Saturday, April 25, 2015

Smart Circle Double-Dealing

Strategic Advertising Solutions (formely Touch Management Group) is an illegal and fraudulent organization that's tied into a bigger scheme on a global level perpetrated by Smart Circle. Strategic Advertising Solutions is newly formed, and operated by a gentlemen named Jonathan Clarke(could be an alias). According to INTERPOL, Mr. Clarke is originally from the Navan/County Meade area of Ireland, and has been in Texas for some time. He supposedly holds a law degree from the University of London, however this has not been verified and is likely a cover to aid in his credibility.  Mr. Clarke is linked back to several scam MLM/Pyramid Scheme marketing groups that have been in the DFW area for over a decade, such as; Touch Management Group,  JDC Marketing, Bradley Clarke & Associates, The IDC Group, GII Inc, and New Touch Management, the latter of which was shut down in 2010 by the Dallas District Attorney.

Interestingly enough, Smart Circle has 3 corporate offices. The first is in California, and ironically shares the same address as the headquarters of Makeover Essentials(a supposed "new high end make-up company that is wanting to promote its new products before it hits the big stores". In reality its cheap Chinese makeup manufactured by Innovage and exists solely as the flagship type product for which the Smart Circle pyramid scheme capitalizes on (through sales rep/business owner recruiting, and fraud) and is the product for which the new Strategic Advertising Solutions exists to "market" and "sell").  The other office for Smart Circle is located in Plano, Texas. This suggests that Dallas, is a major hub city for this global fraud organization (Smart Circle). 

With this said, Jonathan Clarke might well be into this scheme deeper than what appears initially and is considered a person of interest. The DAs office as well as the FBI's Dallas field office began launching an investigation into Strategic Advertising Solutions(formely Touch Management Group) as of Feb. 2014, following the tipoffs of undercover investigators who are trailing Jonathan Clarke. As this is ongoing, avoid applying for any job originating at 14330 Midway Rd, Suite 235 in Dallas/Farmers Branch. Also an affiliated address of 1505 Parliament Lane in Plano Texas should also be a red flag. Mr. Clark(and many others like him), are trying to lure the young and naïve "wanna be entrepreneurs/ get rich quickers", recent college graduates, high school graduates, and the unemployed, etc. Do not be a victim, and if you have been victimized contact the Dallas District Attorney's Office, they will appreciate any information you have, and it will be redirected to investigators.

To see an example of a similar operation(notice the exact same wording/generic phraseology,and design layout as the Touch Management Group website), visit freelancemanagementgroup.net (this is one of the Smart Circle affiliates trying to lure victims in Encino Ca. It is operated by a women known as Sandy El-Rayes)
Below is a link to the FBI's website listing common frauds, read on about pyramid schemes, and don't hesitate to contact the Dallas District Attorney, and FBI's Dallas Field Office. fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud
Illegal Pyramid Recruiting Scheme, Fraudulent Business Practices (such as falsely promised base pay, and no overtime pay), Deceptive Recruiting...This company will post fraudulent and deceptive job ads on sites like CarrerBuilder.com, in hopes of luring as many people as possible. Everyone who applies will be called for an interview (the secretary reads a script, saying that after "review" you have been selected for an interview). The first  "interview" is were Mr.Clarke or one of his associates gives you  the Makeover Essentials "cover story". He also says that the position is base plus commission (a lie, there is no base pay, and commission rounds out to about $3 per kit sold! Not to mention this commission is taxed) From there you will be told that if selected for a second interview, you will be called latter that evening. When you arrive the next day for the "second interview", you quickly discover that this is not in fact an interview at all, instead you are handed a waiver to sign saying that you will be volunteering to work for the company for the day (surprise), and are not officially an employee, and therefor entitled to no pay or compensation! If this isn't alarming enough,  it should be noted that Mr. Clarkes former New Line Management company (since shut down in 2010) was connected to Credit Card miss use, and Identity Theft! In order to motivate applicants, they promote a 6 month "management course", with the end goal of you running a branch of your own(i.e. you become a new owner/investor, who will in turn have their own group to recruit others with the hopes of one day earning the commission on them becoming a partner in future(this is where the money is actually made, the product is irrelevant- TEXTBOOK ILLEGAL PYRAMID SCHEME). Mr. Clarkes former fraudulent company prior to Strategic Advertising Solutions, was Touch Management Group. Investigators believe this operation lasted from roughly October of 2013, into February of 2014. Strategic Advertising Solutions is Mr. Clarkes most current front, and the DA will continue to investigate as these groups continue to change names.
If your an employee or job applicant who has been a victim to the fraud taking place, or are beginning to question the validity of Strategic Advertising Solutions/Jonathan Clarke, contact the Dallas District Attorneys Office at (214)-653-3600