The College of New Jersey presents Conference on Protecting Consumers in the Multi-level Marketing Industry – An International Virtual Conference, April 30–May 1

The College of New Jersey School of Business invites attendees to the first-ever conference exploring consumer protection and consumer harm in the multi-level marketing (MLM) industry, to be held virtually April 30–May 1.

Multilevel Marketing has been previously described as ‘gendered work’. The conference takes a consumer protection approach as 99% of participants lose money as anti-MLM activists suggest ‘MLM is a feminist issue’.

Regulators in the United States and around the globe continue to prosecute allegedly legal MLM companies for operating illegal pyramid schemes or making deceptive and fraudulent earnings claims, indicating that this is an international problem. Firms that have been prosecuted included BurnLounge, Vemma, Advocare, Success By Health, LuLaRoe, and Herbalife. A groundswell of consumer advocates and grassroots social-media content creators, often driven by former MLM distributors, illustrates consumer frustration with the continued victimization of friends and family.

This virtual conference brings together an international panel of federal regulators, experienced federal and state prosecutors, trial lawyers, researchers, academics, award-winning journalists, former MLM distributors, consumer protection experts, and social media activists. After a keynote talk by FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips, eight sessions over two days will cover a range of MLM-related topics, each with a Q&A period.

Registration is required. Attendance is free and open to the public.

For more info: Link to Conference Website

To register: Link to Registration Website

To download the full conference program, click below:

Questions can be directed to Professor William Keep: keep@tcnj.edu

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