If you ask just about anyone around you – friends, colleagues, family members, a stranger on the train – if they’ve ever lost someone in their life to the cult of multi-level marketing, there’s a pretty high chance they will answer “yes”.

Also known as direct selling or network marketing, MLM companies have been around for decades (think: Avon, Tupperware, Thermomix and Amway to name just a few). Though they’re often confused for pyramid schemes because of their recruitment structures, MLMs are perfectly legal in Australia because – unlike pyramid schemes, where money is taken in exchange for an unguaranteed promise – MLMs........

© The Sydney Morning Herald