Posted on Sunday, 17th January 2010 by Admin
EVANSVILLE ? The Tri-State Better Business Bureau has listed the top scams and rip-offs of 2009. It was not surprising that many sought to take advantage of people who faced tough economic circumstances, such as unemployment.
Additionally, the use of free trial offers to lock consumers into recurring credit and debit card charges was widespread online.
“While many of the scams on the list are perennial problems, some were distinct in 2009 because of the economic climate and scammers’ penchant for taking advantage of the top headlines,” said Cathy Eichele, president and chief executive of the Tri-State bureau.
Following, in no order, are some of the scams:
&bull Ads for trial offers for teeth whiteners, acai anti-aging pills and other miracle supplements blanketed the Internet, including the Web sites of national news organizations.
The marketing campaigns often falsely claimed an endorsement by TV host Oprah Winfrey, celebrity chef Rachael Ray and health guru Doctor Oz.
Thousands of consumers complained the free trial actually cost them hundreds of dollars, month after month.
&bull Even before President Barack Obama announced the stimulus plan in February, scammers already had set up schemes for misleading consumers and small- business owners into thinking they could get a piece of the pie.
Offers for worthless assistance and advice on how to get government grants bombarded consumers online, over the phone and via mail and e-mail.
&bull Owning a cell phone or having a phone number on the do-not-call list did not help thousands of people across the U.S. block harassing automated telemarketing calls in 2009.
Robocalls often claimed that an auto warranty was about to expire, which wasn’t true, or offered help to reduce the interest rate on a credit card.
The prevalence of robocalls violating federal telemarketing laws, prompted the Federal Trade Commission to increase restrictions on the practice in 2009.
&bull Lottery sweepstake scams came in the mail, pretending to be from Reader’s Digest and Publisher’s Clearing House.
One from a foreign lottery claimed a person had won millions. The letter came with a check that represented a portion of the total winnings.
In order to get the rest, the victim had to deposit the check and then wire hundreds of dollars back to the scammers, supposedly to cover taxes or some other bogus fee.
The money gets wired, but the prize never arrives.
&bull Scams that targeted job hunters varied and included attempts to gain access to personal information, such as bank accounts or Social Security numbers, and required payment of a fee in order to be considered for a job.
&bull Web sites for work-from-home scams cropped up in 2009, claiming to make money from home using Google or Twitter and offering a free trial of learning materials. The Web sites often included the Google or Twitter logos.
Many people who complained to the bureau thought they were getting a job with Google or Twitter, when, in fact, they were being lured into another misleading free-trial offer and were billed every month for the materials and other mystery charges.
&bull Mortgage foreclosure rescue/debt assistance scams offered to help struggling families save their homes from foreclosure or to help them get out of credit card debt.
Unfortunately, victims paid hundreds of dollars upfront for assistance they never received.
&bull Overpayment scams that typically targeted small-business owners, landlords or individuals with rooms to rent and sellers on classifieds or sites such as Craigslist.
Typically, the scammer pretended to be a customer, a possible renter or an interested buyer. The victim received a check for more than the amount requested.
The scammers then asked the victim to deposit the check and wire the extra amount elsewhere, such as to a shipping company.
Ultimately, the check was fake and the victim was really wiring money back to the scammers.
&bull Phishing e-mails/H1N1 spam in which e-mails popped up in boxes and took various forms, such as appearing to be from a business, a government agency or official or even a friend.
Whatever the setup, the goal of any phishing e-mail is the same: to trick victims into divulging sensitive financial information or to infect the victim’s computer with viruses and malware.
Similar Posts:
- CHECK SCAM COULD COST YOU $1,500
- Panda 2.2 may relieve sites wrongly penalized by latest Google changes
- Suit Claims Misleading Credit Scores
- Now PIN Pads are Vulnerable to Credit Card Theft
- The Small Business Guide to Social Media Marketing
Tags: Scam, Scam Artists
Posted in Business News | No Comments »