Robert Lawrence FitzPatrick is an author. He serves as president of Pyramid Scheme Alert, [1] [2] a consumer organization to confront the abuses of pyramid schemes. [3]
Fitzpatrick's interest in pyramid schemes was sparked in the 1980s when he joined a business with a multi-level, direct-sales model. While Fitzpatrick didn't lose money, he did witness first-hand how one could get sucked into what he called "delusional behavior". [4]
FitzPatrick is the co-author of the self-published book False Profits: Seeking Financial and Spiritual Deliverance in Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Schemes ( ISBN 0-964879-514), [5] a 1997 critical book that examines the multi-level marketing industry. He has followed it up with his book Ponzinomics: The Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing. [6]
FitzPatrick has been featured on Fraud Squad TV, [1] ABC World News [2] and WTTW's Chicago Matters. [7] He has been interviewed live on CBC's Marketplace. [8] He has been quoted in newspapers and journals, including The Wall Street Journal [9] [10] and The New York Times. [11]