Archive for month: March, 2021

Norway is one of the countries that have banned any Lyoness/Lyconet/myWorld/Cashback business since January 2018. At the time, the Norwegian Gaming Authority, which is also the government’s complaints authority, took strict actions against it. But that still doesn’t stop the myWorld group from allegedly depriving even more members in Norway of their money….

As Monica Alisøy Kjelsnes, a lawyer at the Norwegian Lotteries and Gaming Authority, told us on 17.03.2021, myWorld now wants to set up a company in Norway based on direct marketing. In the excerpt below of our email correspondence with Mrs. Kjelsnes, she sent us a link revealing myWorld’s alleged plans. According to myWorld, a renewed direct marketing concept would not involve any violation of laws in Norway.

Lyconet marketers continue to claim to members that they are allowed to operate legally in Norway. The protective claim for this, they say, is that the police dismissed the investigation of the case in the spring of 2020 due to capacity constraints and lack of resources. The Norwegian authority then complained, but the police stood by the decision.
However, the fact that the police dropped the criminal investigation does not mean that the activities of Lyoness/Lyconet/myWorld/Cashback are or were legal in Norway.

We would therefore like to clarify that Lyoness/Lyconet/myWorld/Cashback are still banned in Norway. This prohibition also applies to the establishment of a supposedly “new” company under the guise of a direct marketing company!!!

Below is the link of the publication on the Norwegian Authority’s website of 09.03.2021:

Vi advarer mot Lyoness, myWorld, Lyconet og Cashback – Lotteri- og stiftelsestilsynet (lottstift.no)

Below is the English translation of the publication on the Norwegian Authority’s website of 09.03.2021:

“We warn against Lyoness, myWorld, Lyconet and Cashback!

In February 2021, Lyconet wrote in an email to the Gaming Authority that it will start new operations in Norway. They are not allowed to do that. Lyoness, myWorld, Lyconet and Cashback are collectively considered to be illegal pyramid-like trading systems, with the proceeds coming mainly from recruitment of participants.

Almost 15 000 people have invested several hundred of millions of norwegian krone in the business without getting back tangible products of value.

Thousands of Norwegians are being deceived. Some have spent their savings and taken out loans. The money has gone into the business, and to some few participants sitting at the top of the pyramid business.

This case has been going on for several years:
In 2018, the gaming Authority made a decision to close all Lyoness, myWorld, Lyconet and Cashback. Lyoness complained about the decision, but the Complaint Board upheld the Gaming Authority’s decision. Lyoness also wished to remain its operations in Norway open until a possible lawsuit has been processed by the court 1, but the Oslo City Counsil has refused.

In 2019, the Gaming Authority reported several companies and individuals in the corporate structure to the police because of the seriousness and scale of the case. The Gaming Authority called for the investigation and prosecution of possible offences related to Section 16 of the Lotteries Act on illegal pyramid activities, the Criminal Code and other laws.

In the spring of 2020, the police dismissed the case due to lack of capacity and resources to investigate the case.

The Lottery Commission complained that the case was dropped. The police did not change the decision to dismiss the case for capacity reasons. This decision is final and cannot be appealed.

We know that the company and its participants inform that the business is legal because the police dropped the case.

This is false and misleading information and must be stopped immediately.  The fact that the police dropped the case does not mean that the activities of Lyoness, myWorld, Lyconet and Cashback are legal in Norway.

Lyconet writes to the Gaming Authority that the business they want to start should be based on direct marketing and that they should organise it in such a way that they do not get into a situation with suspected violations of the Lottery Act.

The decision that they have to stop all activities in Norway still applies, and it also means that they cannot start a new business.

Many people ask us what to do: we get many questions from people who have lost money with Lyoness. We do not have the authority to order the company to pay back the money. If you want this, you have to make a claim against the company.

Our advice is not to have anything to do with these companies.”

Below is the email from Monica Alisøy Kjelsnes dated 17 March 2021: