[10][11] Though born and brought up in Malaysia, Eswaran undertook his higher education in the United Kingdom where he learned how multi-level marketing schemes work.
[17] During this time, the company also announced that it was the official coin distributor for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and an expansion into Europe, Australia and Sri Lanka.
[27][28] The company's QI Tower in Malaysia received the 2013 Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Gold Award.
"[13] Despite claiming to be an e-commerce based business, an ordinary retail customer can purchase a product only if they have a referrer ID of an independent Qnet representative.
[13] The company has operations in 25 countries worldwide with offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, and Ireland.
[41] The Delhi High Court also called it a multi-victim scam and refused to quash FIR against the directors of Indian franchise of Qnet, Vihaan Direct Selling Private Limited.
[42] The Serious Fraud Investigation Office, in its report on GoldQuest and QuestNet India has called multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes run by overseas operators as "a potential threat to national security".
The Government of India ordered the Serious Fraud Investigation Office to file prosecution against GoldQuest International and QuestNet Enterprise under the Companies Act and Indian Penal Code.
Schott AG is the only industrial glass manufacturer that certifies production of Biodisc, but does not reflect Qnet's advertising that it is 'creating an impact energy field'.
[60] Australian politician Cameron Thompson, the Nepalese Home Ministry, the Sri Lankan Central Bank, and the Iranian Government described GoldQuest as a pyramid scheme.
[61][62][better source needed] The Fatwa council at Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah declared that the binary form of transaction adopted by Qnet is prohibited under Sharia law.
[63] In 2003, Indian police arrested two QI group senior managers in Chennai and froze the company bank account after receiving complaints from more than 50 of its members.
In Cambodia Goldquest organized the launch of Ankor Wat commemorative coins among 500 young Khmers who had paid $5 to attend and pick up a starter kit to help them sell.
[82][83] The same year, Syria shut down QuestNet for violating its commercial registration, stating that the company had operated a pyramid scheme and withdrawn billions of Syrian pounds from the country, while paying few taxes.
[113] In June 2014, Chairman of the Fatwa Commission of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Riau province, appealed to citizens to avoid the business.
[130][131] In October 2014, Mumbai Economic Offenses Wing sent notices to Café Coffee Day to not allow Qnet representatives to hold meetings at their outlets.
[132] In 2014 the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police filed a First Information Report against Qnet and its Indian subsidiary Vihaan and barred them from holding workshops and training sessions.
[183] In July 2017, at least 19 teenagers who had joined Qnet were evacuated from a shelter in Simo, Boyolali Regency, Central Java and returned to their parents.
[196][197] In May, the Economic Offences Wing Mumbai announced that a unit would be formed to compensate Qnet investors pending a court order.
[205] In February, 2017 the Karnataka High Court quashed criminal proceedings against QNet executive Naresh Balasubramaniam in a cybercrime case over alleged fraud.
[220][221] Malian spiritual guide, Chérif Ousmane Madani Haïdara stated that none of Qnet's medical products, had any effect and denied involvement with them.
[223] Three IRs in Lamongan reported losses of Rp 76 million to investment company Pt Amoeba International that used the Qnet logo.
[266] In India Qnet faced legal action and/or arrests in Kukatpally,[267] Cyberabad,[268][269][270][271][272][273][274][275] Bangalore,[276][277][278][279] Hyderabad,[280] Goa,[281] Rajasthan,[282] Telangana[283] and Powai.
[284] Cyberabad police began investigation of the suicide of a former techie owing to alleged losses suffered after investing Indian Rupee 25 Lakh in Qnet Ponzi scheme.
[287] A man in Chennai committed suicide after being tricked to invest INR 8 Lakhs in Qnet multi level marketing company by his cousin.
[288] A software engineer in Navi Mumbai allegedly committed suicide although his brother refuted his friends claims that he was depressed following losses from an investment of INR 2.5 Lakhs in Qnet.
[291] Ministry of Corporate Affairs official communication stated that Lookout circulars were issued against 12 persons associated with the company as directors or promoters.
[304][305] Thousands of people along with dozens of victims of QNet pyramid scheme descended on the roads to support the police chief and the cobra team to investigate the fraud.
[315][316] 213 nationals belonging to Mali were found to be victims of a scam network in Abidjan in Ivory Coast where each Malian had paid the sum of 3,00,000 to 20,00,000 CFA franc.
[320][321] Police in Alborz Province of Iran arrested 13 members of the pyramid company Qnet who were recruiting people where each invested 200 million Iranian rial.