How to Say No to a Pyramid Scheme Bully

Tawsha Box is being cyberbullied by a Facebook friend to sign up for a pyramid scheme. Here's how to dodge that bullet.

According to Reddit, a swift and stern answer is the best policy.

"No thank you, I don't have the free time for extraneous commitments. Best of luck in your ventures though. How've you been recently?"

(Don't say "right now...", that just leaves the door open to reinterpretation and being bugged again about it later, or provides a tipping point to argue past.)

Be polite, confident, and do not mince your words. A properly placed and direct "no thanks" and a redirection of the subject should do the trick, especially if he's an old buddy. He really should just drop it after that. If not, he's simply doubling back in his "black book" for acquaintances he thinks he can leverage a business venture on. (If that's how an old friend treats you, maybe your relationship has become one of convenience and opportunity rather than mutual respect and commonality.)

Don't go in defensive or apprehensive, just confident that you'll be able to say no. There's nothing wrong with saying no to someone, friends and family alike. No need for people to make you uncomfortable and push your boundaries/pressure you into a situation you're not interested in. Remember, if your buddy keeps pressing on and pressuring you into akward and uncomfortable negotiations, he's not really your buddy anymore now is he? He's then become a salesman (taking advantage of an unwarranted, now "captive" audience) trying to make a dollar off you, and that's awfully rude. At that point, excusing yourself from the get together isn't uncalled for or rude on your part. Establish boundaries and command respect and dignity.

What is a pyramid scheme? MakeUsOf.com sums it up nicely:

A pyramid scheme is characterized by an unsustainable growth model that’s prone to collapse, and as a result they’re illegal in most parts of the world. The core business practice relies on recruitment, with no sales of goods or services of any value taking place. Investors essentially pay money to those above them in the pyramid to be a part of the scheme, with any return on investment coming from new recruits “below” them.

MakeUseOf.com has a very simple rule to avoid being cyberbullied by a "friend" to join their pyramid scheme:

The best way to avoid getting involved is not to take Facebook “friends” up on their event invites in the first place. Deliberately vague event invitations that makes reference to undisclosed business opportunities should ring alarm bells, along with alarming levels of enthusiasm for something that seems too good to be true.

According to MakeUseOf.com, here's some of the most popular pyramid schemes popping up on Facebook:

• Amway
• Arbonne
• Avon
• Herbalife
• Mary Kay
• Worldventures

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