Now what I am about to tell you has come from one of those moment in life you just didn't see coming. You never would see it coming in a million years, either. It is one of those situations that happens to come from so far out of left-field, that you would never think to expect it ever being part of your journey in life...

I've recently hosted my first local steemit meet-up and from what I am hearing, it went well enough for a debut. It wasn't due to lack of effort and even up until the final hours, I was posting away in Zuckerworld, advertising the event. In the afternoon I received a message on Facebook from a man, named Steve Allen, after I posted a very late entry into FB's "Events" listings.

Facebook Messenger

Steve Allan: " Oh no! Pity about the short notice. I would have liked to have come along. I am looking for people who are familiar with crypto-currencies and interested in buying silver"

Hive account@article61: "No problem, I will be hosting another in the future. I'll make sure to give you more notice. I am sure that steemit would be a good place for you to advertise your website"

Steve Allen: "I'm offering you a chance to run your own website and trade silver with the cryto-community you're connected too. Have you ever done any MLM-style work before?"

BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT

Don't worry... I'm not stupid and can honestly say I was as suspicious as I was interested. Innocent before guilty, though and maybe this was someone doing a good deed for another. After all, if I was capable of organising a steemit meet-up for free, in order to attract more people to steemit, then surely others were allowed to do similar good deeds when they came across something that had been successful for them?

It would be just as stupid to completely ignore this offer, as it would to steem ahead without any further research being done.

So first off, I went to find out what the initials MLM meant.

Multi-level marketing (MLM) also called pyramid selling, network marketing, and referral marketing, is a marketing strategy for the sale of products or services where the revenue of the MLM company is derived from a non-salaried workforce (also called participants, and variously known as "salespeople", "distributors", ...
source

Now to me and almost every other honest-John in the room, this LOOKS pretty similar to the infamous "Pyramid schemes" we all know and love....
Not the greatest start, but when this concern was raised with Steve, later on he stated very strongly that this is not the case
(Steve did sound sincere, but his answer seemed to come a little too quickly, almost as if scripted...😉)

I know that many people on steemit like to trade in their hard-earned steem and SBD, for the worlds precious metals, especially silver & gold.
One of my favourite steemians, has posted a few articles about his love for this type of exchange. I also remember how cautious he was and how important it was to him, that the metal he was purchasing was "the real deal".
Which is just how I intend to approach this!!

I WANT YOUR OPINION ON THIS, PLEASE.

After a few messages between Steve and myself, we swapped phone numbers and arranged a time to talk in more detail. The call went ahead the following day and after hearing Steve's version of the story and accounts of his time spent being an "Official-Advocate" for www.mintbuilder.com, I have to say that I was left feeling a lot less apprehensive...

Steve was passionate and convincing, but that still doesn't mean he wasn't a crook, or out to perpetuate his own misery maybe... Who know nowadays, it seems like the world of crypto is a bit "shark infested". And I can only imagine how ruthless you must have to be, in an industry that trades the worlds most precious metals... For this reason alone, I would usually walk away from this, quicker than I could say "Blood-Diamond".

But if that had happened, I wouldn't be writing this post and asking for your opinions, would I...?

BEFORE I TRUST "mintbuilder", I MUST KNOW IF WE CAN TRUST STEVE ALLAN.

There is one main reason for me lending any trust towards Steve Allen, who up until a few days ago had no other connection to me than being a member of a group, I have fond memories of.
This "reason" is for something Steve mentioned while I was waxing lyrical about steemit and the crypto-crowd behind it... As I was speaking about the the under-current of trading crypto for silver & gold within steemit, I also mentioned the generosity of the community who had made my journey on steemit get off to such a flying start and allow me to invest in crytocurrencies in the first place.

I write for the steemit community, named Hive account@familyprotection and I am honoured to be a valued member of the group. It is almost a pleasure to be able to assist in unveiling the corruption and pure-evil behind the family courts.
As I am from the UK, I have been making it my responsibility to report(TRUTHFULLY) on the IICSA hearings being held throughout this year. I was speaking about how steemit has given a platform for such wonderful projects and initiatives, when Steve interjected with a quick comment that had a bigger effect on my "trust-o-metre" than anything he had said previous, or after if the truth be known.

Steve Allen: "Oh that's a good cause to fight for... I travel up and down the country, acting as an McKenzie Friend in the family courts"

A McKenzie friend assists a litigant in person in a court of law in England and Wales. This person does not need to be legally qualified. The crucial point is that litigants in person are entitled to have assistance, lay or professional, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
source

To cut a long story short, if this is indeed the truth, Steve and I are kindred spirits and even fight for the same cause. Only difference is, he takes on the biggest bullies there are and he does it in their back-yard. Now to me, this guy is a blooming hero and nothing less.

If you are unaware of the horrors to be found in the family courts, then please take the time to go to #familyprotection and get the real story. There you will find accounts that are directly from those who have experienced this form of injustice.

So before I get into the details of this new opportunity, that has arisen from virtually nothing, let me first give a moment to evaluate the situation here. Not only does Steve "help out" families, he also mentioned that he is the secretary of a very honourable organisation.

Mens Aid -

source

Looks like Steve's story is checking out 😇

But it would be silly to decide such an important decision on just one piece of information, so I carried on searching a little deeper.

I warned Steve that it had taken a long time for me to build my reputation up to where it is today and I would not jeopardise this for the sake of assumptions or blind trust. He actually encouraged me to do my own research and as you can see, I have done just that.

http://www.davidbrightserialconman.com/2016/10/24/steven-duncan-allans-nonsense-mckenzie-friends-from-hell/

Now after seeing a very uninformative reply, from the original mud-slinger, I made my way over to the linked report that had prompted this vicious attack on Steve Duncan Allan. I found this to be a dead-end and reassuringly the link was as reliable as the non-existent evidence, of Steve being in any way untrustworthy.

source

OK, so it seems to be a less valid claim of Steve's misconduct, than first appears. My initial evidence, of Steve's involvement in aiding the vulnerable, seems to be the only verifiable thing we have to go on so far.

If you understand the hassle folk have to put up with, when taking on the family-courts, then you will also know to take this kind of slander with an open mind and maybe even a large pinchhandful of salt.

In my opinion I still give the benefit of the doubt to Steve's level of integrity and the more I research, the more I am convinced that he is completely on the level.

People in Steve's line of work earn a pittance in relation to the value they give to a community. In almost every occasion, they are the only hope of getting any kind of a fair hearing, in the UK courts. Especially, if you don't know how the law-system works...
Steve mentioned he had done this for many years and you simply do not do this kind of thing for profit. The two elements seriously contradict one another. The fact that our government make a profit from the sale of our children is one of the main issues Steve will be vehemently against. I can assure you of this, without even having to ask the question. Would you take more than you need from a desperate parent, fighting to see there child(ren)?

TRUST GAINED, NOW LET'S LOOK AT THE COMPANY AND THE POTENTIAL

After our 90-minute phone-call, I had taken about 3 pages full of random notes and references for me to look over. Some were supplied by Steve and some were jotted down out of my own curiosity.
Steve had a lot of good thing to say about his increased income, since joining the mintbuilder community. By all reports he has done very well for himself and continues to do so today. He has even enrolled his own son onto the program and had a very amusing story about finding a reliable and safe place to store the silver they purchased.

So without looking any further, this all seems too good to be true and it just got me thinking... If Steve does well and sells enough product to earn a comfortable retirement, whilst living on "Civi-street"(As he would no doubt call it😉) Well if that is the case, then surely I am about to be like someone sat in the middle of the desert, in a giant ice-cream truck.

The major selling point that mintbuilder currently angles for, is that they are one of the few companies who trade Silver, in direct exchange with bitcoin. I THINK Steve had been told that they were the ONLY company to do this, but this is certainly not the case and I promptly directed him to Hive account@pittbullion and his more than trustworthy service.

So that minor issue out of the way, let's look at what is on offer and then I will go on to show you the risks(Hopefully these will all fall on my shoulders and this could become a valuable service to all you steemians looking for an anonymous(debatable) way to purchase silver and gold. This will also give an opportunity to cut out the need to exchange your Steem/SBD for fiat cash😝 before buying Silver/Gold from the usual outlets.

For all I know this article could all have been for nought and I will receive many replies linking me to a dozen or more websites that already provide this. Or worse still, flag me for offering a dodgy product to the steemit community😥.

Believe me when I say that I have no intention of robbing anybody here. I just wish to make my way in life and help folk to form a "plan-B" and give you all a way to invest in the safety of Gold and Silver. All without leaving steemit, if my plan works as intended...

What the site offers to those who subscribe

To be an advocate for mintbuilder.com you must them $199
-Accepted in BTC-
I have read on a website that this fee can be waved, but that is something I heard from the internet and not from Steve Allan

For this initial fee, you are then allowed to purchase Gold & silver at a discounted price, from their website. I was informed by Steve that mintbuilder had access to the supply chain of many of the mints that scatter the world. Steve also showed me coins that (half)confirm what he says.

For a further monthly fee of £95

(Don't know why I wrote them down in $ then £, but it makes little difference)
So now we get back into a more fishy narrative and the sound of "monthly fee" should be a warning, at least.

So fair warned is fair armed and after I tell you the reasons for why I might consider parting with an extra £100 notes a month,
(Also excepted in BTC. Sorry, almost forgot to mention that😴),
you too may begin to see some potential in this.

You might even want to place your first orders to Hive account@article61. Especially when you find out you can purchase as little as $20 worth of silver! How about that to get you started?? It certainly got my attention, that's for sure.

But the question still remains, is this a reliable outlet and will you receive a quality product?

I mean, come on, that is really all you need/want to know, isn't it? Particularly if I can start my own mintbuilder advocacy and begin passing on the saving to you guys and girls wishing to buy from me. I don't see why I won't be able to do this via a direct trade between ourselves and the transfer function in your steemit wallets. Small purchases and validations will have to be organised on a one-to-one basis, but this also should not serve as a problem that cannot be conquered. Bottom line is that you will get peace of mind and the convenience of trading Steem/SBD for silver/gold and I will hopefully earn a few bob to help fund my daughters addiction to modern phones

The Product & The Prices

If I were to take only the yearly registration, I would be able to supply steemit with access to the sale of the following precious metals at the following rates, exclusive to Hive account@article61 and with registered delivery all the way from the Mint, to your door. Sound OK?
(Apparently these are the lowest prices of any trader, but I welcome any contradictions.)

I have been informed that I would receive these product at a price of $19.66 for 1oz of silver and which room given for the time between then and now, I think that is a pretty good price. But only if you are receiving quality metals, right? I was instructed by Steve, that if I was to think about it, I should first purchase a small amount and check the quality when it arrives. Doing this would also test the whole system, to some extent. I would only be happy offering you this service if I have tested it myself and for now just ask for your engagement in this post. I beleive there is a market for this on steemit and I would like to think I could become a trustworthy option for you to consider one day.

THE 3RD AND FINAL STAGE

If I was to go into this all guns blazing and go for the full, primo-gangsta, gold toothed pimp option, I would have to subscribe to the monthly fee. This is always optional for me to jump in and out of but to do this resets certain facilities available and my mintbuilder advocate score would surely be affected. This may or may not matter as I wish to play this slightly differently to how Steve had done things. This is not the most profitable option for me to go for, as the website steers its users towards signing others up and earning from their registration fees, rather than earning from the products sold.
I imagine that Steve would think this is a hard road to take, but then Steve doesn't have a steemit profile and isn't in touch with nearly 1 million cryptocurrency holders.

I really think that my sales figures will dwarf that of anyone trading , whist not have a steemit profile. How personal a service do you think you are going top get from amazon or wherever else folk have to go in order to make this kind of purchase? I'm sure there are lots of trustworthy retailers, but I am sure that there are an equal number of pitfalls and unscrupulous dealers waiting to rip you off with losing a wink of sleep. That will never happen with me and I hope this to be a big part of my attraction.

But here the best bit(Well, it is for me and any other coin-collector😎)

Have you heard of MS70 coins? No, me neither until now.

If I sign up to the full-package, I will recieve a coin every month from mintbuilder and they are registered as being MS70. The 70 refers to the amount of checks it has to undergo and the MS part seems to refer to its standing:

Coins certified 70 are the best coins on the market and are virtually irreplaceable. Coins certified MS70 or PR70 are the pinnacle of the modern issue collectible coin market. “Coin grade or condition” is a term used within the coin business to indicate the condition, amount of wear or state of preservation of a coin.
source

Here are the pictures sent to me by Steve Alan, via Facebook:

***This beautiful coin was described to me on the phone and the picture, I assume, does not do it justice. This still looks like something that could only gain value and as all of these coins are limited editions, I find the price jump to be one of reasonable value. Especially, when you consider the craftsmanship involved.

These coins would be available to me at £95 and there will be one available every month. I would like to give myself first choice on keeping the coin for my own collection. Although I will more than likely want to keep every single one of them, I will not be able to afford this and therefore will obviously be turning them over to you all.

They will be available at a reasonable price that will be stated before beforehand and will be priced in UK £. You will then convert the equivalent SBD/STEEM to my account and I will post the coin out to you by recorded delivery. My '60' reputation is at stake here, so I have a lot to lose if I was to try any "funny-business". Please try not to worry.
(Trades for any other coins/bullion will be done in the same way)

So what do you all think?

Is this a wise venture to take?

Is this company supplying something good, for customer and agent?

Please get in touch and let me know what you all think about this, would love to hear of anyone eldse who has been approached by someone from this company, or more likely its advocates.

It is my own belief that Steve is offering a decent opportunity that is worth some consideration, if nothing else. Will have to see what develops and I will sure post any updates after I make my first purchase. Wish me luck!!

https://smartsteem.com?r=article61

Picture sources, if not stated under image or my own.

• Mintbuilder Pyramid?
• Biting coin