Smoke, Thanks for your relentless DD, as well as Colombo style patience!
While I rarely post, I DO follow: On April 23, 2013, when SFMI tanked to .01, it triggered my lengthy essay entitled, "Anatomy of a Scam", which stated, in part:
The career scammer is a clever, mini-dictator, wielding absolute power over employees, while insidiously seeking refuge within the tiny crevices of an imperfect legal system. H/she migrates from one fraud to the other, knowing that every swindle has an end. Scamming 101; “Keep the party going”, while straddling the peripheries of the law. They have evolved 3 clever strategies towards that goal.
1. Keep the participants in a constant state of confusion: this will result in an atmosphere of the blind-leading-the-blind within the overriding context of being captive of their desires. This conveniently offsets the inherent loss of “Street credit”. To optimize the confused state, take advantage of ambiguity with almost all communications. Block transparency. Accurate feedback to the scammer of the state of confusion is of paramount importance, therefore, closely monitor the message boards, and adjust accordingly. (Prior to the internet, it was merely speculative as to the pulse of the participants’ level of confusion. Today, it is a science). Deploy the “Straw man” tactic, by throwing the investors an occasional, distracting bone.
2. Cull the herd: by driving away the perceptive ones, for they pose a serious threat to longevity. Be deliberately indifferent, lax and unprofessional in responding to their calls. Be recalcitrant, and when push comes to shove, simply advise them to sell and hang up. (Historically, every dictatorship routinely eliminated opposing intellectuals)
3. Prepare a swift, legally sound, exit strategy for the moment when the excrement hits the rotating blades.
Regrettably, SFMI is now in phase 3.
Thinking
