You may have seen some of the YouTube videos that Shaun Smith seems to be constantly posting.
He is heavily into promoting YourNetBiz and is uploading lots of videos in an attempt to boast about his apparent earnings from that opportunity,
I won’t lie to you, I think YourNetBiz is a poor opportunity and the vast majority of members will lose money. In fact, I think it’s a barely disguised pyramid scheme where money is passed around with no real product changing hands.
Still, the commission on selling the main product is $2,000 per sale so it’s no wonder that many people are promoting it.
Back to Smith and his video production endeavours…
I’m dubious.
I’m dubious about Shaun’s past and his claims.
The first thing that worries me about Shaun Smith:
I wonder about his latest video that has been posted on his top-income-system.com website on 28/09/2009.
On that page Shaun states:
“If you like the idea of making £1,248.11 in one day, then don’t delay start TODAY?“
Not sure why he put a question mark in that sentence but we’ll ignore that for the moment.
In his video Shaun claims out that he received a payment for £1,248.11 on the 28th September 2009.
I am aware that Shaun promotes YourNetBiz and that YourNetBiz has a membership level that is known as the “Gold” level.
To join at that level you must pay $1,995 to your sponsor. The rules state that your sponsor must then distribute that money. He must send $295 to YourNetBiz’s owners and he must send $300 to his own sponsor, leaving a maximum of $1,400.
According to FXHistory the USD/GBP rate on the 28th September was 1.59590.
A payment of $1,995 on that day would become, roughly, £1,250.08 which, when slight rate changes are taken into account, could become around £1,248.11.
So if you were ignoring any distribution to the company owners or any distribution to his sponsor, it is possible that Shaun received a payment of £1,248.11 in his merchant account on the 28th September 2009.
However, I am doubtful that Shaun “made” that amount of money.
After fulfilling his obligations I would imagine that he netted closer to £875 (around $1,400). If he used a PBA to close the sale the amount would’ve been even less that that.
The result of all this is that Shaun is claiming to “make” £1,248.11 when it is likely that he actually made about 2/3 of that or less.
Yes, it’s still a nice amount of money to make and I’m sure that many people would like to have that kind of money paid into their account. The issue is that it seems he is claiming to make more money than he actually is.
If it is an exaggeration then I must ask the question: what other earnings is Shaun Smith exaggerating?
The second thing that worries me about Shaun Smith:
I took a few minutes to do a Google search and found some very worrying articles regarding Shaun’s past problems with the authorities.
The first I found was from a well-known national UK newspaper, the Daily Mirror, featured on the Mirror’s website mirror.co.uk:
Dated 21st September 2001 it states that Smith, along with a couple of accomplices, was tried at Stafford Crown Court.
The Mirror said that:
“…after a nine-week trial [the jury] found [Shaun] Smith, 36… guilty of five fraud charges…“
Another article elaborated on Shaun’s conviction:
Homeworking scams con-men found guilty of conspiracy to defraud
Here it stated that Shaun Smith was found guilty of “conspiracy to defraud”.
It seems that Shaun has had some very serious problems in the past and, according to one website, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for his involvement with a homeworking scam.
His videos seem to suggest that he exaggerates his income and newspapers report that he was convicted of fraud just a few years ago.
For these reasons I would never be able to recommend any of Shaun Smith’s products or business opportunities.
Here’s another complete with a PICTURE of Shaun for proof:
http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/2001/09/16/huge-hunt-for-fraud-fortune-50002-11307790/
If you’re reading this shaun, you’re an [censored] and I would like nothing more than to [censored] like the [censored] you are. I absolutely deteste people like you. You’re the scum of the earth.
Comment by Steve — 9th November 2009 @ 7:43 pm
Shaun is at it again. This time he’s selling a course on Adsense. Promising riches but delivering nothing.
Comment by shaun smith scam — 9th March 2010 @ 11:04 pm
So glad I have read this article – Thanks! I had no idea about his past. I have bought a couple of his low cost “make money systems” and they have failed. So I will saying be bye bye to Mr. Smith!
Comment by Dave — 20th May 2010 @ 10:14 am
Why do we keep doing this ?Affiliate marketing is all a load of bollocks these guys are all confidence tricksters!!!Listen guys go back to the old saying if its to good to be true it probs is.
The reason why I am talking like this is because I have tried absolutely everything on the internet and trust me NONE OF IT WORKS.
The only way to do this is start growing a brain and think of your own ideas instead of being fleeced by these scumbags.
Good luck your gonna need it.
Comment by Richard — 16th June 2010 @ 2:08 pm
Wow – am I glad i put Shaun Smith Scam in the Google search box.
I have been on the verge of purchasing from him – NOT ANYMORE!!.
Thank ypu for this article.
Comment by Cliff — 16th July 2010 @ 7:40 pm
Hi.
We all know about Shaun Smith, but I think it’s unfair to bring his past into it. Such companies can be heavily fined and shut down if they are known to influence the sales of a business. The internet is full of stuff.
Yes, we know he’s a scam. But, this was in the past.
I purchased his 700inaday system. I haven’t made any money because I haven’t done any of it, but I think it’s a good start for newbies in internet marketing. It’s just about creating many blogs or a main one and putting Adsense on it. When you drive traffic to it, people will click the ads and earn you some money.
Yes, he was a scam. But, I think people should try before they judge. We all have different opinions and taste to products.
BTW, I’m not anything to do with Shaun Smith. It’s just that people think all money making sites are scams. Actually, they are not. People expect to purchase a system and do nothing and want millions to be handed to them. It’s not like this. You might have to work at a system for several months before you start seeing a nice return,hard work pays off.
Hope this helps anyone who is very sceptical about the online industry. Just remember, when these sites say its simple, that’s because they want to make the sale. It’s not simple. It’s actually legit and real, but you WILL have to work very hard.
[Addition by Ben: IP address in Wolverhampton – where does Shaun Smith live?]
Comment by Sandy — 20th July 2010 @ 5:59 pm
Wow close call, spoke to shaun nearly got hooked, how can I thank you , hope the dream stealer gets all back in spades
Comment by jack — 3rd August 2010 @ 11:37 pm
I found all this very illuminating. I was near to getting involved with this man but not now. Yes, leopards MAY change their spots but that’s too big a chance to take with my money. Thanks for all the enlightenment.
Comment by Peter — 7th October 2010 @ 10:52 pm
I bought his 700 in a day system and havent made a penny. I bought it because there was a money back guarantee. So far I have emailed him 4 times but he doesnt answer.
Comment by Dawn Cansdale — 31st March 2011 @ 1:02 pm
We do suggest that the Your Net Biz name be left out of any of your future blogs. To slanderize our business name is illegal. The associate mentioned is a INDEPENDANT associate of Your Net Biz. If you, or any other individuals have a concern about a member, please feel free to come to us directly and we can address it per the terms of the membership agreement.
Thank you.
Your Net Biz
Compliance Department
Comment by YNBSupport — 9th June 2011 @ 5:42 pm
Hi, I found your article interesting – the fact that Younetbiz made a comment which was a threat. I have been checking up the company and found it has quite a few conmen with criminal records, the tactic of testimonials on Youtube when they are all members of Yournetbiz is highly suspect. Still you would of thought they would of used some basic grammar, still there quite a few objective reviews which say the company is running an illegal pyramid scheme.
Comment by Lou — 27th June 2011 @ 9:19 pm
I have had time to read several posts about Mr shaun smith , and all I can say is anyone can make a mistake in life , and people can use words such as fraud . scam . fake . cheat . and we all have the risk of being labeled with anyone of these words , even if it is not true ,
after all we all want something for nothing , and want a good life style . I believe some of us will have success and some of us no matter how hard we try will never reach our dreams .
Thank you all for taking the time to read this comment .
A dieing man .
[Addition by Ben: I agree 100% that anyone can make a mistake in life. There are those that turn their life around and deserve forgiveness. Those that continue on the same path don’t deserve to be let off the hook.]
Comment by tom — 10th December 2011 @ 9:33 pm
I’m shocked to see these, but I honestly think now he’s doing stuff legit, he’s always doing webinars and at the end of the phone! He promotes a lot of programmes that are nothing to do with him he’s just at the top of the pyramid And must actually be making the sort of money he says about
Comment by Darren — 19th January 2012 @ 9:16 am
To be fair if the programme they were jailed for was legit this blog wouldnt exist and they’d have done well out of it, he must have been the ‘brains’ behind the marketing and has parlayed that knowledge into a successful online business, are his products any good? Thats another matter. A few years ago I used to buy all those crap
‘make a million in an hour while watching tv’ programmes and guess where I got after 2 years? It wasn’t until I started to learn the process of marketing myself the hard way and have made a very good living – not selling make money online products by the way..at least not yet 😉
Comment by Jimbo — 1st February 2012 @ 3:29 pm
Thanks for deleting my comment – who’s running this site Rupert Murcock?
Comment by Jimbo — 1st February 2012 @ 6:08 pm