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Is Mike Skupin, who twice appeared on the wildly popular CBS show "Survivor," cashing in on his fame and running a Ponzi scheme while he lives in Metro Detroit?
That's what Fox2's Rob Wolchek alleges as he confronts Skupin, who he ends up calling a "loser" and a "bum" and putting him in his "Hall of Shame." He reports that the Michigan Attorney General is investigating Skupin and his investment business called "Pay It Forward," which is posted on his website. He also reports that one fan told him she put money into the investment, but can't get it out.
Skupin, who lives in Oakland County, became a very distinctive character on the reality show "Survivor." Wolchek notes that he was burned in a fire and had to be medivaced off the island. He also stabbed a pig to survive, but ultimately did not win on the show.
In a very confrontational interview aired Wednesday night, Wolchek asks Skupin to explain what the investment offer is all about. Skupin declines, accusing Wolchek of using ambush tactics to confront him, and of sensationalizing his report to make him look bad.
Repeatedly Wolchek asks him if it's a Ponzi scheme to which he says:
"It's a legitimate business...It's not a Ponzi scheme. I don't even know what a Ponzi scheme is, do you?"
Wolchek points to an explanation on the site, which gives a description of "Pay It Forward." It sounds very much like a Ponzi scheme, Wolchek insists.
The website states:
Pay it Forward in industry terms is a series of charts called a 2x3 matrix. It’s a financial sharing program wherein everyone benefits.
There are 15 squares on each chart. You progress through these charts as other people like yourself enroll. When you get to the bottom of the chart or matrix which takes as little as 16 people, you get into a position called the “money spot”. In this spot you collect the value that you came in with x 8.In other words:
In a $300 matrix or chart, you will get a gross reward of $2,400
In a $1,000 matrix or chart, you will get a gross reward of $8,000
In a $2,500 matrix or chart, you will get a gross reward of $20,000
In a $5,000 matrix or chart, you will get a gross reward of $40,000
Wolchek noted that Skupin, who is an author and motivational speaker, was booted from his home in Oakland County for failing to make mortgage payments for 18 months. He also reported that his second wife alleged in court papers that he owed more than $8,000 in child support.
After the report, Wolchek was in the Fox2 studio and commented to anchor Huel Perkins about the confrontational interview.
"I had to get a little rough," he tells Perkins.
