Let's find out more about Tai Lopez

A lot of people think the 67 Steps program is just another Tai Lopez Scam. You’re here because you’ve more than likely seen Tai Lopez on YouTube promoting his program called “The 67 Steps“.  And just like me, you probably have a lot of questions about him, his motives, wondering if he really is a millionaire, or is he just posing in front of rented Lamborghinis and million dollar mansions?

Surprisingly, a lot of people have claimed that Tai Lopez is a scam artist. I am just as curious as you guys are so let’s take a closer look and open up my very own Tai Lopez scam investigation. I’ve taken some time to research Tai and have broken this up into the following Table of Contents below.

See my full review and long summaries of the 67 Steps.  Long summaries only goes up to 29 of the steps. If you are looking for summaries of all 67 Steps, then check out my PDF of them here.  I only ask for a small contribution for the work put in.

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Tai Lopez Rumors & Claims

There is a YouTube Video that I listed below that make some points and rumors. Please be aware that not all rumors are true.  I felt this video was a tad disrespectful,  however, the video has some pretty funny parts in it though, but I’m sure Tai would chuckle a bit too if he has a good sense of humor.

UPDATED 4/13/17

Ethan (H3H3 on Youtube) is responsible for the extremely funny video on Tai Lopez (shown above).  The following video, Tai and Ethan ACTUALLY meet up.

We learn the following in the video:

  • Tai does not rent the cars.  He leases them.  His name is on the title.
  • Tai does not rent the house. It’s on a lease.
  • Tai’s full first name is Taino as I suspected earlier.
  • Tai is making way more than $3-5 Million / year (He laughed at the figure)

 

Does Tai Lopez Rent a Lamborghini?

tai-lopez-rental-keys-car-lambo-lamborghinniWe don’t know for sure. The rumor was created when someone noticed that his keys have a cheap translucent tag on them similar to those of car rental places. I admit that it looks EXACTLY like rental keys, but at the same time we don’t know for sure.  They are just accusations and no one can prove them.  Updated: We know that Tai’s name is on the registrations of the cars and that they are leased out to him.  It’s not a day by day rental.  Most people don’t understand that the majority of people DON’T OWN their stuff.   Let’s say you “buy” a car and get a car loan to pay for it like most people do.  Do you really own that car since the bank is the one that paid for it?  I don’t think anyone should have issues with Tai leasing out cars.  It’s a smart move especially given with how much they depreciate.

Does Tai Lopez Rent a House / Mansion?

This has been a very controversial topic. I would say that there is good probability that he is renting the house.  We now know that he is leasing the house in his company’s name.  It is a $44 million mansion.  We know Tai has money but that’s pretty steep for a lot of millionaires. Renting or Leasing.   At a time, I think we have all rented a house that we’ve called our own too – right?  A lot of people think that renting or leasing the house and not disclosing it fully to his audience makes his program a scam.  I’ve received well made points that “the house is making Tai Lopez seem like he’s more successful than what he is”.  I would tend to agree that this sales tactic is a bit misleading… but keep in mind that most marketing is in nature misleading and at the end of the day it is viewer’s responsibility to be aware.  It’s a huge grey area in the world of marketing.  This is one of the main reasons why he is being called out as a scammer.  The scam claim isn’t really based on his program at all or the value in it.

Also, Tai has made a pretty good point.  Why would you want to own an asset that has a tremendous amount of risk fluctuating in value or is most likely a bubble? The Housing crash of 2008 ring a bell? Buying an expensive house doesn’t appear to be a sound investment, another smart move in my opinion with mitigating risks.

Disagree with my defense? Write in the comments below.

What’s Tai Lopez Net worth?

Tai Lopez is an investor. It’s my belief and estimation that Tai Lopez is making $20 million.  That’s a speculative number. One forum said Tai’s initial start out income was about $2-3 million per year.  It’s quite hard to estimate since his business is growing so fast. The platform that Tai has built himself IS HUGE, his 67 steps course is a small drop in the bucket compared to the other things he markets.  Learn more about Tai Lopez’s Net worth, how he makes his money, and his businesses.

The 67 Steps Program

To get to the bottom of it, I decided to purchase the 67 steps program to decide for myself. Is the 67 steps a scam?

  • I purchased the product.  I can tell you personally I had no problems cancelling the monthly subscription (Yes it is a monthly subscription). I didn’t ask for a refund because it’s a solid product but cancelled the future payments.  I cancelled because I wasn’t interested in the monthly calls with Tai Lopez and I went through the course in a month and didn’t need access to it.  But even if you don’t like it, you can always ask for a refund
  • It’s Protected by Clickbank.  This program is sold through Clickbank which has a HIGH reputation for their return policies.  Clickbank is awesome with their returns and is one of the reasons I bought.  Purchases through Clickbank provides me with extra reassurance that this isn’t a scam.
  • Investigating Further:  I’ve done some further investigation.  Some people think this is still a scam those who think this is a scam,  I’ve done a background investigation on Tai Lopez’s wiki / history and while it’s not squeaky clean, doesn’t mean that his 67 step program is a scam.

IF you’re on the fence, I would just try it out for yourself, what’s the worst that can happen? If you don’t like it, just ask for a refund via clickbank and you’re set to go.  The people who complain about Tai Lopez scamming their money don’t know how to follow directions.  It’s backed by Clickbank, it’s literally fool proof. If you have ANY concerns about this still, just write a quick email to clickbank and they’ll answer it for you.

If you can’t swing the 67 bucks, that’s perfectly fine, the next best thing is looking for summaries of the 67 steps – you can try mine.  It will give you a good idea what his steps are.

I completed the 67 steps and I think it’s a really solid program for anyone that wants to improve as a person. Period.  I’ve tried Tony Robbins Personal Power II which is another phenomal program and it’s on par with it.

Now Tai Lopez could have done a better job with production value and making his steps more concise since each step lasts 30 min to 1 hour (he rambles on a bit too much), but in the same token, he really provides a different way of making you think about things in all aspects of life and I really prefer having someone talk to me versus reading a book.  He also isn’t just teaching, he’s asking you questions and making you keep a journal.  You can get the 67 Steps here – I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to improve themselves.

Now for the other people,  I understand that some people STILL think this is a scam, but these are people that haven’t bought the program and are still screaming “It’s a get rich quick scheme”. I don’t really get it.

Is Tai promising that he’s going to make you rich if you take his course? No, of course he is not.  He even states this in his videos that DON’T EXPECT TO GET RICH QUICKLY.  So for the people that is saying that this is a scam, is somehow thinking that it’s a get quick rich scheme.  It’s not.  It’s an informational course just like any other book. Do you think that books and training videos are scams? No.  I don’t understand people sometimes. However, his sales tactics encourage people to accuse his program of being a scam.

Tai Lopez’s Sales Tactics:

Now, I do agree that there are some tacky and misleading qualities during Tai’s sales tactics.  But everything trying to be sold has some sort of tactic behind it.  I just think that Tai’s tactics stand out more in my opinion and is probably the reason why his program is being called a “Tai Lopez scam”.  Here are some concerns.

  • They don’t really tell you that you’re paying for a monthly membership. It’s not until you try to purchase the course, you’ll find at the bottom where the price is recurring. This isn’t being very upfront BUT in today’s age, we all know that you have to check the fine print.
  • Every single thing seems to be staged and calculated, like the Lamborghini and the house, and a bookshelf of books.
  • He uses the Lamborghini and other props like the mansion to create a strong image inside your head so that you’ll associate “success” with him and his program. This is understandable from a salesmen point of view but still leaves a little bit of a sour taste in people’s mouths.
  • Name Dropping “Hollywood Hills”
  • Flattering the viewer  “If you’ve watched this much, you’re obviously pretty smart!”
  • I think that his term with “reading” a book a day is extremely deceptive.  His idea of reading is not reading at all, but skimming it.
  • Catchy, unbelievable YouTube titles such as – “How to make 1 Million Dollars if You Are Completely Broke”

So yes, Tai’s sales tactics are a bit tacky, but what product doesn’t have a sales tactic and pitch? I mean I really don’t care about the sales pitch.  I care about if the program is solid and if they stick behind their money back guarantee. From my experience they are responsive with refunds/cancelling and i liked the program… that’s it.  This isn’t a scam whatsoever.

This concludes this part of the Tai Lopez scam investigation, but let’s continue vetting his background and businesses.

Tai Lopez Businesses

Businesses

Tai doesn’t mention some of the businesses that he’s been associated with on his Linkedin site and there might be good reason for it (Remember in the past he’s said that he wants to create a niche social site).

Tai Lopez has been involved in the following businesses:

GE Capital (Employee)

LLG Financial – (Owner/ Investor) This information is in Tai’s Linkedin. Tai released ownership later and became an investor.  Tai started up Legacy Life Group with a friend John Dewar.  The company was later changed to LLG Financial and then later to LPL Financial and retirementgeeks.com .  I found this information by search on google and on Success Harbors podcast transcription.

Night Clubs – (Starter / Owner / Investor) Has started, invested, and owned many night clubs on the east coast.  In some articles, he states that he still has ownership in some clubs still. I imagine some of them are near Hollywood where he currently resides.

Elite Global Dating LLC – ( Was Starter / Owner ) – This is where it gets sketchy

  • Accused of having fake profiles of super attractive people emailing and interacting with potential clients to get them to sign up for their service.
  • Accused of not refunding money (see lower section for more details)
  • Bad reputation more than likely forces their company to change their name from Meetingmillionaires.com then to eliteglobaldating.com and then into www.elitemeeting.com

The 67 Steps – Tai is the “Here in my Garage” “Here in my Backyard” and “lamborghini guy” who has taken over Youtube.  He is offering his course for $67 a month (cancel anytime you want). The program course is designed to give you the best frameworks, principles, habits, and insights from the world’s most successful and wealthy people.

Using a quick WHOIS search for “Tai Lopez” it appears that he has the following Domains:

  • tailopez.com
  • millionairelifecoach.com
  • eliteglobaldating.com
  • elitemeet.com
  • elitemeeting.com
  • mythailove.com
  • modelmeet.com
  • ifyouresingle.com
  • curvyfitness.com
  • tailopez.net
  • millionairemagnetsystem.com
  • meetingmillionaires.com
  • findadate.com
  • datetallmen.com
  • justmillionaires.com

Business Reviews

Elite Global Dating LLC

Google “Elite Global Dating, LLC,” and you’ll find some of these complaints…

I bought an information product from this company and did not sign up to become a member. After checking my VISA statement, I noticed that they had charged me over $200 for a monthly membership fee that I had not authorized. I have contacted my bank and they have cancelled that VISA card. Beware to anybody who has any dealings with Elite Global Dating.
-Ken consumeraffairs.com 2013

SCAM ALERT DON’T DON’T DON’T SIGN UP TO THIS SITE. IT IS A TAI LOPEZ SCAM! Do I FEEL LIKE A DUMB BLONDE FALLING FOR THIS? YES!!! I am not a dumb blonde, but should of, could of, would of….. Check into this, I hope these guys get what is coming to them. Karma!
-Madeline Trustlink.org 2010

After cancelling my subscription they still took payments from me! I then deleted my profile and advised my bank about their fraud but they still keep going!! My bank says they have to pay money out but refund me the cost. I wonder do I have to keep paying them forever! Countless emails to their costumer service without reply. Its not only scam but real FRAUD!
-allyka Complaintsboard.com 2014  (This is 1 of about 100-200 complaints on the site over a span of 5 years!!!)

Elite Global Dating LLC Tai Lopez, This is a fraudulent dating site. They send fake emails to induce you to pay for their bunk service.
-Anonymous Ripoffreport.com 2011

The owner of eliteMeeting Tai… is the most unscrupulous dirtbag on the planet… funny how he even comes on this site, and creates a whole lot of negative votes for everyone that has a complaint against his site and super props to every stupid positive shameless promotion of his site… We know it is you Tai… get lost you stupid scammer…
-Poker Complaintsboard.com 2009

Too bad that Tai Lopez is a thief, liar and commits fraud. Other than that, sure, great person to listen to. Be aware, Tai Lopez is a bad person who only wants your money.
-Carrie EpicLaunch.com 2012

They also had complaints filed against them with the Better Business Bureau (looks like the BBB has taken Tai’s Elite Global Dating complaints down).

Ok, the complaints are pretty bad here.  But to put things in perspective, what business doesn’t have complaints? And it seems like in the last 12 months they haven’t had much complaints. But, from all the bad PR and statements about fake people and bots luring people to come in, I would stay away from this site… and if this is true (I haven’t confirmed this myself) then I would say that this is definitely dishonest and this site is a scam.  Was this his plan though? Or was it poor management and oversight? 

The 67 Steps Complaints:

Better Business Bureau – TaiLopez.com isn’t an accredited business with BBB.  Which is ok, not all businesses have to be accredited.  There aren’t very many complaints here about 4 or so.  Think about it, with the amount of people buying Tai’s program, I’d only be concerned if there were a lot of complaints. Nonetheless, below is one of them if you’re interested in reading it.  The BBB arbitrates between buyer and company.

Complaint
After watching a YouTube ad for Tai’s 67 Steps program, I signed up. The programs I had access to were only a small subset of what was promised.
A little while ago (June 2) I watched a YouTube ad for Tai’s 67 Steps program. I saw the program was $67, so I said “meh why not” and paid for it.

Tai’s video intro for the program (I have it saved on my computer and can attach if needed) promised a series of useful programs, PDFs, tools, and most importantly access to communities that would be all included for the $67, as a promotion.

When I got access to the site, I saw the 67 steps program videos, but none of the other content. I tried calling Tai’s team on the number listed on the website with no response. Then I got I emailed Tai’s team on Jul 11. Still no response.

I think Tai is a great speaker. The 67 Steps videos were a very useful and informative (honestly I probably got at least $67 of value from them). HOWEVER, I was not provided with everything that I was promised, and paid for.

What I am annoyed with (and the reason I’m reaching out via the BBB) is because I am very taken aback by the lack of customer service from Tai’s team. Tai does amazing work and is an awesome speaker. And I know that this website is not his main source of income. But the customer service offered by this website is horrendous and in my mind VERY drastically devalues Tai’s brand.

To give you an example, I do a lot of volunteer work, teaching students/startup owners to code. I earn $0 from this work. Even if I was to show up 1/2 the time to those appointments that I promise, the VALUE I would deliver would exceed what I’m being paid ($0). However, if I was to start being falky with my volunteer commitments it would reflect badly on me as a person. Word would spread that I’m unreliable, and people would view me differently when I do my “bread and butter” contract work.

Desired Settlement
What I would want the most is the products promised by Tai in the video.

Specifically, I’m MOST interested in:
– The FB group for talking with like minded people: I believe in group learning. I learn best when I have others to compare stories and notes with
– The group sessions with Tai: for the same reason as above.
– The app list: I love Get-Stuff-Done tech. I am actually planning on starting a business to help people make their life more efficient with the help of technology (already beta testing it on some friends)
– Anything on the topic of investment: I hold shares in a few companies (one of which I’m finally becoming an active partner in). I also have invested in small businesses and started a few of my own before (both successful-ish and not very much so :P)

If Tai’s team can provide that I would be very pleased.

Other than that I really hope Tai’s senior management takes a serious look at the customer support they offer…Not to make me happy, but to fix the brand image that they are portraying to the outside world. Does Tai want to be known as somebody who doesn’t deliver on his promises AND doesn’t provide simple ways to correct his mistakes? If one of MY customer went to the BBB for customer service I would take a serious second look at my reachability…

Business Response
Contact Name and Title: ****** ******* AdminAssis
Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX
Contact Email: ***********@gmail.com
Hello,

Sorry for the inconvenience. We are having some trouble locating this Customer’s profile/account.

Would you please send us his contact information/username so we can help rectify the situation?See more at: http://www.bbb.org/losangelessiliconvalley/business-reviews/online-education/tai-lopezcom-in-west-hollywood-ca-389854/complaints#sthash.qY3HvY8N.dpuf

But just remember that a couple of reviews do not represent the whole.  Just like amazon, look at all the reviews and not just the bad ones.  There are plenty of people that are happy with the program.

Who is Tai Lopez? – General Background Info:

How Old is Tai Lopez?

I couldn’t find this information anywhere.. No one knows for sure, but I did some investigating below and I have some good speculation that Tai Lopez’s age is 39.  UDPATE:  Recently the site has been locked.  The page showed Tai’s bio and his age to be 39 (2016).

What is Tai Lopez’s Full Name?

This is I’m led to believe that Tai Lopez’s full name is Taino M. Lopez.  This is confirmed by the H3H3 video above.  You pronounce Taino as “Ta-ee-no”.  I originally speculated on his name being Taino after I found it on an intelius report, I’ve documented this down below on this article.  I didn’t bother running a background check because I didn’t really feel like that was my business to know those details, but you’re more than welcome to run one.

Tai Lopez Wiki, Facts & History:

Below are some Tai Lopez Wiki Facts that I’ve researched.  Please message me if I have something wrong.

General:

  • High School: Tai attended to Sunny Hills High School.  I got this info by looking at Tai’s Linkedin profile.
  • College: Dropped out of a University after a semester or two – Source
  • Grew up: Fullerton, CA – (Sunny Hills High School is in Fullerton)
  • Born: 1977
  • Age: 39  (year 2016) – Sources – my own Research (See Below)
  • Birthday:

Associations:

  • Maya Burkenroad – Cousin
  • https://twitter.com/mayathebeeeeee
  • Ben Avanzato – Half Brother – Tai Lopez CMO
  • https://www.facebook.com/benavanzato
  • Girlfriend: Kenna

Accomplishments:

  • Tai Lopez’s Networth: Rumored to be $20 million a year (speculative)
  • Founder, investor, advisor, or mentor to more than 20 multi-million dollar businesses
  • Owns 20 or so multi-million dollar businesses
  • Spent 2.5 years working and living with the Amish.
  • Traveled to India and worked at colony for lepers.
  • Assisted his mentor Joel Salatin in pioneering grass-fed, sustainable agriculture on Polyface Farms.
  • Member of Mensa
  • Worked at GE Capital
  • Became a Certified Financial Planner
  • Spoke at top global universities like The London Business School and the University of Southern California
  • Spoke at TEDx – “Why I read a book a day”
  • YouTube channels: “The Grand Theory of Everything.” -Tai created one of the top downloaded podcasts
  • He appeared on various TV and radio shows
  • Appeared on Millionaire Matchmaker Episode #104
  • Is owner of a night club

My Additional Research:

Furthering my Tai Lopez Scam investigation, I decided to research his address and name. For the business address, there isn’t any deep information about Tai readily available.

I went to his website’s address, looked at the footer business address in google to where his business it at:  “8581 Santa Monica Blvd # 703 West Hollywood CA 90069“. I didn’t really find anything too revealing…

This address is in a mall and is most likely a holding address / front office for just an address or for mail.  A lot of businesses do this.   Anyways, I forgot about the address and went to research his name and found something interesting…

Is Tai Lopez 39 years Old & is his first full name Taino?

Confirmed. Tai has to be short for something… so I searched “Tai Lopez” in West Hollywood, CA using intelius which spat out the following:

Tai Lopez Scam - Tai's Real Name

There’s a promising entry “Taino M Lopez”, at age 39 who also has a brother Luke Lopez (Tai has a younger brother – which he mentions him from his 21st step “PASE System”).  UPDATED: We know now that Tai’s first full is Taino.

Another promising item that links this to Tai Lopez is that this entry says one of the previous places he lived was in New York.  Tai lived with the Amish around New York I believe.

Conlusion on the Tai Lopez Scam Investigation:

In closing, Tai has had some businesses with questionable practices and it’s clear that he’s separated this business from his 67 Steps, however, I wouldn’t call Tai Lopez a scammer because there isn’t any conclusive evidence and his 67 steps program isn’t a scam either.