MLMers Advertising On Yahoo Search Under “Pyramid Scheme” Keyword

ITworld.com – Questionable search ads slip by Yahoo

Searching for “pyramid scheme” triggered multiple ads for so-called multilevel marketing (MLM) companies. These companies, which aren’t necessarily illegal, operate under a model of selling via distributors that are offered commissions not only for their sales but also for sales of people they recruit. These MLM companies are considered to be illegally operating pyramid schemes if most of their sales are made among distributors instead of to end consumers.Why a legitimate MLM company would want its ads to appear whenever someone searches for “pyramid schemes” is highly suspicious. On Wednesday, the roster of MLM company ads triggered by the “pyramid scheme” keyword was gone, replaced instead with ads from vendors that sell products related to this topic, such as books from Amazon.com.