By Randy Hutchinson
President of the BBB of the Mid-South
Reprinted from The Commercial Appeal
Knowledge Business Accelerator (KBA), Digital Freedom Mastermind (DFM), and Cashflow Consultant Academy (CCA) were all business opportunities that promised consumers who bought into the programs that they would earn huge incomes. The three men who operated the programs under an umbrella organization called “Growth Cave” took in over $50 million since 2020.
Two of the men claimed to have made significant money through the programs and techniques they were offering to others. One claimed to be a marketing guru and self-made millionaire and the other said he had the ability to fix negative mindsets and was certified in hypnosis. All three men posted videos of their lavish lifestyles as proof of the earnings potential of their programs.
KBA was sold through YouTube ads as a business opportunity to develop and market a “digital education program” that consumers could use to generate $20,000 to $50,000 in passive income. The men claimed “It is literally IMPOSSIBLE to fail…” Consumers were offered a $10,000 profit guarantee that would ensure they would recoup their investment.
DFM was an “upgraded” version of KBA. For an additional investment of $30,000 to $50,000, consumers were promised that Growth Cave would do all the work to create the educational courses. CCA was a different business opportunity in which purchasers would be taught to close sales for “wealthy business owners” and would be placed with one of Growth Cave’s business owner clients. Consumers who paid as much as $6,800 for the CCA opportunity were guaranteed to make tens of thousands of dollars in monthly income.
But the FTC said the business opportunities were bogus and got a federal court to temporarily halt them in March (the Growth Cave website is no longer functioning, so it may be out of business). Instead of making tens of thousands of dollars in passive income, the FTC said most consumers never made a sale, didn’t earn any income, and ended up owing thousands of dollars to Growth Cave, credit card companies, and third-party lenders.
The FTC said consumers had trouble reaching Growth Cave employees and that customized advertisements Growth Cave promised to develop for them ended up being generic scripts that they had to revise before recording their own advertisements. Consumers who bought the CCA program with promises that they would be placed with a wealthy business owner rarely were and when they were placed, it was with another consumer embroiled in the scam.
The men also established a bogus credit repair scheme called Buffalo Bridge that they sold to people who had bought one of the other programs. They’ve rebranded some of their programs, including one supposedly fueled by Artificial Intelligence and using the same testimonials as the earlier ones. It appears one or more of the new programs may still be operating.
The BBB offers these tips to avoid becoming the victim of a business opportunity scam:
- Research the company and offer online using words like “complaint,” “review” or “scam” to see what people say about it before paying. Check out the company with the BBB.
- Question promises of big money or profits. Only scammers guarantee success or a return on an investment.
- Read success stories and reviews with skepticism. Many are faked or exaggerated.
- Discuss the opportunity with trusted advisors or other successful businesspeople.