aliencurv]

I had this friend. Used to be a friend, 2 years ago tell me he was going to start his own business. Pretty excited. Quit his 70k/year job for this "Business" but didn't tell me much about it. Then one day he kept harassing me to come to some meeting to find out what he did. I guess it took him a few months to pass some test or endure a cult bukake festival to be elligable to alienate himself from his friends.

2 years later, he's sold everything he owns except his clothes. Owns like 2 suits (1 that he had to buy for a wedding). Lives in a townhouse with a few other cult members. Makes like 10k a year. Puts on a fake show about being happy.

I guess struggling financially and trying to be happy is a learning experience. But there is a limit; and when self induced it's quite silly.

Anyway, so not only has he lost a large percentage of friends and those who he has left are pretty jaded. So his personality changed too.

Another friend and I met with him to try to help him a few weeks ago and it he kept going through WFG scripted "power positions" with his shoulders and re-asking questions that we asked him. No hope in sight.

I guess there are thousands of ppl caught up in their cult. Has anyone else had experience with these guys? Is there any hope of salvaging this old friend? Is he gone?

I honestly can't be his friend while he's involved in this scheme. It turned our friendship into "business contacts" from his perspective. From my perspective he's become an annoyance and embarassment to my family and friends.

[Duby T]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

That sucks man!

I just finished reading up on WFG and it seems like your friend is caught up in some sort of pyramid scheme (this is the first I hear of WFG).

Have you sat down and talked to him about it? an intervention of sorts? Maybe get him to read some of the horror stories on the net. I found a number of them in just a few seconds using google. Get him to see that he is going down the same path as many of these other people.

At least he didn't get snatched by some religion. I lost a good friend to religion.

Good luck

[R-Audi]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

Whats WFG?

[gaffer]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

World Financial Group.

[Turbo_NV]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

yea its another Multi level marketing company....

There is a ton of money to be had if you have the right circle - however in todays economy its probably even tougher as people are unwilling to invest their dollars in the market (even though everything is on sale)

I got caught in a cult of sort like this took a long time for me to take the blinders off. The whole business structure is based on sucking people in with promises of a affleunt future. It's unfortunate that they do not convey all the info up front.

Your friend will come back - don't give up hope. Hell you can only stay broke for so long right :P

[squidjit]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

giving up on him could be the worst thing you could do for him...
as then the only "friends" he would have are the people in WFG and would thus never turn away from it....
its going to be hard but you have to keep at him... maybe try some sort of intervention gather up as many of his old friends as possible..
eventually he will realize what is going on....
i used to know a guy that was getting into WFG he tried to take me with him... as far as i know he now works 2 jobs + WFG to try and pay the bills... but he was a friend of and ex.. so when we broke up i stopped talking to him too so im not sure what all happened there...

[aliencurv]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

I've talked to him, but that turned into an arguement. The closest of his friends have backed away entirely. I'm barely holding on by a thread. He's so in debt, you wouldn't imagine. Making seriously 10k a year or something. Living off credit cards and toast. But he claims he's very happy. That's the hardest part is he denies there is a problem.

When ever I mention something negative about the whole scheme, he gets real defensive. He's been involved for 2 years! It's ridiculous how consumed he is by it.

He made a comment to me... "In a few years, you and everyone you know will be involved in WFG because we are growing at such an alarming rate".

[Pistol Pete]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

I was invited, back in 2004, by one of my girlfriend's friends to attend one of these meetings with WFG (in Red Deer). I had no idea what it was about, but when I arrived, there was about 20 people there - mostly over 50yrs old.

A person that was doing the presentation couldn't be more than 20yrs old, and he kept yapping about how much money he made and stuff he owns...and so on. My ******** senses are pretty strong, so it didn't take me long to realize that his guy is full of it. I could only endure about 15min of it before I just got up and left.

One thing that I remember them saying is how they were, at that time, developing this multimillion dollar - 20stories plus building where they'd be moving to ... and they were all excited and wanted "us" to be part of it. Because I go to Red Deer almost every weekend, I drive by this little strip mall where they're still located. That should tell the whole story. And they are like a religious cult. You can see it in their eyes when you talk to one of them.

[Wildfire]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

There was a similar pyramid scheme many years ago back in London. Someone tried to get me into it. After 'deep thinking' about the whole thing over a weekend, I realised it was a farce. That was the end of that.
As for your friend and them having this 'different lifestyle'. I think there is more to it than that its just a business venture. There is a lot of psychology involved. Brainwash is common word, but its a broad term. I cant say too much on here but from my own experience. There is going to be someone who your friend has submitted to in one way or another. That person has a some sort of emotional control. As him being self denial, some people are so convinced, that the only person they convince is themselves (i.e the ego convinces the self).
In laymans terms, everyone has a subroutine in the way the mind works. Like a computer program. We all have a set of references. What happens is sometimes someone is able to 're-programme' someone so thier original point of reference is changed to something else (i.e religion, cult, etc). Hence you see the change it character.

[onepointeightdub]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

Yeah I almost joined it. But decided against it. It's a pyramid scheme no matter how nicely they try to word it. They make money by you joining.

[popp]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

I understand the whole your pissed about his job thing, but if he is your friend, it doesn't matter where he works. If he chooses to make 10k a year then let him, just don't lend him money expecting it back. I have a friend thats a dirty hooker, but we all still love him the same.....we just don't touch him, but we still hang out

[aliencurv]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

I understand the whole your pissed about his job thing, but if he is your friend, it doesn't matter where he works. If he chooses to make 10k a year then let him, just don't lend him money expecting it back. I have a friend thats a dirty hooker, but we all still love him the same.....we just don't touch him, but we still hang out

i should mention a bit more about the friendship. since the wfg, he's used all friends as "Business contacts". So he'll phone my friends. Everything in his life has become a business contact. He's always on, there is no "hanging out". He tries to steer conversations with people to talk about WFG so he can offer his "services". It's an entirely new person, and it happened over night.

After my last confontation with him, he's even worse.

[Wildfire]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

i should mention a bit more about the friendship. since the wfg, he's used all friends as "Business contacts". So he'll phone my friends. Everything in his life has become a business contact. He's always on, there is no "hanging out". He tries to steer conversations with people to talk about WFG so he can offer his "services". It's an entirely new person, and it happened over night.

After my last confontation with him, he's even worse.

Has he mentioned any of his 'new friends or Business contacts' within the WFG circle..?

[aliencurv]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

Has he mentioned any of his 'new friends or Business contacts' within the WFG circle..?

yah he gives out the information to his "colleagues" as referrals. in the beginning, he'd phone everyone including friends of mine that he only knew through me. and he's very forward with the scripts, one of my friend's and her husband nearly contacted the police for harassment. instead she talked to me first incase it would affect our friendship.

[Wildfire]

Re: Anyone know anyone involved in WFG?

yah he gives out the information to his "colleagues" as referrals. in the beginning, he'd phone everyone including friends of mine that he only knew through me. and he's very forward with the scripts, one of my friend's and her husband nearly contacted the police for harassment. instead she talked to me first incase it would affect our friendship.

No I mean like. Does he have a mentor or a main contact at the WFG? Or someone who he regularly speaks to there? Its usually this person who has 'indoctrinated' the individual with these ideas. That is generaly a good starting point to find what is actually going on.