Lauren Lewis By Pat Roxborough,
Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
THE INFINITY Partner Plan, one of the few get-rich-quick schemes in Montego Bay that has not gone bankrupt, has spread its operations to include overseas customers, much to the dismay of the local authorities.
"We have many customers from the United States Miami, Philadelphia and Maryland who are contributing. Some send their money with people, others take it in directly. What we are doing now is setting up things so they can transfer their money through Western Union," said Lauren Lewis, the plan's operator.
Lewis, a 36-year-old divorcee, is one of many individuals who have, since last year, been setting up schemes promising huge dividends to people who contributed. The schemes, which are known in the United States as 'pyramids', have a notorious reputation for crumbling after a period of time, leaving its contributors out of pocket.
The last two months have seen thousands of depositors rioting after various operators confessed that they could not make good on their promises. The latest riot shook up the sleepy town of Lucea less than two weeks ago when thousands of depositors who put their money in the Quick Cash Partner Plan failed to get the promised benefits on time.
In the meantime, Earl Melhado, the head of the Securities Commission, the state agency responsible for monitoring companies that handle stocks, bonds and other types of money paper, is planning to do everything in his power to foil Lewis' plan. "Even if it means placing an advertisement in the foreign press warning people not to get involved, we will do it," he said.
After examining the local schemes last year, Melhado found that he had no powers under the law to touch them. All he could do was warn people not to get involved as it was destined to fail.
Yesterday, when he heard that Lewis was extending his plan overseas, he was irate. "This is nothing but an attempt to save his plan which is crumbling. "It's an effort to get money to sustain the plan. That plan is crumbling. That is why they are doing this. It must crumble. In fact I am giving it less than a few months to crumble just like the others. This overseas thing, I don't think it will be successful because people abroad are more savvy and prudent than here. That is not to say he won't find a few fools, because they are everywhere," said Melhado.
However, Lewis yesterday dismissed any suggestion that his plan would meet the fate of the others which have all crumbled within the last two months.
"We are far from that. We are not crumbling. We are taking this thing all over the world so that people can make money not just in Western Jamaica, but all over the world," he said.
According to Lewis, details of the plan will be posted over the Internet by Monday as soon as his technicians have completed the web site he is designing for the purpose. When this happens, Lewis said, the economy would soon begin to benefit from the US currency he would draw in. "It will help the dollar regain its value," he said.
Melhado viewed this comment as an outrage.
"I would like to suggest that the Jamaican does not need to be helped by this man. In fact, what he is doing will only hurt the country's reputation abroad, " he said in a carefully controlled voice.
