Scam Alerts

**Windsun** · February 22nd, 2007, 5:38 PST

Citizen RE has been getting some publicity lately. However, they seem to be primarily an MLM that produces nothing. They are currently under investigation in California.

http://www.citizenre.com/web/index.php?p=home is their website.

Here is some more light shed on “CitizensRE”

It turns out that Robert Skyler, Founder and Head of CitizensRE trained under the master scam artist: Bill Gouldd who built up the ultimate pyramid scheme in Equinox International the Multi-Level Marketing company that flared across America in the early 1990s and lured thousands of Americans into handing over their money, time, and, most often, their self-respect in pursuit of quick fortunes. Equinox used slick promotional materials and pop psychology-based training techniques to induce thousands of people to purchase environmentally friendly products (water filters, vitamins, hair and skin care products) to resell to friends and family for profit. Eventually the US Government (Federal Trade Commission) shut down Equinox for legal and ethical improprieties and fined Gouldd millions.

Robert Skyler served as Executive Director of Equinox International and helped to stovepipe money up from the pyramid of hapless investors to the founding circle. He then went on to write a book about it (to further cash in) called: “Spell Bound – The Fatal Flaw behind what was America’s Fastest Growing Company”.

With the claims being made and the secrecy, I doubt it is much of a surprise to anyone that the founder of CitizensRE has a history of Pyramid schemes. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. Could become a real setback for the honest folks out there who have been trying to make solar happen.

http://www.wired.com/news/technology...ory_page_next1

**Roderick** · February 22nd, 2007, 19:25 PST

This company has been roundly criticized on Usenet, where postings were being spammed completely off-topic. On alt.solar.photovoltaic, people were quick to point out basic flaws in the business model. I think some of the people who frequent this board helped to set things straight, too. Amazing what people will fall for. The good news is, it looks like only the original investors were out money - the later recruits did not have to pay anything (yet).

NanoDetonator · July 9th, 2007, 10:27 PDT

Interesting,

By the time Citizenre even breaks ground on manufacturing, solar will have been developed to a point of affordability for the masses, so their plan will be obsolete. I have never seen so much hype with so little substance, but then again, the current CEO was former MLM Equinox hypester, which was shut down by FTC several years back. Sure has been interesting watching this deal unfold, or should I say, fold.

NanoDetonator

**Windsun** · July 9th, 2007, 10:34 PDT

They have been getting a lot of flack lately, even had a really negative article in the last Home Power magazine

**Windsun** · January 21st, 2008, 8:42 PST

www.Freetricity.com

We have never sold these, nor do we intend to.

There have been quite a few comments - nearly all negative - on some other forums and newsgroups.

We looked at their website, and it is apparent that they have a very poor concept of batteries, battery charging, how inverters work, and various other basic math and ohms law calculations.

One person from there claiming to be an electrical engineer with 28+ years of experience does not seem to grasp the idea that if an inverter puts out 10 amps at 120 volts, it has to draw at least 100 amps at 12 volts from the battery.

Our conclusion - stay away.

**Windsun** · January 24th, 2008, 18:37 PST

Still another pie-in-the-sky "run your meter backwards" wind scam:

http://www.windelectriccompany.com/index.html

The figures that he gives for power production exceed the maximum possible at those wind speeds, even with perfect props and 100% efficiency.

" In a 16 mph wind with a 9 foot
diameter rotor (their 'rated output' on the website), 1324 watts are
available. A 'perfect' turbine running right at the Betz limit could do
at most 784 watts. They claim 1000.
Claims of beating Betz put the turbine right in the 'fraud' category. It
just doesn't happen, not even with utility-scale turbines..."

**Windsun** · January 25th, 2008, 13:08 PST

http://www.cetsolar.com/solardrapes.htm

These so-called "solar drapes" prey on the general ignorance of people on how the greenhouse effect works.

Pretty much all of the sunlight that enters in a window is converted to heat, no matter WHAT object it hits - floor, rug, white curtains, anything.

Since heat is mostly infrared, and glass blocks most infrared, most (around 80-90%) of ANY sunlight that enters a room will heat that room - "solar drapes" or not.

This is your basic greenhouse effect. The drapes give the appearance of working, because they feel warmer since the sunlight converted to heat is concentrated a bit more, but they do absolutely nothing to increase overall heating.

**Solar Guppy** · January 26th, 2008, 6:54 PST

Well, the drapes offer the protection for interior surfaces which is worth something. Carpet, flooring and furnature will all be bleached if left day after day in and expose location.

While one could make drapes from say gardening weed sheets to save some dollars, it really not fair to say this product is a scam. It protects the interior and does put the barrier to converting to UV inside.

Not cost effective, probably, scam, no