A scathing insight into the business of deception

Senior journalist Aruna Ravikumar launches her thought provoking book 'Marauders of Hope'on multi-level marketing scams

Multi-level marketing schemes are prevalent in the country for over two decades. These schemes are financial scams fooling gullible people on the pretext of offering easy sources of income. Victims wake up too late enabling perpetrators of frauds make huge profits at their expense.

The book 'Marauders of Hope' by senior journalist and contributer to The Hans India, is an eye-opener and must read for all concerned citizens across the country and has victims all over the world.

It dissects multi-level marketingscams, draws why they happened and unfolds remedial measures to stop the cancerous growth of dubious multinational corporations that were quick at feeding off people, hungry to make quick money. This book is about the unconcealed greed of companies and individuals who reap a rich harvest through fraudulent financial schemes that are a recipe for disaster. It is also about political patronage and failure of different regulatory and enforcement authorities to contain illegal forces.

The book was launched at Hotel ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad in the presence of renowned personalities including Dr VK Saraswat, Member - NITI Aayog, Pullela Gopichand, National Badminton Coach, Dr Naresh VK, Actor and President - Movie Artists Association, Prof. Sanjay Kallapur, Deputy Dean - Planning &Governance – ISB, Dr EAS Sharma, IAS (Retd), and many heads of corporates, and senior police officials.

"There is a dire need of creating a strong awareness to stop the activities of fraudsters who dupe innocent people of their hard-earned money. I must congratulate Aruna Ravikumar for taking up this topic which in one way touches the life of each one of us. I trust that her book, Marauders of Hope, will spread awareness about these MLM scams," said Dr VK Saraswat, Member - NITI Aayog while launching the book.

The author's enduring fascination for words propelled her to explore different frontiers of creativity, as scriptwriter, corporate and documentary filmmaker, translator and television anchor. Politics and art, news and views, celebrities and ordinary folk, common and uncommon situations are all an intrinsic part of her journey, filled with adrenaline moments.

Using her rich experience as a journalist with the print and electronic media Aruna outlines systemic failures in curbing financial crimes that are destroying the social, psychological and economic well-being of a majority, to fill the coffers of a few.

While launching her book Aruna Ravikumar said, "The heart-rending stories of victims and the unfolding saga of misery unleashed by the greed of a few marauders who manipulate individuals, families, societies and nations using them as sacrificial lambs at the altar of greed, moved the journalist in me.

It led to months of painstaking research and interviews that unveiled the mask of the 'Merchants of Deception'. If it inspires readers to don their thinking caps, the effort may have been well worth it."

(The book is published by 'The Write Place', a publishing initiative by Crossword Bookstores. Priced at INR 299/-, the readers can get a copy from Crossword and Amazon India.

Rana Daggubati, actor

"The Marauders of hope by Aruna Ravikumar provides in-depth understanding of how Multi-level marketing scams have ruined the social fabric,betrayed trust and made a big dent in the global economy. Through this book, Aruna has given a perfect insight into the modus operandi, the manipulation of the system and impact on people. This could be your story or mine, but it need not be. All you need is the right access to information and its available right here."

Vijay Devarakonda, actor

"Multi-level marketing scams play on our emotions. The people you trust, you are emotionally connected are used to betray you as they lure you into the trap in the recruitment model. This is how the peer pressure works, society works, and our entire social system works. We stop questioning and start believing that if tenpeople are doing this and every person you know is doing this it has to be right. All we need is the right information to be aware and recognize the signs of a scam."

Amala Akkineni, actor

"Just into the first chapter I realized what a dark side of humanity Aruna has unearthed. Multi-level marketing scams, blend into society so well that it becomes hard to even recognize them as scams. Anything that is based on a commission asking you to tap your circle for a commission, be very careful. That's the first sign of something not right. The most effective vaccine against this disease is awareness."