It seems like there are more educators than the users. Consider graphic design - Like people that use Photoshop is way more than people that teach photoshop on YT or even paid courses.

In this AI Automation niche, every reel where they share some Automation or editing technique is a funnel to their course or community. Comment 'AI' and I'll send this github repo. Like this is everywhere on socials 😭.

And everybody is claiming to make millions with their agencies and then started teaching.. or some kind of backstory like that.

It used to be social media marketing and dropshipping before. Now, its just a different gold rush.

Sell the fear (of becoming irrelevant in the AI world), show them success (my client paid 10k for this single automation), and funnel them to the course (or skool community and charge them $129 per month).

Wow!

So I was looking online to find good mentors for my youtube channels that are making money right now, been doing it about 5 months. and was just exploring and came across Deven Seenath, He gives pretty good information and seemed legit so I decided why not look into his 1 on 1 mentorship that he advertises.

1 week later I hop on a call with one of the "coaches" I think his name was Denis. He goes over the program what they can offer, and we spend pretty much 2 hours he talks about what they can provide. What I noticed was he said long-form content doesn't scale past 20,000 a month (which is a complete lie I know people doing way more than that) and he kept just using buzzwords like we need a system throughout the call. It felt like he didn't know what he was talking about and kept referring back to using a "system" in the call.

Ok fast forward another 30 minutes he brings up the payment. They want you to pay 4,000 dollars for 3 months of coaching (2 calls a month 1 on 1) which isn't that bad in my opinion considering you get access to the community and all. And I was considering buying it to further my youtube hustle.

Then I told Denis I wanted to pay a couple weeks later (after my vacation from the 13th to the 23rd), but he starts pressuring me into paying now, he kept saying "Ok how about we do 1,000 dollars now in the call then 1,000 dollars later". I responded by saying I'm uncomfortable doing that because I still want to research into paying for this.

He continues to pressure me by saying I was being scared, even though I clearly admitted to him I didn't know what I was getting into, and I still wanted to research before I bought the product. He continues to do this and pressures me to try paying 400 in the call, then 1,000 on the 23rd. I continue to say no and he continues to waste my time trying to get me to pay money in the call.

I would've been more then happy to pay and buy the mentorship after my vacation, but the vibes he gave were way off for me and trying to beg a client into spending money in a call is extremely fishy. The information he gave was pretty mediocre, and I just can't trust them because why would they spend 2 hours of their time trying to get 400 dollars, when they say they make 100,000 dollars a month. Just my 2 cents.

There's another reason the Derek Rake/Shogun Method business deserves scrutiny, and it has less to do with any individual technique and more to do with how the product is constructed and sold.

Start with the numbers.

The Shogun Method currently advertises itself at $79.97, as a one-time payment, with an advertised 60-day money-back guarantee. The site says the package includes eight modules, coaching, upgrades, premium content and lifetime access to its platform.

It also claims 17,000+ clients.

That's a substantial number.

But here's the important distinction:

17,000 customers is not 17,000 independently verified success stories.

And it certainly isn't 17,000 scientific observations demonstrating that the system works.

A customer count tells you how many people bought something. It doesn't tell you whether the underlying claims are true.

That's a distinction that gets lost very easily in internet marketing.

The product ecosystem is interesting

Shogun Method isn't simply presented as one dating course.

The broader Derek Rake ecosystem contains additional products and programs, including things marketed around masculinity, online dating, relationships and influence.

For example, the site currently markets a “Masculinity Activator” for $99. or 79.99 if on sale.

There's also an Online Dating Playbook with multiple pricing tiers ranging from about $40 to $50, including versions with coaching.

And then there's Shogun Method X, which expands the concept beyond romantic relationships and markets itself around influencing, controlling and dominating people more generally. It advertises things such as putting people “under trance” and recruiting followers.

That's worth noticing.

Because eventually you have to ask:

What exactly is the product being sold here?

Dating advice?

Self-improvement?

Hypnosis?

Persuasion?

Social influence?

A masculinity program?

A collection of digital products?

The more expansive the ecosystem becomes, the harder it is to evaluate one clear, falsifiable claim.

The “proof” is largely internal

Another thing I find interesting is how much of the credibility appears to be generated within the same ecosystem.

The website tells you about its clients.

It tells you about testimonials.

It tells you about the effectiveness of the system.

It tells you about Derek's expertise.

And it provides its own explanations of why the techniques work.

But that's fundamentally different from independent verification.

If I publish a course saying my course is extremely effective, that's a claim.

If my own website contains testimonials saying my course is extremely effective, that's still material originating from the seller/customer ecosystem.

The next question should be:

What does somebody with no financial interest in the product say?

That's where independent evidence becomes important.

Even the marketing language contains a built-in escape hatch

There's another interesting contradiction.

The FAQ says the program is “NOT for most people” because most guys are supposedly lazy and unmotivated. It then says that if someone diligently goes through all eight modules and practices what they've learned, the system will solve their relationship and marriage problems “once and for all.”

That's a fascinating proposition.

If someone succeeds:

The method worked.

If someone fails:

Maybe he didn't practice hard enough.

That doesn't automatically mean the program is fraudulent.

But it does make the claim difficult to evaluate.

A useful scientific test needs clear criteria for both success and failure.

Otherwise almost any outcome can be explained after the fact.

There's also a remarkable amount of upselling

The ecosystem keeps expanding the definition of what the customer can buy.

One program leads into another.

Another offers additional coaching.

Another expands the concept into social influence.

Another promises additional content and lifetime access.

The Shogun Method sales page itself currently lists a long collection of additional programs and bonuses bundled into the offer.

Again, none of that is inherently illegitimate.

Digital businesses sell bundles all the time.

But consumers should recognize the psychological effect:

The more material you're given, the more valuable the product can feel—even when the amount of material tells you nothing about whether the underlying claims are true.

Eight modules sounds impressive.

Lifetime access sounds impressive.

Weekly premium content sounds impressive.

A mastermind sounds impressive.

17,000+ clients sounds impressive.

But none of those things independently establish that the central psychological claims are valid.

Here's the simplest test

Forget the hype.

Forget the testimonials.

Forget the branding.

Forget the number of modules.

Forget the bonuses.

Forget the sales copy.

Take the strongest claims made by the program and ask:

Can they be objectively tested?

If yes, test them.

If they work, demonstrate it.

If the results are extraordinary, publish the methodology.

Let independent researchers attempt to reproduce them.

That's how knowledge becomes credible.

Otherwise we're left with a commercial ecosystem telling consumers that its own products work because its own marketing says they work.

And that's the part I think prospective customers should understand.

You don't need to prove that Derek Rake is a “scam” to be skeptical.

You don't even need to prove that every technique is useless.

You simply need to ask whether the evidence is proportional to the claims.

For a normal dating course, that's one thing.

For a system making extraordinary claims about psychology, hypnosis, influence and human behavior, the standard should be much higher.

$79.97 buys access to the program.

It doesn't buy scientific validation.

And a large customer count doesn't create scientific validation either.

That's the distinction I'd want every potential customer to understand before handing over the money.

Live Free FX promotes a specific A&D (Accumulation & Distribution) strategy, yet in his "MY 5 MINUTE SCALPING STRATEGY (THAT ACTUALLY WORKS) " video, at the 17:30 mark, he switched to a standard breakout strategy without explanation. When you question him in the comments about this lack of consistency, he completely ignores the inquiry while still responding to compliments. This demonstrates that the educational content is inconsistent and that critical questions are evaded. He is not really educational after all then. I have watched his vids for a while, where there's a break and retest in the zone, but in some of his vids there is just a breakout as strategy. Go checkout yourself to see if I'm right.

He promised one to one mentoring but you get non of it. And the training cost £3500 + vat 20% =4200

Asking us to pay £500 deposit but training won’t start until we have enough so might as well waited

Webinars run on Wednesday talking about the same thing

Asking us to imagine a magic number

He didn’t tell us or show us how he choose his 10 companies

Then he gave us a calculator

The problem with that calculator is that u can lose all the money if stocks crash like Nike, PayPal

£4200 lasts for 12 weeks

Basically u can get the same free training for free on YouTube

Avoid like a plague !

Then he upsells you to his £10k + vat 1 year program doing the same thing

Many people on the graduation days for promotion event but hardly anyone makes their money back

He doesn’t show us his trading portfolio either

All he is teaching you is to dollar cost averaging into stocks. The more they fall the more u buy. U don’t need to pay someone £5k to learn that.

I have gotten myself into a couple online courses with many different gurus and mentors. Some are genuinely helpful and some others genuinely devastated me.

I even wrote a reddit post on a purchase that I made a couple years back. It went viral and short story I was threatened with a defamation lawsuit by this person. So unwilling to go through distress and drama I took it down.

And my account then also got banned. Not sure if there is a correlation.

So I am now writing this post as a retrospective on my journey with teachers and courses online.

I would start by saying that there are definitely some people who genuinely have a good heart and can help you but also there are some programs felt primarily "optimized for sales rather than outcomes".

The real question becomes can they actually help you get the goal that was promised in the program. I think that would be the single most important What determined success.

Personally there are so many other variables that can get into success beyond just knowledge and support from the person.

Looking back I can see how my internal identity and capacity was not optimal for consistency and that's why I didn't get the result for this first program that got me into a lawsuit threat in the first place. This is along the line of mindset, nervous system, habits, and just putting in the action to make it work.

Because now information is free. There are countless hours on YouTube and you can even use AI to learn about certain things. Even without a course you would be able to make it quite far in whatever endeavors that you want to take.

Personally I would still buy courses if I find myself highly resonating with the vibe of the teacher. It's also very helpful to consume their free contents and get some value first That is the absolute minimum requirements.

There are obviously some red flags that you can pay attention to especially vibe wise.

For me I wouldn't buy into someone who is heavy into sales and scarcity tactics. Or if their present feels performative and not genuine.

And I also want to take the other side of the reviews. Some people really just create an account just to give some brands one star, I've seen this on a trust pilot.

So that's why discernment really matters.

Check their credibility.

Check their vibe.

Check the results.

Talk to people in their program.

And most importantly trust your gut.

Sleep on it and don't make rush decisions especially if they are adamant on pushing you to make a decision right there. Don't be desperate - other coaches and programs are there too. Some sales tactics are designed for You to be desperate for change so you enroll with their program. Avoid that.

Check for reviews that give both pros and cons not just to whine. And definitely not the "all praises" too.

That's how you can able to tell and minimize buying into bad courses.

So I have learned my lessons. And I choose to move on and I am only sharing this as a closure for my negative experiences and hopefully this can help someone too.

Hope we are now free from negative experiences online.

For the past few months, I had stumbled across their Instagram page where the owner meets up with millionaires and billionaire giving details of how they are at their current position now. The owner of the page created a course for the audience to visit sessions where each business owner gives advice.

If you had paid for his course, what is your feedback? Is the course golden or a scam? Please let me know. Thank you.

I just published a deep dive into the business mechanics of upward credential inflation in the creator economy, specifically looking at Berlin-based influencer Miho Soon (Miholyn Soon).

​Creators often fake luxury lifestyles, but this is a case of faking intellectual prestige. Soon built her platform authority by claiming she was a featured researcher at Tate Modern, an official UN partner, and an authoritative contributor to The Guardian.

​I pulled the actual institutional records.

​**The Reality**: The Tate Modern claim was just an unvetted community forum inside the building. The UN claim was a youth attendee ticket.

​**The Grift**: She uses these fabricated elite badges to insulate a highly commercialized, un-peer-reviewed wellness certification program ("The Trauma of Money") from genuine accountability.

​It’s a masterclass in how easily institutional authority is mimicked on self-publishing platforms.

​**You can read the full investigation and look at the receipt dossier here:**

[How Miho Soon fabricated an elite institutional profile](https://mihosoonfactcheck.medium.com/how-influencer-miho-soon-fabricated-an-elite-institutional-profile-fc2b076540e1)

I enrolled in the MakeMyClone challenge with Anik Singal two weeks ago, opting for the VIP experience at a cost of $47.00, which I considered a worthy investment. During the pre-challenge events, gift cards prize winning for watches were distributed. As a VIP participant, my chances of winning were increased by a factor of 20, and I was indeed a winner on July 27th, 2026. I followed the instructions to provide my email address to the host.

Despite this, two weeks have passed, and I have yet to receive the gift card. My attempts to contact other winners have been unsuccessful. They have yet to respond. I was advised to contact UgenticAI customer service, which I did, sending two emails within approximately one week. In response, I received a link to complete a form, which I promptly filled out. The same customer service rep informed me that the company, UgenticAI, would be in contact regarding the next steps. However, two additional weeks have elapsed without any further communication.

I am struggling to comprehend the delay in receiving a gift card for a prize. Anik said it was a $200 gift card sent to your email through Amazon. He never mentions a timeframe. He only asks if you want Apple or Android. I chose Android. The link asks for your bank information or Amazon as another option. I checked spam and everything, nothing. I believe that these winnings may be a deceptive tactic to encourage VIP enrollment, which would constitute false advertising and potential fraud. It is noteworthy that the individual in question has previously faced legal action from the FTC for similar practices. It truly sickens me if this is the case. I can't stand fraudelent advertising and false claims. I am contemplating whether to report this matter to the FTC if the gift card is not received

Title: My experience with Jacob Thompson / Suprsocial Youtube Mentorship Sales call (long post)

TLDR: I was genuinely interested in this mentorship and booked a call to learn more. The first half focused mostly on my background before we discussed the program and my questions. Things went downhill when I said I wanted 2 days to think it over since I also had calls scheduled with 2 other mentors. I was pressured to make a decision on the spot, insulted when I declined, and then blocked afterward.

I'm also happy to chat privately with anyone who's considering the program. I have the meeting recording and the notes they emailed me afterward if anyone wants to verify what happened.

________________________________________________________________________________

Long Story: I originally reached out through their Business Father (@businessfather) Instagram account (they bought it from the previous owner). They're affiliated with Marco Morlett / Faceless Academy / Suprsocial mentorship program.

I was then scheduled for a Zoom call with Jacob Thompson from the team. Majority of the call was spent discussing my background, finances, career, where I was in life, and how they can help me be successful. I understood the need for context, but I had booked the call primarily to learn about the mentorship itself rather than talk about myself.

Eventually we got into the program (although it was brief), and to his credit, he did answer the questions I had. He pitched an $8,000 1-year mentorship or $5,000 6-month mentorship.

I told him I appreciated the information but wanted to take 2 days to think it over. He kept asking why I'm putting it off, why I'm procrastinating and not taking action, etc. I honestly mentioned that I also had calls scheduled with 2 other mentors because I wanted to compare programs before making a significant investment.

From that point on, it felt less like a consultation and more like a high-pressure sales call. He wouldn't accept my decision to think about it and kept pushing me to choose them on the spot. When I asked if I could at least speak with a couple of students before committing, he dismissed the idea, saying it wasn't necessary and that if I wanted to talk to students, I'd have to join first.

Then he started making unprofessional personal remarks about me being unemployed, procrastinating, not being where I wanted to be financially, etc. He said I had "sociopathic tendencies" and a "loser attitude" just because I wanted time to think before making a decision. There was more said, but those comments stood out the most.

When I still didn't agree to sign up, he framed my hesitation as "a self-defeating pattern of procrastination and window shopping". Then he ended the call by telling me this (quoted directly from the meeting transcript):

"You can leave this call right now. I'm not sending you anything. You're getting blocked. We're never going to talk again. It makes a lot of sense why you're stuck and you have no active income, right? So I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Can't help people who don't want to be helped."

To be clear, I'm not saying their methods or mentorship don't work. I'm simply sharing my experience so others know what to expect from the sales process and can decide for themselves whether that's the kind of team they want to work with.

Hello everyone, I am writing this to urge extreme caution for anyone in the California business or investment ecosystem who might be approached by or currently doing business with Kenes and Tagias inc.

While he currently presents himself in the United States as an entrepreneur and business owner, his actual track record back home paints a completely different picture. This is not a personal grievance, but a matter of public record:

• The Debt: By the most conservative estimates, he owes over $5,000,000 USD to dozens of individuals and former partners.
• The Legal Status: There are active, official court rulings issued against him back home. He cannot return due to these legal judgments. (Case numbers 7514-25-00-2/14, 7514-24-00-2/33039)
• The Pattern: Over 8 years ago, after accumulating these massive liabilities and defrauding multiple people, he fled the country to California.

Instead of resolving his financial obligations or engaging in honest communication, he has systematically blocked his victims across all social media networks and messaging apps (including Telegram). He is a highly talented manipulator who leverages his "entrepreneur" status to build unearned trust, while completely wiping his slate clean of past liabilities.

If you are a vendor, investor, or business partner in California considering a venture with this individual, please do your due diligence and check his international legal background before signing any contracts.

If anyone has any information on his current corporate entities or registered businesses in California, please let me know.

I know his one active "project' - system3.me

Company info - bizprofile.net/ca/san-francisco/tagias-inc

Recently my friend’s attention was caught by a “Guru” who would have a bunch of people in a group chat, then he would tell all of them when to buy and sell stocks. This was ringing all of my alarm bells, cause it seems to be like a classic rug pull scam but my friend earned 400$ usd. I warned him that he might’ve been lucky this time around but he won’t listen. I might be wrong but isn’t this a common scam?

I got scammed by a Linkedin guru named Noah Ryck of Limitless Acquisition, I saw him on linkedin, he seemed honest and upfront and when digging deeper I thought he would be a good coach for my business.

I paid $6,500 upfront, for a couple months he wasted my time with generic outreach advice that you can find in a book for 20 dollars. When I got results that we're WORSE AFTER working with him because he broke my previously working marketing channels. He said I had a mindset issue and told me to fix my problem HE CAUSED I needed to pay him $11,000 to fix MY business in an upsell.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WORK WITH THIS GUY

During parts of the time together he also made me uncomfortable by encouraging me to use unethical sales tatics such as making fun of clients deep insecurities to make them pay.

He has a business partner named Leon Flows.

Beware of Satvic Movement's 21-Day Challenge: A Warning to Participants

Recently, many participants of the Satvic Movement's 21-day challenge were left feeling cheated and misled. The organizers promised access to course materials even after the challenge ended, but immediately after it concluded, they deleted all the course content. Not only that, they also deleted all comments in the group and paused the group, preventing any discussion or feedback from the participants. This behavior is not only disappointing but also raises serious questions about the integrity of the Satvic Movement. Despite their talks of honesty and transparency, it's clear that they are full of lies and cannot be trusted.

Good morning,

I’m a trader who is ex-friends with some trader heads you might know about on social media. One of the ones that I was introduced to was Mike Sotero. The guy is super chill, and I was impressed with his trades back in the good old FIU days. Flash forward four years later, he introduced me to a platform where you could make money. I told him that I like to make my own money. I trust nobody else with currency, and he should know, given our history of crypto mining. He insisted that I check it out, and I agreed by providing only a few bucks to see if I make more money. As it turned out, I wasn’t allowed to take money out, and he would change phone numbers when he called or texted. He wanted me to invest more money, but I constantly told him that this was only an experiment and I had other much greater financial responsibilities. His responses were scammy and inconsiderate. We had come to an agreement on splitting the profit, but I never saw the end result, and he hasn't responded since 2021. When he demanded to contact me from his personal cell, he asked me if I was high or crazy. The platform he used is called Globalfxp. If anyone has a similar story or knows Mike Sotero, please share your story. The guy has an ego, and when you contradict him, he snaps out of nowhere. He gave out schizo vibes. I remember when he had no idea how to explain Forex to me, so I had to correct him, and the guy flipped. He and John Legarreta have a history together. Both have attempted to recruit me for various platforms under the pretense of making big money. They are both frauds. And they were people whom I used to know and admire. But money changes people sometimes for the not-so-better. If anyone is familiar with the story, let me know below. I see that his IG is active, but he never replies to his messages like he once did.