In the fast-paced world of multi-level marketing (MLM), opportunities can seem like a golden ticket but often come with hidden traps. That’s where sites like BehindMLM.com step in, acting as key resources for scam warnings and industry insights. But who actually runs BehindMLM.com? Is it the real deal, or is there some bias lurking beneath the surface? As more people search for “BehindMLM review” and “BehindMLM founder,” it’s worth taking a closer look at the site’s background, how it operates, and how trustworthy it really is. Whether you’re digging into MLM scams in 2025 or checking out consumer advocacy sites, this handy guide uncovers the facts about BehindMLM.com.
Who Is Behind BehindMLM.com? Unmasking the Founders and Operators
BehindMLM.com kicked off in 2009 and is all about shining a light on shady MLM schemes, Ponzi schemes, and pyramid scams. The site is run by someone going by the name “Oz,” which is a pseudonym. Oz believes that staying anonymous is key to avoiding legal issues from upset MLM companies, so the focus can stay on the facts instead of personal digs.
It looks like investigations and reports are pointing to Klaus Bardenhagen as the person behind the “Oz” alias. He’s a German freelance reporter originally from Ebersdorf, Germany, but now lives in Taipei, Taiwan. Several sources have connected him to the site. Some critics are calling him out for using the platform to spread harmful content, even going so far as to label him a “scammer and extortionist.”
Another name that pops up a lot is Michael Turton, who’s said to be involved as a contributor or collaborator. People in various forums and reports describe him as part of an anti-MLM network, and there are some unconfirmed claims that connect him to places like Cincinnati, Ohio. The site’s domain registration is kept private, which is pretty common for anonymous blogs, but this secrecy definitely raises some eyebrows.
Additional contributors are users like K. Chang, M_Norway, Hoss, and Zoe, who join in on comments and discussions. It looks like the funding is self-sustained through ads, and there’s no hint of any ties to MLM companies.
For anyone looking into the identity of the BehindMLM founder, these new insights mix journalistic curiosity with some controversy, sparking questions about how accountable people should be when exposing MLM scams.
BehindMLM Bias: A One-Sided War on MLMs?
A lot of people are curious about whether BehindMLM is biased. The answer isn’t super clear-cut. BehindMLM.com claims to be a non-affiliated consumer advocate, trying to cut through all the MLM hype with honest reviews. However, most of its content leans towards being critical, often calling companies “scams” or “Ponzis” with catchy titles like “State of the Scam 2025.”
People on sites like Trustpilot and Sitejabber are calling it out for defamation, blackmail, and sharing unverified claims. Reviews show a clear trend: when negative articles come out, there are claims that payment is demanded to take them down, even though the site denies this. Supporters of multi-level marketing (MLM) say it’s just a “club of MLM haters,” implying that it has a built-in bias against MLMs instead of being neutral.
Legal battles, like the libel suits from GSPartners, really bring these issues to light. The site’s tendency to focus mainly on the negatives and hardly ever give credit to legitimate MLMs shows a clear case of confirmation bias.
On X (formerly Twitter), people have mixed feelings. Some users think it’s great for warning about scams, like BFIC Gold or DAO1, while others just brush it off in defense of MLMs.
If you’re looking up “BehindMLM bias reviews,” it seems like they have a bit of a slanted view—great for knowing the risks, but not exactly objective.
BehindMLM Credibility: A Legit Consumer Advocate or Scam Itself?
BehindMLM.com is all about being a consumer advocate and shines a light on MLM scams. It’s recognized by agencies like the FTC, SEC, and Australian regulators in cases involving schemes such as IM Mastery Academy, OnPassive, and Legacy Builders. Other sites like FinTelegram have even called it “MLM warriors” for its take on crypto-MLM issues.
Reviews rely on data and pull from whitepapers, filings, and warnings. Users suggest doing some due diligence by searching things like “project name + scam.”
Credibility takes a hit with claims of misinformation and extortion floating around. Some reputation management companies are offering “BehindMLM removal” services, suggesting that it’s a real threat to one’s reputation.
For “BehindMLM credibility” searches, it’s a double-edged sword: Useful for scam detection, but approach with skepticism.
BehindMLM’s Landmark Exposé: The Zeek Rewards Scandal and My Perspective From Firsthand Experience – SEC Fines Troy Dooly For Pimping Zeek Rewards
I’ve got some real experience with Zeek Rewards since I worked as an outside advisor for its parent company, Rex Venture Group. This was a major scandal back in 2012. I’ve been in the MLM scene for decades and have tried my hand at pretty much everything. At that time, I was running MLMHelpDesk.com, one of the go-to sites for MLM news and info.
Zeek Rewards turned out to be one of the biggest Ponzi schemes ever, raking in over a billion dollars. Most people were investing around $10,000 each using cash, cashier’s checks, or money orders since cryptocurrency wasn’t really a thing yet. In just eighteen months, it pulled in over a million people. The SEC stepped in and shut it down in August 2012, calling it an illegal pyramid and Ponzi scheme because most of its money came from new investors rather than actual sales.
Let me break down my involvement step by step. Back in late 2011, I started looking into Zeek Rewards on my site, MLMHelpdesk.com, after hearing all the chatter in the industry. At first, I was pretty skeptical about their business model, especially the way they funded daily profit shares through affiliates bidding on penny auctions at Zeekler.com. I even wrote some articles questioning whether it could really last.
By April 2012, after talking with leadership, the legal team, and other outside advisors, I decided to work with the leadership, specifically the compliance team, as an advisor through my company, Deep South Companies. My job was to be a sounding board for both supporters and critics, responding to negative press, reporting live from events, doing video interviews, and handling media exposure. I didn’t include public relations or advertising in my agreement because I hadn’t considered it that way until an SEC agent pointed out that it was part of my agreement. Rex Venture Group (RVG), Zeek’s parent company, paid me $6,000 a month under two contracts totaling $24,000. However, I only received $18,000 before the SEC froze their assets.
Even while I was advising from April to August 2012, I openly discussed the growing concerns, which Zeek leadership wasn’t fond of. For instance, when the North Carolina Attorney General’s Civil Investigative Demand (CID) came to light in early August 2012, I shared my thoughts on MLMHelpdesk.com, saying, “this is one of the best things that can happen to Zeek Rewards because now the regulators will take a close look at everything, suggest any necessary changes, and ask the important questions that a lot of people have been curious about.” I firmly believed that regulators’ involvement could help address the industry’s challenges and address critics’ questions. I wanted to promote transparency and encourage adjustments. Industry analyst Len Clements mentioned in his review that I was “at times somewhat critical” during that time, managing to defend the situation while also recognizing the real issues.
Things got a bit messy when I started promoting Zeek through blog posts, YouTube videos, and even doing a radio interview, all while keeping quiet about the payments I was getting. I thought my non-disclosure agreement with RVG meant they were the only ones allowed to talk about my compensation, so I just stayed silent since they hadn’t given me the go-ahead. I didn’t realize that was actually against SEC rules.
During an interview on the Tom Chennault Home Business radio show, when Tom pointedly asked me about my pay, I misled the audience by claiming I only got reimbursed for expenses, which I wrongfully included my retainer as an ‘expense.’ That was a big mistake, and the SEC came down hard on me for it.
On September 30, 2013, the SEC found me guilty of a Code Infraction by not disclosing how I was paid for promoting RVG. The order pointed out that, in the SEC’s opinion 17% of my agreement was advertising-related. And since in different media outlets, including MLMHelpDesk.com, I didn’t disclose to my audience that RVG was compensating me for the publicity, I was in violation of the SEC rules.
BehindMLM, through “Oz,” was one of the first to point out that Zeek looked like a Ponzi scheme. They put up detailed info highlighting issues like ROI earned by affiliates through a lack of real retail sales. Their coverage often disagreed with mine; they slammed my shift from being 100% skeptic to giving Zeek a pass in areas, saying I ignored the facts and misled people. Commenters like K. Chang on their site pushed back on my ideas, calling them pseudo-scientific. I jumped into those discussions, and things got pretty heated. Some even accused me of censoring comments on my own site, which, as a proponent of the First Amendment, I would not do!
Looking back, Zeek taught me some tough lessons. As my mentor and friend, Richard Brooke, told me, I was too close to the forest to see the trees, and it blinded me, which ended up costing me a lot. I totally agree with the SEC; the evidence clearly showed that the leadership was lying and manipulating the info they gave me as an outside advisor. The SEC was right to push for better disclosure—trust is everything in this industry. Hindsight makes it clear that BehindMLM’s early warnings were spot on, even if the way they said it felt a bit confrontational. Today, my focus is to craft only Trust-Inspired, Purpose-Driven narrative. We do it here, and I also guide our clients in fully understanding, no matter how hard the truth may be, truth-telling is the only way to live.
On BehindMLM, I replied to their article about the SEC fine, saying, “Oz, you got the facts right, as always. But there are a couple of things where I think your take was a bit off. I didn’t mention that those expenses included my consulting retainer. This won’t happen again because I really understand the SEC and FTC rules now. Again, Oz, you did a pretty good job covering this situation.” On PatrickPretty.com, I discussed my role, acknowledged my mistakes, and emphasized the importance of transparency
I looked into the ‘Zeek Rewards Legal Defense Fund’ launched after Zeek Rewards was shut down and raised some red flags about its legitimacy and how it might further take advantage of victims. This fund was tied to people like Robert Craddock, who claimed to be helping affiliates but was called out for potentially scamming people for money. Craddock got indicted in 2015 for wire fraud related to another scheme involving the Deepwater Horizon oil spill fund. He ended up serving six months in prison, plus 15 days at the Brevard County Work Farm, and had three years of supervised release afterward. My take on this matched what was reported by BehindMLM and PatrickPretty.com, which highlighted how these efforts tricked investors with false promises of reopening Zeek.
You can still search for “Troy Dooly Zeek Rewards,” and see all kinds of opinions. Just know that I acknowledge my part in it, I’ve learned a lot, and now I’m all about helping others avoid those similar pitfalls.
Verdict: Should You Trust BehindMLM.com in 2025?
BehindMLM.com serves as a vigilant MLM watchdog, aiding consumers in avoiding 2025’s rising crypto-MLM and Ponzi threats [?]. However, its anonymity, critical bias, and contro- versy prevent it from being truly unbiased. Cross-reference with official sources like the FTC or SEC for balanced views.
If you’re in MLM or researching “is BehindMLM a scam,” treat it as a starting point—not gospel. Stay informed, and always verify.
Sources and Links
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