If you have seen postings online offering you a job with QNET, Quest International, or a similar-sounding brand, please beware. Any such opportunity leading to an interview where you are asked to pay a fee to guarantee a job is a new and prevalent scam propagated in the name of QNET by unscrupulous characters.
As the popularity of QNET’s products and direct selling business opportunities continues to grow in many parts of the world, including Africa, it’s important to be aware of misinformation online – especially around job scams. This article will help you identify the major red flags common in these types of scams so that you can protect yourself. Let’s start by helping you understand what direct selling is and what QNET does, and then we dive into the keywords you need to look out for that will alert you to such scams.
What Is Direct Selling?
Direct selling is a sales channel used by top global brands as well as smaller, entrepreneurial companies to market products and services to consumers away from traditional retail locations, relying instead on person-to-person networks. Millions of entrepreneurial-minded people around the world have benefited from the flexibility that comes with direct selling to build their own small businesses by promoting a diverse range of products to their network of friends and family and earning commissions on successful sales.
Direct Selling is a $18679.13B industry with over 1285 million direct sellers worldwide. In Africa, where direct selling is still in its early stages, over 15 million people are involved in direct selling, either part-time or full-time.
What is QNET?
QNET is a direct-selling company that offers a wide range of premium health, wellness, and lifestyle products and services through its e-commerce platform. Hundreds of thousands of people have benefited from the company’s products to live better lives and many have also built their own successful sales enterprise using the company’s direct selling opportunity.
In the sub-Saharan Africa region, QNET has customers and distributors in several countries in the East, West, and, most recently, South Africa.
Before we dive into the details, you must know two important things.
- QNET is a direct-selling company that focuses on developing high-quality products that help customers take charge of their health, wellness, personal growth, and more. A team of dedicated professionals that includes experts in nutrition and wellness, personal care, healthcare professionals, scientists, educators, and craftsmen are involved in supporting QNET’s diverse product portfolio.
- QNET offers these products through its e-commerce portal to people around the world. These include customers who make a retail purchase and use the products only for personal use, and distributors, known as Independent Representatives (IRs), who promote the product to others to earn commissions on successful product sales.
In order to identify the misinformation spreading both online and in the community around you, you must understand that the direct selling business opportunity by QNET is NOT a job opportunity or an investment scheme. So, if you hear those words from someone claiming to represent QNET, beware. Here are some alarming but common ways in which criminals are trying to mislead unsuspecting individuals.
Common Scam Talking Points Vs Facts About QNET
Scam: QNET is interviewing for jobs in international locations. Just pay a processing fee.
Fact: QNET offers no such job opportunity
A scammer will tell you that QNET has plenty of jobs for you. They may put you through an interview process and promise you accommodation and a salary. In return, they will ask you for payment to process your application.
QNET will NEVER ask for payment to secure you a job.
QNET does hire staff for its various global offices to support the growing operations of the company. However, such hirings are arranged through a reputed recruitment firm or the company’s human resources department, which uses the official email ID @qnet.net or @qigroup.com.
If you are approached by someone who claims to represent QNET, ask them to email you from their official QNET email.
Never pay anyone money to get you a job with QNET. As a reminder, the QNET business opportunity is not a job. It’s an opportunity for you to start you own sales business and earn commissions on successful product sales. The amount you can earn depends on the sales you generate.
Scam: QNET provides visas and residence permits to go overseas for jobs
Fact: QNET is NOT a visa sponsorship business
QNET’s direct selling business does not provide employment; instead, individuals register as Independent Representatives (IRs). This means that when you sign up to become an IR of QNET, you do not get visas or residence permits sponsored by the company to sell its products. The beauty of QNET’s e-commerce business is that you can sell products wherever you are.
If you have been approached with promises of a visa or immigration to another country by someone claiming to be from QNET, this is most certainly a scam.
Scam: Every IR will receive $250 a week for 90 years
Fact: QNET is NOT an investment scheme with unlimited dividends
A major red flag you need to watch out for is people using the word “investment” in relation to QNET or any promise that you will get high returns or earn money automatically once you deposit money. QNET does not offer any form of investment scheme. Neither is the QNET business a get-rich-quick scheme, no matter how these bad actors try to sell it to you.
Commissions earned by IRs of QNET are based only on actual sales of products through its e-commerce platform. No contracts guarantee payments for 90 years, 9 years, 9 months, or even 9 days.
The QNET Earnings Disclaimer is published on all official websites of the company. Please read it carefully before you sign up for anything. People who sign up to be QNET IRs must agree to the policies and procedures of the company that clearly details how IRs are expected to conduct themselves when building their business. The policies also include a termination clause (which varies between 7 days to 30 days depending on the country’s consumer protection laws) to give people the option to return their product for a full refund and/or voluntarily terminate their IRship within the legally stipulated timeline.
Scam: QNET deals with the selling of Gold
Fact: QNET’s products and services are prominently displayed with clear descriptions of the materials used on its website and do not involve investments in gold
All QNET official websites and eStores have our products and services listed with corresponding descriptions of what they are. Any product that cannot be found on the QNET eStore or website, even if it was shown to have a QNET label or branding, is NOT an official QNET product.
QNET uses gold, silver, and other precious metals in its luxury product range, including watches and jewelry. All these products can be found on the QNET website and official eStore with a clear description.
Scam: QNET needs IRs to pay a large fee to earn commissions
Fact: IRs can only earn commissions when they successfully sell QNET products
Please refer back to the explanation above about how direct selling works. The only way to earn commissions from QNET is by successfully selling the company’s products to others. Commissions are calculated based on QNET’s compensation plan that requires IRs to generate a minimum business volume in product sales to qualify for commissions. These commissions are calculated weekly and paid to all qualified and eligible IRs through different pay-out methods, including international bank transfers.
Thousands of people worldwide have become successful micro-entrepreneurs and have built sales teams to promote products and services through direct selling. QNET is proud to have helped many people in the region take charge of their lives with our products and business opportunity. Thousands of QNET IRs put in hard work in promoting our products and business the right way to earn a living and support their families.
Scammers and those with criminal intent constantly get creative about pitching their scams. You must arm yourself with the knowledge and correct information about the company and the business to avoid falling for these scams.
What Can You Do To Protect Yourself From QNET Job Scams?
- Don’t trust people blindly, especially those offering jobs on behalf of QNET.
- Don’t give away your money or important personal paperwork to anyone claiming to be from QNET. QNET does not require original ID proofs handed over in person. We just require copies as part of our eKYC process.
- Don’t be pressured into acting immediately. The QNET business requires time, energy, and effort. It is not easy, but it can be life-changing. Do your research, ask questions, and weigh all the pros and cons before you make a decision.
- If something feels like it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Check and double-check the facts on our Official Websites and social media sites. You can also write to QNET customer service if you have questions.
We continue adding safeguards to ensure our IRs are not being scammed. However, we need you also to be extra careful and do your due diligence before you commit to anything. If you feel the person approaching you has crossed any of our 10 Red Lines, please come forward and tell us about it. We take offenses like these very seriously.
Stay safe and stay protected.
