I fell victim to this scam known as Primerica. It all started one day when an unknown number called my cell phone and left me a voicemail. I listened to the voicemail and couldn't even hardly make out the name of the company from which the guy said he was calling. In the voicemail, he asked if I was still looking for employment. As a recent college graduate desperate to find a job in this sluggish economy, I gladly called back and set up an interview. So I met with the guy who was to become my "field trainer" or whatever and he explained to me what I would be doing, and as a journalism major in college, I hadn't the slightest clue or interest in selling insurance, which is what I got out of the interview, but desperate to work, I agreed to a second interview, and the really weird part is that he asked me if I wanted to meet at the local office or if I wanted him to come to my house (strange). I always felt really pressured when I met with him, and I found it strange the way he always had me write down names of people who I knew. He told me that there was a $99 fee but that if I didn't have it, I could do a "scholarship" program to where I go with my field trainer on three "successful" interviews with prospective buyers/victims in my "warm market" (people close to me - friends and family) to waive the $99 fee, which is what I chose to do. So we went on several interviews to houses of people who I knew and the whole process just seemed a little strange to me. I found it weird how I wasn't participating (I would just sit at the kitchen table watching him explain all this information to my friends who were just as confused as me) and how he always left papers with everyone and asked them to fill out names of people who they knew. Even to customers who didn't or wasn't interested in the whole process, he would constantly call me and ask if I had gotten the list of names. Finally after the third client, my field trainer just stopped calling me and that's when I knew that I had been scammed. I could tell from the beginning that it was a little strange and didn't seem like a real job, but being the desperate unemployed college graduate that I am, I accepted. I feel absolutely embarrassed to have to tell my friends that it was a scam and I am constantly apologizing to them for putting them through this and for giving out their personal financial information to these crooks at Primerica. These cronies are a weird bunch as well. My field trainer told me that I needed to go to the weekly meetings which were every Tuesday night and this was during the summer and Tuesday nights were volleyball nights for me so I rarely showed up and just made excuses as to why I wasn't there. The few meetings that I went to were absolute repeats of one another. The same people got up in the same order and talked about the same old stuff - about how great Primerica was and how it's changed their lives, etc. I spent the entire time asking myself, "What am I doing here with these scammers?" To top it off, my field trainer told me that I needed to go to a regional meeting in St. Louis, which was the biggest joke and waste of time of my entire life. All of these Primerica people are the most brainwashed and ridiculous-acting people I've ever met. I thought to myself that it was just a big cult.  Their phony postings here and elsewere, along with countless fake blogs and websites are indicative of the caliber of mediocrities that this organiziation attracts, and should be a red flag to any potential recruits or customers. To anyone who comes into contact with these people, I would say hang up the phone or slam the door immediately before they lure you in before it's too late. I made no money but lost no money either - only thing I lost was some respect among my friends and a great deal of time that I could have spent looking for other jobs.

Truth:

-Primerica is not a pyramid scheme, pyramid schemes are illegal.  If Primerica was a pyramid scheme, this post wouldn't exist, along with Primerica.

-Primerica's products are legit, and highly recommended.

-Compensation is 100% commission. (Insurance Sales/investments completed by the agent, and the agents listed under their code)

-Mr. Grossman is a great seller, with no heart, and only sees dollar signs.

-Great opportunity if you are willing to put in work.  This kind of work, should be only recommended to people are truly self-motivated, and goal oriented.  If you need to be instructed on what to do, you better off at McDonald's.

-You need a vehicle to be successful in this business, very few have become successful while using public transportation.

-Everything is sugar coated, in the "opportunity meeting", do your own credible research before making the decision, no need to rush in signing up, Primerica is ALWAYS going to be hiring, don't let anyone fool you.

-Only you can determine what is right for you and no one else.  Just because the opportunity didn't work for you, doesn't make it a scam or fraud, you were just unsuccessful, don't take it to heart.

-Cold-calling is one of the ways that Primerica recruits.  Primerica will teach other recruiting techniques such as:
--3-footing, (Random stranger comes and talks to you, and offers an opportunity in person)
--Warm market (New recruits friends and family will be contacted if they are interested in a new work opportunity)
--Employment sites such as Monster.ca (This will result in a cold call from the agent)

In a sidebar to this hoo-hah, here's this week's business news on Primerica:Citigroup to Sell Last of Its Stake in Primericahttp://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/citigr ... rimerica-stake/"Citigroup ... prepares to sell the last of its remaining shares in the firm it took public last year.. . . . . . . . . . Primerica?s stock was down about 6 percent in premarket trading on Tuesday."Citi Sells Last of its Primerica Shareshttp://www.forbes.com/sites/marketnewsvideo/2 ... imerica-shares/"Citi spun off the provider of insurance, investment and savings products last year. Primerica now serves ?Main Street? America as a standalone company, competing with companies like MetLife and Prudential."So Primerica now has to strike "subsidiary of CitiGroup" from all of its promo copy and sales presentations. It's been reported that sales spielers would try hard not to mention the name "Primerica" until totally necessary. Momma's apron is lifted from its face now, not that hiding behind a Bailout Bank was any great shakes. The Primerica name is part of a long heritage of fraud and name changes, and if the current name is as soiled as certain corporate trolls fear, another rebranding is coming in 2012.

If Microsoft called you for an interview and you reseached microsoft on the internet and read the horrible things posted would you not show to the interview?  Try these searches on Google:

I hate TD Bank
I hate RBC Bank
I hate God
I hate babies

who the flip HATES BABIES???  Worse... who spends time posting negatives about babies on the internet??  EVEN worse, who are the IDIOTS who believe the crap written on the internet???

It's one thing to show up and formulate your own opinion... it's another thing to listen to complete strangers who hold no bearing of success and will try to drag others down too.

It's a strange world we live in today.  Thank God that there are still those with morals and education that can make their minds up for themselves rather than search on forums that are obsolete.

Do the right thing in life.  Be your own person... opportunity is what YOU make of it - don't let postings like the ones above form your judgements.   Good luck.  Primerica is a great company.