Cheese Fraud:  Viral Marketing Phenomenon · Global Voices
Rosario Lizana

Gilbertte Van Erpe introduces herself as a French business woman. She has been doing fraud in Belgium, France, Peru  and the last year it was the Chilean citizens’ turn. Bloggers wrote a lot about the issue. Leon Pulido (ES) explains the way the “business” works:
The doubtful business consists in investing 250,000 Chilean pesos (arroud US $470) for a pack with an enzyme and instructions how to cultivate it. The goal was to produce a type of “cheese” that will be exported to France. The final product was to be used in the cosmetic industry among others. Until this point, it looks as though there is coherence between “investment and work” and “profit sought.”
Mauricio Rebolledo (ES) explains that the structure was the well-known Ponzi pyramid and that people acted predictably.
A lot of those who were seduced by the “cheese fraud” are people that have an interest (legitimate) in investing money and obtaining a profit. They act with economic rationality. They don’t calculate the risk, because they were convinced by people they know (as the pyramid diagram). They were speaking about France, about exporting and that was enough.”
He continues mention other frauds and the money involved, and that this fraud is for US $4 million. Equinoxio (ES) writes that 5,512 people were misled and also that the Mayor of Peumo ( a small town) was fooled. Two of the victims, Felipe and Gerardo, made a blog (ES) about the issue, but a lot of unwelcome comments interrupted those involved, stunting the community growth on line.