The get rich quick merchant who is trying to flog American homes to the British

Like most get rich quick merchants, Marco Kozlowski likes to associate himself with genuine business giants

On the make: Canadian Marco Kozlowski

Things I never thought I’d admit: the peddler of a get rich quick scheme has said something worth hearing.
Only one thing, mind you, and I’ll come to it in a moment.

First, let’s get to know Marco Kozlowski, a Canadian who’s been selling to British audiences his guide on how to make a mint from American homes .
He told a London seminar that under his guidance you can pick up houses at knock-down prices, promising “30% off real value of all properties that we’re going to invest in”.
This is because he focuses on properties that the owners want to sell quickly, usually because of what he cheerily calls the Five D Formula – “death, divorce, debt, displacement and disease”.

Scam: Kozlowski charges up to £71,000 for his US Property Success courses (Image: Getty)

You could be buying two properties a month he insisted, adding: “It’s not that hard”.

Then all you have to do is rent them out – he promised they’d be rented “100% of the time” – and the money will come rolling in.
“I’m assuming that you all want to be investors, you want to have a passive income where the money comes in while you sleep so you don’t have to worry about actually working for a living. The properties pay you every month,” he gushed.
What’s more, he can arrange 100% finance, meaning you invest “zero money out of your pocket”.

Except that’s not quite true because your next step is to pay for one of Kozlowski’s three-day US Property Success courses that cost $7,000, or about £5,000.... and that’s just the start.
Some disillusioned clients have discovered that at that course you’re pushed to invest much more. A ‘platinum’ programme will set you back £43,000 and ‘diamond’ is £71,000.
But why is Kozlowski flogging this in Britain at all? After all, it can’t be easy persuading people to buy houses on the other side of the Atlantic.
The answer might be that he’s been burnt in Canada.
Like most get rich quick merchants, Kozlowski likes to associate himself with genuine business giants.

Chance meeting: Marco Kozlowski with Richard Branson

At his London talk he said: “I’ve worked with some pretty cool people”, while a picture of Sir Richard Branson was shown on a screen.
The Canadian CBC TV channel asked Branson about this and a spokesman replied saying that Sir Richard had no association at all with Kozlowski, beyond the possibility they met by chance at a conference.
It also highlighted complaints from people who paid for courses but then could not get the promised finance to buy properties. Kozlowski claimed this was because he’d been so successful that all the funding had been used up.
The Montreal Gazette also ran a damning article with allegations including:

• Critical online comments were deleted.
• Requests by the watchdog Better Business Bureau to substantiate advertising claims were ignored and now the Federal Trade Commission is investigating.
• Testimonials were misleading because they were made by new recruits who had not yet completed any property deals.

I’ve asked Kozlowski to respond but he has not replied. However, he has sent an email to people who attended that London sales pitch telling them he’s just “scooped up” more than 100 properties in the States, saying “there is an opportunity for you to cash in BIG”.
“If you aren’t getting 10%-12% passively on your money year in, year out, this is going to excite you just a little bit.... Well.... More like a lot...” the email continued.
So, back to that London talk and the one thing worth repeating: “Anyone who tells you that you can get rich quick is lying”.

You said it, mate.

Source: The Mirror