The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour has received reports of several pyramid selling and
similar schemes currently operating in Samoa. These include re-gifting of money and it includes the
recruitment of participants to produce financial rewards.
Pyramid selling and similar schemes are illegal ‘get rich quick’ scams that can end up costing your
friends and family their hard-earned tala. Pyramid selling and similar schemes promise financial returns
to participants should they add more membership to the scheme. New participants must register with
high upfront membership fees. Participants are promised to earn from the operation of these schemes
high financial returns very quickly.
Pyramid selling and similar schemes are prohibited in Samoa under section 65 of the Competition and
Consumer Act (“CCA”) 2016 administered by the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour.
Section 65 of the CCA 2016 makes it illegal to promote and participate in Pyramid selling and similar
schemes where it says that:
1. A person must not promote or operate a scheme for the supply of goods or services for reward
if:
(a) to many participants in the scheme, the scheme constitutes primarily an opportunity to
buy or sell an investment opportunity, whether personally or through an agent, rather
than an opportunity to buy or supply goods or services; and
(b) the scheme is or is likely to be unfair to many of the participants in the scheme in that –
(i) the financial rewards for many of those participants are dependent on the recruitment
of additional participants (whether or not at successively lower levels); and
(ii) the number of additional participants in the scheme that must be recruited to produce
reasonable financial rewards to participants in the scheme is not attainable or is not likely
to be attainable by many of the participants.
It is important to be very careful with these types of offers, because often they are too good to be true
and will just end up costing you money. Don’t let family lose big in pyramid scheme scams.
For more information, please contact the Fair Trading Division of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry
and Labour on telephone 20441 in Upolu or 51134 in Savaii.
PEPA O FAAMATALAGA
Ua taulimaina e le Matagaluega ni faamatalaga e faatatau i fefaatauaiga faiga faatafatolu ua faatinoina i
le atunuu e nisi o pisinisi. E aofia ai le toe ofoina atu o tupe ma le sailia o tagata e auai ina ia mafai ona
maua ni faamanuiaga.
E le tatau i se tagata ona faatinoina ni fefaatauaiga faiga faatafatolu e faaseseina ai tagata lautele e ala i
le faia o ni maliega po o ni faatosinaga mo ni faamanuiaga tetele tau tupe e ono vave maua pe a latou
faaofiina atu nisi tagata se toatele ma totogi atu ni tupe totogi fuapau poo oloa pe a avea ai o ni sui o le
polokalame.
O fefaatauaiga faiga faatafatolu ma polokalame e foliga tutusa e le faatagaina i totonu o Samoa ma o se
solitulafono i lalo o le vaega 65 o le Tulafono o Faiga Faatauvaga o Fefaatauaiga ma le Puipuiga o
Tagata e Faaaogaina Oloa ma Auaunaga 2016, o loo faafoeina e le Matagaluega. E pei ona faailoa atu i
lalo:
1. E le tatau i se tagata ona uunaia pe faagaioia se polokalame mo le tuuina atu o oloa poo
auaunaga mo ni taui, pe afai;
(a) i le toatele o tagata auai i le polokalame, o le polokalame ua faavaeina ai se tulaga taua o
se avanoa e faatau mai po o le faatau atu o se avanoa o tupe teufaafaigaluega, e tusa lava
pe faia e le tagata lava ia po o e ala i se sooupu, i lo se avanoa e faatau mai pe tuuina atu
oloa po o auaunaga; ma
(e) o le polokalame, pe e ono tulai mai e faaituau, i le toatele o tagata auai i le polokalame, e
faapea ai –
(i) o taui tau tupe mo le toatele o na tagata auai, o lo o faalagolago i le faafaigaluegaina o
tagata auai faaopopo (e tusa lava pe i se tulaga tau soloaiga i vaega e maualalo atu pe
leai foi); ma
(ii) le aofaiga o tagata auai faaopopo i le polokalame, ia e tatau ona faafaigaluegaina ina ia
maua ai o taui tau tupe talafeagai, i tagata auai i le polokalame e le o mafai ona ausia po
o e lẽ ono mafai ona ausia e le toatele o tagata auai.
E fautuaina tagata lautele ina ia mataalia ma aua nei taliaina maliega faasolitulafono i nei ituaiga
fefaatauaiga faiga faatafatolu.
Mo nisi faamatalaga, faafesootai mai le Vaega o Fefaatauaiga Talafeagai o le Matagaluega i le telefoni
20441 i Upolu poo le 51134 i Savaii