Rick Rahim is the owner of Businessventures.com and has received numerous allegations of scamming others, abusing employees, and even facing charges from the Federal Trade Commission.
BusinessVentures.com is based in Great Falls, Virginia. Its address is 737 Walker Road, Suite 3, Great Falls, VA 22066. Similarly, their phone number is 703-757-8500.
When the FTC Caught Rick Rahim for Running False Advertisements
While Rick claims to be a serial entrepreneur who has only launched one successful company after another, his history says otherwise.
In 1997, the Federal Trade Commission agreed with Rick to settle charges of false advertisement against him.
Rick Rahin was falsely marketing on the internet that his credit repair program was legal. His program advised consumers to misrepresent their Social Security numbers to get a new credit identity, which is illegal.
The consent order barred Rick from misrepresenting the legality of any credit repair product he advertises. Also, it required him to make certain disclosures in ads for such products.
For example, the FTC told him to add the disclosure that misrepresenting one’s Social Security number may be a federal crime.
Now, if telling people to lie about their Social Security numbers is a genius marketing strategy, then you can certainly call Rick Rahim a genius. But it isn’t.
Instead, it’s an illegal way to promote a product.
The FTC consent order is proof of how Rick promotes his products. He uses illegal methods and deception to market things.
You can read the official document below:
The shady business tactics of Rick Rahim have many victims.
Furthermore, Rick has been involved in multiple illegal enterprises. Apart from telling people to use fake Social Security numbers, Rick was also running an illegal gambling enterprise.
When Rick Rahim Went Behind Bars for Running an Illegal Gambling Operation:
In 2005, the Fairfax County police raided a local Texas Hold’Em game which it said could well have been in Las Vegas.
The police had raided the home of Rick Rahim, who was running VMC Satellite at the time.
He was running games at 5 tables and the cost for a buy-in was $300. Also, he had an off-duty cop with two weapons as the sentry. Rick was taking a significant cut from the games.
Over a dozen Fairffox police officers had raided the house. They interviewed every player twice.
Then, the police arrested Rick and the off-duty cop.
They charged him with running an illegal gambling enterprise and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The police said it’s perfectly legal to have a friendly poker game in your home. However, it’s no longer legal when the house is taking a cut. The Fairfax County police added that they don’t have gambling rights like Nevada does.
Obviously, Rick’s attorney said it was merely a poker game between friends. To justify the presence of an off-duty cop with weapons, Rick said he was afraid of local robbers.
Police said the game was taking place regularly and Rick Rahim was promoting it online. They were investigating how much cut he had taken.
Furthermore, the police were concerned about the large number of firearms present at the game. Rick Rahim carried a gun, the off-duty cop had 2 and 2 other players also had guns.
Certainly, it created an unsafe atmosphere.
So, not only has Rick Rahim faced regulatory action from the FTC, he is also a convicted felon.
In the next section of this review, I have shared some of the many complaints his victims have shared online:
“Rick Rahim is a Scammer and a Fraud”
Here, the reviewer highlights that he had a deal with Rick Rahim and his company in 2013. However, Rick lied about his firm and advertisements.
Later, the victim contacted him to resolve the issue.
But instead of resolving the problem, Rick started bullying the victim’s coworkers and even threatened his family.
The victim says that Rick went to great lengths to show how devious he truly is. He highlights that he is planning to file a lawsuit against Rick’s fraudulent company in the future.
Later, the victim shared that Rick Rahim has gone bankrupt.
He visited Rick’s office and saw that it looked horrible. Apparently, he was facing multiple lawsuits because of his fraudulent schemes and was unable to pay the $17,000 mortgage on his property.
The reviewer says Rick Rahim wife, Brenda, is extremely selfish as well. She doesn’t care about the victims and only defends Rick whenever his victims speak out.
Several others have come forward to highlight how Rick was running another scam through his Laser Tag Group and other ventures.
Many highlighted that BusinessVentures.com is another way for Rick to scam people. His victims say that they have lost a lot of money because of him.
However, they didn’t get any productive results until they got the police involved. One victim said that Rick doesn’t even pay his employees on time.
What Does Rick Claim to Be? Rick Rahim Origin, Rick Rahim Net Worth and More:
According to Businessventures.com, Rick Rahim has a team of multi millionaires on his informal advisory board. These people hail from both public and private sectors.
Furthermore, he claims to be a serial entrepreneur for over 3 decades. He used to run a large limousine company in Washington DC during the early 90s. Later, he sold the firm and founded a telecommunications company which he exited a while later.
Rick also started a marina in a local resort town which he sold 3 years later.
In 1997, Rick Rahim launched a company which marketed cellular telephones. He claims that he helped Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile earn over a hundred million dollars through his marketing.
Although, it’s a very difficult claim to verify.
In 2001, he launched VMC Satellite, an online retailer of satellite TV for DISH network.
Again, he claims that he helped the DISH Network earn billions through his marketing expertise.
Apart from running BusinessVentures.com, Rick also claims to be a board member of multiple organizations.
His net worth is estimated to be around $1 million.
However, all of these claims don’t hide the numerous complaints he has received for his fraudulent practices over the last few years.
Employee Reviews on BusinessVentures.com
As you may have understood by now, Rich Rahim has received a ton of allegations for not paying his employees.
Well, according to the numerous BusinessVentures.com reviews, he is not a good leader altogether.
Here, the reviewer says that BusinessVentures.com doesn’t have any pros. It is an Amazon dropshipping company which steals money from people and other companies.
The reviewer says Rick yells at you and hurls cuss words. On top of that, you have to deal with people from whom your company will be stealing from.
Hence, the reviewer doesn’t recommend joining this firm if you have any business ethics.
In this review, the anonymous employee shares that Rick constantly berates his staff. So, you will find yourself walking on eggshells all day.
Even if you do exactly what they tell you to, they would still find a reason to blame you for something.
Due to these reasons, the above reviewer doesn’t recommend working at Rick Rahim’s companies.
Conclusion
After going through these points, it’s obvious that Rick Rahim is a seasoned scammer
He was arrested for running an illegal gambling operation and the FTC has already barred him from promoting any investments.
Moreover, he has received a ton of complaints from his employees and numerous victims.
All of this suggests that you should stay away from Rick and BusinessVentures.com.
Surprise surprise surprise- Rick has been indicted for bribery, conspiracy, and fraud for allegedly paying roughly $20K to the Sheriff of Culpeper to become an auxiliary deputy and get his gun ownership rights back after being a convicted felon.
He lied under oath saying he was a resident of Culpeper when he lived in Fairfax county. You can read the indictment- he’s clearly nailed and guilty.
It’s all just so stupid and pointless, but Rick has always been a a wannabe cop and loved guns for whatever reason. Either way- he is in some serious trouble and hopefully will go to jail for a long time.
Nobody deserves it more than Rick.
Fraud, con-man, grifter, thief- he is all of this & more. He is simply the worst person I have ever met.
Steals from his customers, employees, anyone he can. All while berating everyone around him.
Serial manipulator and like everyone else has said don’t trust or ever do business with RR. Never dealt with an individual as disgusting as this. The quote of “Never wrestle with a pig because you’ll both get dirty and the pig likes it.” explains RR so well.
Attempted a partnership with RR.. he proved to be untrustworthy, unethical and definitely a con artist so I ultimately did not move forward with the relationship. He harassed me and my family members while I lay in a coma at the hospital. I was optimistic initially but grateful that my human “radar” was blinking RED after each passing day being in his presence! I NEVER wish bad and horrible things in ANYONE, but sometimes punishment needs to equal the crimes!
Nobody trusts this guy anymore. He has scammed hundreds of people over the last 2 decades.
Rick has been scamming consumers for over 2 decades. He is no marketing expert. He is a swindler who steals from people and companies alike. Rick is a convicted felon. No one should fall for his antics.
I used to work for this fraud. He never paid us. Rick owes me around $10000. He never paid up.