To see real Colombians and their suffering....

Mononoke28 says on Nov 14, 2008, 11:09:

Well, like I said earlier I feel for them and I don't. It's an emotional struggle. And yes, they should've known better especially after the government had said it was trying to figure out if it was legit or not. Even after the media had said they were all schemes to steal money. Even after this has happened in other countries. Why in the world would you take a second mortgage on your house on something that is not a sure thing? It baffles me. Yes, I kinda feel bad for them but 5 minutes later, I don't.

Diana

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badboy says on Nov 14, 2008, 11:35:

"Pyramid investment schemes are said to be often more popular than regular savings accounts in Colombian banks, which charge high fees." (from the bbc)

therein lies the problem and a solution. how regulated are the banks? bank fee structure needs overhaul.

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Mononoke28 says on Nov 14, 2008, 11:41:

Don't get me started with banks in Colombia. Their fees and interest rates are outrageous. They're also part of the problem right there.

Diana

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mrgizmo says on Nov 14, 2008, 11:53:

For future possible victims: Here's the simple rule to follow "IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT ISN'T,'' but we are all greedy as a general rule and we'd like to think there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Wake up people, it doesn't exist.

Behind every successful man, there's a nagging woman

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lpdiver says on Nov 14, 2008, 12:02:

Um... Mr. Gizmo, depending on what type of advice you are attempting to give you might consider deleting a certain "n't" from your post.

ts

"cook some rice!"

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PBHjon says on Nov 14, 2008, 12:47:

pyramid schemes attract the stupid like a lightbulb attracts moths. why should we feel bad for these friggin morons? It reminds me of an even bigger example of collective stupidity: in South Africa, a hundred years ago, a young girl from the Zulu tribe went to bed and had a dream. In the dream, the gods of her tribe told her that they wanted the tribe to burn all the food they had collected all year long, as a test of their faith. The tribe then complied with this strange order. The result was that 25,000 members of their tribe starved to death over the next few months.

The world is a harsh place for the stupid. Evolution naturally punishes them, and removes them from the gene pool

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La_Huella says on Nov 14, 2008, 14:00:

Exactly. When I think of "real suffering" in Colombia I think of people who would never have had the dough in the first place to invest in these scams. If you're going to feel sorry for somebody, start with the desplazados, THESE people shoulda known better.

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mrgizmo says on Nov 14, 2008, 14:57:

Ipdiver: I'm saying IT IS NOT "TRUE'' (isn't). If it sounds too good to be true, it's because it's NOT TRUE! So don't fall for it.

Behind every successful man, there's a nagging woman

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dwmte7 says on Nov 14, 2008, 14:59:

LP ditto

dwmte

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dwmte7 says on Nov 14, 2008, 15:24:

as truly sad as it is, "a fool and his money are soon parted"

dwmte

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badboy says on Nov 14, 2008, 15:30:

"The world is a harsh place for the stupid. Evolution naturally punishes them, and removes them from the gene pool."

you social darwinists are too hard on these people. nobody is immune from getting scammed. just look at the u.s. stock market and the housing market; advisors were telling people that these two asset classes would do nothing but go up. it's not a blatant scam like pyramid schemes but the emotions of greed and an easy buck are the same. legions of people with high iq's get bilked all the time.

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pedro (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 14, 2008, 15:32:

Monita Linda says on Nov 14, 2008, 15:48:

I don't believe the government should pay back those not-so-smart people putting their money in pyramids.

I also don't believe governments should repay people who lost money in iceland banking accounts using taxpayers' money.

Poor but Preppy ______Colombia: the only risk is wanting to lay.

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chingon says on Nov 14, 2008, 17:24:

In the USA the gov't pays people for making bad investments

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Monita Linda says on Nov 14, 2008, 18:35:

In Europe no one ever grows up because the government behaves like an overly protective parent. Giving them all kinds of subsidies (of tax money), some people who claim to not be able to work get money for free (our money!). It is INSANE.

Poor but Preppy ______Colombia: the only risk is wanting to lay.

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Sam Salmon says on Nov 14, 2008, 19:28:

After Communism fell in Albania some crooks started the same sort of scam.

Of course people went broke but instead of waiting for someone to do something they went out and more or less destroyed the place-I mean every police station every official building was fair game the rioting went on for days.

Colombia is a much more developed and diverse place but as we see people are just as gullible.

' a la orden!'

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romy says on Nov 14, 2008, 19:29:

Seems like the Uribe kids were involved in scamming people

what do we say, hijo de tigre...

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dwmte7 says on Nov 15, 2008, 03:42:

the apple don't fall far from the tree...................

dwmte

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Pappassito (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 15, 2008, 11:12: