Scam Goddess – Fraud Fridays: The Multilevel Marketing Mom with Lizz Adams

Podcast: Scam Goddess
Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Lizz Adams (Actress, Beauty Influencer)
Original Air Date: December 5, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode, released as part of “Fraud Fridays,” features Laci Mosley and her guest, Lizz Adams, breaking down the world of multilevel marketing (MLM) scams, particularly as they prey on stay-at-home moms. The duo serves up laughs and truths as they explore infamous MLM failures, expose the cult-like appeal, and celebrate the craftiness of scammers both small and large. In between, they dig into memorable scam stories from listeners, dissect infamous MLM companies (like LuLaRoe and Amway), and crown a scammer of the week whose criminal ingenuity raises both eyebrows and giggles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Influencer Life & Scams in Social Media

[02:04–08:36]

• Laci and Lizz open with beauty influencer party tales, joking about “scamming” free product swag.
• They touch on the negative perceptions towards influencers:
  • “There's so much hate for influencers. Right now. And people think it's a scam job. But as someone who does scam jobs, I'm gonna say that it's not.” – Laci [02:28]
• The conversation shifts to Instagram engagement and algorithm changes, highlighting how both followers and likes can be “bought” but are often obvious inauthenticity tells.
• Laci vents about the removal of public like counts:
  • “They want you to pay for promoted posts. Yes, because Instagram's trying to make that money too. Instagram's on that scam.” – Laci [07:46]

2. What’s Hot in Fraud: Listener Scam Stories

[09:37–15:43]

• Listener story “Tino” shares his Pizza Hut employee hustle:
  1. Selling leftover buffet pizzas to skater kids for pure cash profit.
     • “I would take the discarded buffet pizza…and sell it to skater boys at the skate park for cheap. Like $5, $10 a box.” – Laci reading Tino's story [11:47]
  2. Creating fake pizza coupon redemptions for cash tips via a loophole in store procedure.
     • “I'd bring back one of those coupons and say that the customer forgot to mention it. My manager would then alter the order and pull $5 from the till and give it to me as a tip.... I have made a lot of money off of this homegrown scam and never felt bad about it for one second. Anyway, cool podcast. Fuck corporate. Tino.” – Laci reading Tino’s story [13:16]
• Laci and Lizz celebrate the ingenuity, particularly since the funds came from corporate and not local pockets.

3. Historic Hoodwinks: Inside MLM/Pyramid Schemes

[18:18–53:03]

The Charles Givens Scam Origin Story

[20:33–36:18]

• The hosts break down a viral account from someone raised by an MLM mom. Her parent's introduction to Charles Givens’ seminars led to family-wide involvement in recruiting and “hustling” for commissions:
  • The dad’s loophole: Placing competing ads after official MLM ads to capture and refer prospects, thereby earning a cut of the registration fees.
    • “This is brilliant...they collected the names and turned them in. And if any of those people showed up to the seminar, my parents got the commission.” – Laci [30:03]
• Laci jokes about the culty and familial scam escalation:
  • “Mom, how many more Barnes & Nobles today?...Mommy’s got a few more Barnes and Nobles to hit. Now you do the dance I told you to distract the people at the bookstore while I put these cards in.” – Laci [31:53]

MLMs as Modern Pyramid Schemes

[41:25–53:03]

• Lizz explains the playbook: recruit (“upline”) and earn cuts off “downlines.”
  • “If the way that you make money is through recruiting more than through product sales…that's a pyramid scheme.” – Lizz [41:25]
• Stay-at-home moms are a primary target, with promises of independence, extra income, and empowerment.
• Laci and Lizz break down classic MLM failures:
  • LuLaRoe — “ugly leggings” with compulsory inventory, financial loss, and cult-like in-group status.
  • Rodan + Fields, Advocare, Herbalife, Monat, Doterra, Amway, Nerium, and others.
    • “Amway failure rate stands at 99%...You have better odds just gambling, right?” – Laci [55:41]

The Cult Appeal & Emotional Toll

• MLMs’ emotional bait and switch, the sense of belonging and validation, and the heartbreak when families go bankrupt or relationships crack under the pressure of inventory debt.
  • “They target, like, the good intentions of women...and then they prey on that and they're like, you can help your family. You can reach financial independence….It's a nice little control thing.” – Lizz [46:16]

4. Scam Warning Signs & Defense

[53:03–61:00]

• Red Flags:
  • Vague claims (“removes toxins!”)
  • High buy-in costs to participate
  • Promises of guaranteed wealth without risk
    • “If you have to invest money to join, don’t.” – Lizz [58:26]
• Do your research: “If you get an offer that sounds too good to be true, hit a smooth Google.” – Laci [60:21]
• Lizz shares her own near-scam acting experience, highlighting that even skeptical people fall for cons on occasion.

5. Scammer of the Week: Dontrell Scott, The Wigged Bandit

[61:00–68:39]

• Laci tells the story of Dontrell Scott, a bank robber famed for donning an array of colorful wigs (16 mugshots!) and for robbing a bank by simply walking in with a camouflage bag and a bottle of Powerade.
  • “A king dressed like a queen...he was like, I'm gonna give y’all Mattel Barbie. Like, I love it.” – Laci [62:48]
• Details include a notebook inscribed “This is a robbery,” complimenting the bank teller (“hey girl, you are very beautiful—this is a robbery”), and an unarmed getaway for a minor haul.
• The kicker:
  • "He looks the same in every photo. But just like, you're listening, please Google this, man. Dontrell. It will make your day, Truly." – Laci [68:39]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On MLM branding:
  “Pyramid scheme, it's all in the title...Multi level marketing is just a rebrand.” – Laci [19:19]

• On Amway:
  “Amway's got health, they got beauty, they got home care. Scamway is out here.” – Laci [52:40]

• On MLM recruitment tactics:
  “If someone says the word toxins and can't name anything specific, they are trying to swindle you.” – Laci [57:36]

• On the desperate (“despo-meter”):
  “When you are thinking something’s a little shifty, gauge yourself, take a moment...am I desperate? Do I need money? Do I need attention? Do I need validation? ...It does always give us a little pause.” – Laci [55:33]

• On social media metrics:
  “Instagram’s trying to make that money too. Instagram’s on that scam.” – Laci [07:46]

Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Highlight | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:04–08:36| Influencer parties, scammy influencer reputation, Instagram likes | | 09:37–15:43| Listener scam (Pizza Hut), small “Robin Hood” employee scams | | 18:18–36:18| Historic Hoodwinks: Charles Givens MLM scam origin | | 41:25–53:03| MLM mechanics, major examples (LuLaRoe, Amway), cult dynamics | | 53:03–61:00| MLM warning signs, how to avoid scams, personal scam anecdotes | | 61:00–68:39| Scammer of the week: Dontrell Scott (“The Wigged Bandit”) |

Guest Plugs

• Lizz Adams:

  • Instagram: @lizparty — “Spell it with two Z’s. That is a scam.” [68:58]
  • Twitter: @liz — “I scammed Twitter for that handle…” [69:11]

• Laci Mosley:

  • @divalaci on all platforms

Key Takeaways

• MLMs are rebranded pyramid schemes that thrive on emotional manipulation and often financial desperation, especially among stay-at-home moms.
• Even “small” employee hustles (like the Pizza Hut listener scam) reveal the creativity found in everyday fraud.
• The “Scammer of the Week” celebrates flamboyant, audacious scam artistry (with a wink and a side of caution).
• Always research too-good-to-be-true opportunities—and remember, you’re not alone if you’ve ever been duped (or done some scheming yourself!).

As always… stay scheming!