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You are correct.
My wife and I have rental properties and we have flipped a house or two and thought we might go to one of these “Seminars” to see what we could learn for “free”.
Well we could have taught the free seminar and probably the next one that cost thousands of dollars. We didn't go past the free since we saw what it was. A smart person could have gone to the library and checked out a few books and learned more than the seminars.
All the above being said, there was useful information to be had that could definitely lead you to getting rich in real estate if you were willing to do the prerequisite work, the work is substantial and if you were willing to pay for it you could get enough to be successful in short order. But you could also get it for free at the library if you were willing to crack a few books.
I would have not called the process a “scam” but it was pretty close to it. If you have any brains you won't fall for it but if you are stupid, well there is always someone willing to take your money if you are stupid enough to give it to him.
So because the attendees were foolish, that makes Donald innocent of fraud?