Canadian Diamond Traders wants to silence me?
I received a phone call the other day from someone claiming to be from Canadian Diamond Traders. He said that he had sent me an e-mail demanding that I remove some objectionable content about CDT from my website. I had not received that e-mail. I gave the man another e-mail address to send his letter to, and I haven’t received it to that e-mail address either.
It’s possible that my junk mail (spam) filter blocked it, but that’s beside the point. Why would Canadian Diamond Traders want to silence a blogger? All I said in an entry I posted over a year ago was, “Is Canadian Diamond Traders a scam? I suspect so. Consider what the FBI says about pyramid schemes…” and I went on to cite an FBI article warning of common fraud schemes. I am sure that nothing I wrote or cited could be considered libelous. The only thing I can think of that they might object to is that I allowed a man named David Thornton to post a long comment after my blog post, and in it he says some very damning things about CDT. Even in what he said, however, there are links to reputable sources warning consumers of fraud schemes whose claims and procedures resemble those of CDT; in fact, a couple of them name CDT outright. (See Diamond Pyramid Scheme Warning article on the Western Australia government’s Department of Consumer and Employment Protection website and the Mail Scams article on the Parliament of New South Wales (Australia) website. Also see this warning against Pyramid Schemes from the Maryland Attorney General’s website.)
In the interest of presenting opposing views, I also allowed a woman named Mary to respond to David and tell him he was wrong. She didn’t make any persuasive arguments, though. The Google searches I’ve conducted have revealed nothing but a lot of people saying CDT is a great way to make money and a lot of people saying CDT is a scam. Almost all those in favor of CDT are CDT resellers themselves, and almost all those against are irate consumers. That, in itself, says something. But with all due respect, it has been nearly impossible to find any facts from reputable sources. A search of the NPR website brought up only one article, and it had nothing to do with exploring whether or not CDT is a scam.
It is my right as a blogger to present information for the public good. There were other vociferous people who wanted to argue the issue back and forth by posting more comments after my original blog post, but my blog is not a place for that. The arguments are already out there on the Internet. I stand by my statement that I have said nothing libelous. If Canadian Diamond Traders wishes me to remove anything from my blog, let them send me a letter, and we’ll take it from there. Until then, I believe I have every right to question their business practices and encourage people to research more and decide for themselves. I would love to see some reputable news agencies pick up the story, but until then, this humble blogger will have to do.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Good for you to expose it! It’s a scam without question.
Lois
October 2nd, 2007 at 4:23 pm
you, too? lol
October 2nd, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Thank you, Lois. Mishkazena, I looked at your blog just now and see your blog post and comments. Did someone from CDT try to silence you, too?
October 3rd, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Yup. They also tried to silence other writers (hearing), too.
October 4th, 2007 at 3:00 pm
To Daniel Greene:
You were contacted by us on October 1, 2007 by phone, during which communication you provided us with a secondary email address. The email was sent to that email address within minutes after the phone call; the reason, however, as to why you have not received it, eludes us. The email was as follows:
September 28, 2007
Canadian Diamond Traders Inc.
5145 Steeles Ave W
Suite D802
Toronto Ontario M9L 1R5
Canada
It has come to our attention on a number of occasions that your website or forum contains false information in regards to Canadian Diamond Traders Inc.
(Link:http://danielgreene.com/2006/08/31/is-canadian-diamond-traders-a-scam/ )
We are requesting that you collaborate with us in order to correct any statements which are misleading the public.
Please take this as a reasonable request to ensure consumers are able to get true information in order for them to make an informed decision with regards to purchasing our diamonds or carrying on other business with us.
If you refuse to work with us in this respect we will seek other remedies.
Thank you for your understanding and compliance, we look forward to working with you and will expect a response within five business days of receiving this letter.
Sincerely,
CDT Legal Department
October 4th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Dear CDT Legal Department,
I’m glad to see this letter appearing as a comment on my blog. I assure you that this is the first I’ve seen of it, since I never received an e-mail from you.
I would be happy to collaborate within reason, as I would never wish to be guilty of libel. However, all I have done in my writings is to raise questions and provide links to informative articles on government web sites. I cannot imagine that you have reason to ask me to remove any of that. Please tell me exactly which of my statements are misleading to the public.
Cordially,
Daniel Greene
October 5th, 2007 at 10:39 am
To Daniel Greene:
The letter does not outright state that it was you who made any misleading comments, but rather that your website and/or forum contains misleading information - be it from replies to your entries, quotes from, or links to other websites that contain such information.
We request that you remove those comments/replies/links as they are slandering our good name and reputation.
In the link provided in the above email, your post suggests that CDT is a scam by providing a definition of a pyramid scheme – which we are not - therefore, leading anybody who reads your post to be misled. At your request, we can help clarify why we are a legitimate and ethical company. Also, the replies given to your post by David Thornton are very defaming on their own and should also be removed.
Once again, we do appreciate your cooperation.
Sincerely,
CDT Legal Department
October 5th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
Dear CDT Legal Department,
I have never claimed to know the true nature of CDT, as I have found it incredibly difficult to ascertain. But I do have my suspicions, and I want the public to beware of business operations that may be harmful to them. It is up to my readers to read what is out there and decide for themselves. CDT has innumerable websites to promote itself, so I feel no compulsion to aid it in its efforts to disseminate its message.
However, I am willing to remove the comments from David Thornton and Mary from my post from August 2006. Would that be satisfactory?
Daniel Greene
October 5th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Daniel,
I would advise you to consult with an attorney over this. Any company that has a decent legal department knows emailing or leaving comments on blogs doesn’t do anything. A letter has more standing in court than those two methods.
October 5th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
Deaf Pundit, You’re right. I won’t remove anything until I receive a legitimate letter from them by post. If they want to defend any of the statements on this blog, I am willing to give them equal space to do so. I won’t play games, and I don’t want drama, but I will not give up the right to free speech.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:41 am
I received another call from Canadian Diamond Traders. Now they want me to remove my post, “Is Canadian Diamond Traders a Scam?” I will not delete that blog post; in fact, I’m re-approving the long comments by David Thornton and the short defense by Mary. I offered Canadian Diamond Traders “equal time” to refute the statements they find objectionable with credible evidence to the contrary. But I put them on notice that I do not want them to call me on the phone anymore, and that I will consider further calls to be harassment. If they want to communicate with me, they will need to do so with legitimate legal correspondence.
October 16th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Hey, I found a link for you, Daniel! Hope that’ll help you and other people who are current or potential victims of CDT, Club Freedom, Revolving Travel and other MLM pyramid scams!
http://www.matrixwatch.com/modules.php?name=Content&file=viewarticle&id=10
April 11th, 2008 at 9:53 am
[...] From another blogger: Canadian Diamond Traders wants to silence me? [...]
August 8th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
How come so many deaf people are involved with CDT?
August 8th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Good question. I’m afraid it has a lot to do with the lack of world knowledge and the lack of employment that many deaf people face. This combination of ignorance and poverty makes people gullible to get-rich schemes. Please understand that there are many very well-educated and financially successful deaf people. But there are still many who are easy prey for scams and schemes. That’s one reason why deaf education really needs to improve in our country. I don’t have all the answers, so I welcome responses from other people, especially deaf people.
August 28th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Hi everyone
I’m a huge fan of freedom of speech and exploring the truth behind matters. I have followed this blog since hearing about CDT. If anything, the findings of this posting have provoked me to do more research and have in fact encouraged me in my decision to pursue as an Independent Diamond Trader for CDT in South Africa. Perhaps lets change the angle of this conversation. Do you all understand the mechanisms of CDTs business wholly enough to comment? Perhaps invite CDT to respond openly and explain their system to us all. They are selling a certified appraised product with standalone market value. That purchase alone is a good deal. I have seen the product and the bank statements. If the South African diamond board is happy with the quality of the diamonds then so am I. The program they offer is really a bonus, and should be seen as an optional platform for those who do want to use this as a vehicle to earn additional income. Once your cycle is complete, you are never required to pay anything ever again. So I’m buying a diamond at cost price, and my purchase is opening up a door for earning additional income. Where is the problem? If you have queries about their business process, email them!
support@cdtforever.com
I personally get rapid responses to my ever enduring quest for info.
Please don’t all base your comments on your opinions - investigate this properly.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:13 am
I don’t see any information in your post that clarifies “the mechanisms of CDTs business”. All I see is more propaganda.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:41 am
Hi Daniel
Basically in a nutshell, this is how it works. Anyone can register as an independent Diamond Trader (IDT) for CDT. This is free. At this stage you can log into there store and get appraised, certified diamonds at really good prices. Further to that, certain purchases activate you into their Diamond Trading Program, which is a platform for CDT’s customers to earn extra income by marketing their products and services. The diamond purchase is an appraised, certified stone, that’s been valued (by top laboratories) at between $2000 and $3000. The asking price is $1000. If you isolate this transaction, alone it is a good deal regardless of wether you pursue the program or not.
This diamond can be paid in full (diamond ships immediately), or a $500 deposit can be placed on it (some work is required before it is sent to you). Once you have been activated, your purchase is noted on a “diamond board”.
There are 4 levels on the diamond board, which you progress through as you and your team markets the diamonds. When i say market, i mean refer people to purchasing these diamonds therefore also activating themselves into the Diamond Board. We do not keep inventory of diamonds, handle the shipping, or handle any finances. This transaction happens between the customer and CDT. We only refer.
So when this “Diamond board” fills up with sales, the board “splits”. The guy at the top level, called the collector, gets his diamond, if not paid in full, and also a $3500 marketing fee. He is removed from the board and must enter as a level 1 “miner” on a new board. Every time you re-enter a board, you are basically paying again to start this process from the beginning, but this amount (another $500) is deducted from your marketing fee, along with any outstanding monies owed to them for your diamond ($500). So you are left with $2500, a +-$2500 diamond, and are never expected to pay anything ever again, but continue this process for as long as you like. Everybody’s efforts makes this “miner line” fill, and will assist in the board splitting and somebody collecting. At every split you progress to the next level, and can progress to level 3 without doing anything. At that point you will not progress to the final stage unless you have made 2 sales.
Sales made by you, your refferals, will follow you from board to board after they collect. Every time a referral (who is coded to you for life) follows you onto your board, they will become your repeat customer, ie count as 1 of your qualifying sales. There are also freebies! 2 types assist you to cycle out faster. Temporary ones happen as a result of qualified members getting excess sales. These get given to users on your board for one cycle. There are also corporate freebies, sales which happen as a result of CDTs advertising. These don’t list anyone as a refferal and will randomly get distributed to users as permanent sales credited to them for life.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I hope this helps clarify how the system works. The product has standalone market value, no stock inventory is required, no monthly fee or further investment is ever required - which is why this system is unique.
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Who do you contact when you get spammed from them? I have been emailing them for months to take me off their list and they wont ever do it.
Who is the federal or regulatory authority to report them?
October 4th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Hmm… those are good questions, but I don’t know the answers. Anyone else care to comment with a response?