António Loios launched VIConcept as a reload scheme following the collapse of GetEasy, mirroring its Ponzi business model. The new operation, targeting investors who lost money in the prior scheme, promised fixed monthly returns on investments ranging from €360 to €12,000.
Loios, who also operated GetEasy's fictional "TachoEasy AG," created a shell company named TachoEASY Middle East FZC for VIConcept. This entity provided a facade of legitimacy, drawing a direct parallel to the previous operation's structure. GetEasy’s owners, management, and insiders, including Loios, reportedly made off with millions in investor funds, with Portuguese regulators showing no public action.
Before his involvement in multi-level marketing schemes, Loios was a career politician affiliated with Portugal's Social Democrats (PSD) and trained as a computer engineer. In the 2000s, he sold truck lubricants, building relationships within the trucking industry. Despite lacking direct business ties beyond sales, he represented Portuguese truckers from the Associação Nacional das Transportadoras Portuguesas to the government during the violent protests of 2008, as reported by "Diário Económico" that year.
VIConcept offers no retailable products or services. Its affiliates market only the membership itself, which functions as an investment vehicle. The scheme's compensation plan, not publicly available and instead gleaned from affiliate presentations, details how participants earn returns.
Affiliates invest between €360 and €12,000 for their membership, then recruit others to do the same. Direct recruitment commissions are paid based on the new affiliate's investment tier. A Pack 1 investment of €360 yields an €18 commission, while a Pack 6 investment of €12,000 pays €600. Intermediate packs (€720, €1200, €3600, €6000) offer commissions of €36, €60, €180, and €300 respectively.
Beyond recruitment, VIConcept affiliates receive a fixed monthly return on their initial investment. These returns are disbursed over either 12 or 24 months, depending on the chosen investment duration. For a 12-month term, a €360 Pack 1 investment promises €60 monthly, totaling €720. A €12,000 Pack 6 investment yields €2,000 monthly, accumulating to €24,000.
For 24-month investments, the monthly payouts are lower but the total return increases. A Pack 1 investor receives €30 monthly, resulting in €720 over two years. A Pack 6 investor gets €1,000 monthly, totaling €24,000. The structure implies that new investor money primarily funds payouts to existing members, a common characteristic of Ponzi schemes. The Portuguese financial regulator, CMVM, has not issued any public warnings or enforcement actions against VIConcept or its operators.