Business scams under the business microscope

Paul - Melbourne says: If someone phones you and tells you have won some prize, asking you to press a particular digit on your phone. BEWARE it may be a reverse charge worth a lot of money. You can not hang up to stop the charges. I know someone who got a monster phone bill that they had to pay. Never allow a stranger to give you instructions to press any keys on your phone.

Jennifer - Toronto Canada says: If you receive a one ring only phone call on your mobile phone and then it stops, be wary. Some people return the number on their screen and are told by the caller that they know nothing of the call. But in reality you were billed a one off charge for calling that number.Many people get a call once every few months without ever realizing they have been scammed again.

Sunday, 30 July 2006 - fraudbureau.com says: The 809 scam refers to an innocent recipient receiving a phone, faxed, email or pager message that asks the recipient to telephone the sender of the message immediately using an 809 area code. The reasons that one is required to call back are quite varied and have included:

notification of winning a prize
a requirement to call to avoid litigation over an outstanding account (which the innocent victim has nothing to do with)
a message to call to receive information about a relative who is ill, has died or has been arrested
Once the innocent victim calls the 809 area code number, the victim ends up contacting a person who tries to keep the victim on line or the victim is met with a long recorded message or even a clever recording that responds to the caller's voice. In all cases the scam attempts to keep the victim on the line as long as possible. The reason for this is that some of the numbers in the 809 area code are pay-per-call numbers codes like those in the 900 area code in the US. The result is a large long distance bill. The cost per minute has been recorded as high as $25 per minute.

The 809 number is not the only area code in Caribbean anymore and accordingly the scam can be used with other such numbers. See our article entitled 809 Scam: E-mail Regenerating an Old Scam for more details.

If you receive a message with an 809 area code or with any other area code that you do not recognize, then simply dont respond. If you still want to respond, then contact your local long distance carrier and ask for the rates that would apply in making the call.
- 60.240.160.219

Sunday, 30 July 2006 - fraudbureau.com says: We have received complaints recently from AOL subscribers indicating that they have been called or e-mailed from an AOL representative requiring that he needed to verify their credit card number. The caller requested the number and the expire date. In another case the e-mail had the AOL logo affixed and again requesting credit card details.

AOL does not require any credit card verification. Never give out any credit card details. If you receive such a call or e-mail, do not give out any information. Let AOL know about any such call or e-mail.

- 60.240.160.219

Sunday, 30 July 2006 - fraudbureau.com says: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued a statement warning the public about cramming.

Cramming is the practice of some Internet service providers charging for services that were supposed to be free or that were never ordered in the first place. These charges are then crammed onto the customer's credit card without the customer's consent. In one recent reported case, a church that had engaged the web site hosting services of a company, found out that it was being charged for the cost of the company web hosting a duplicate but somewhat more skeletal site. The church didn't know of the second site.

Here are some suggestions to avoid being crammed:

Read your bills carefully line by line. Check your bill as soon as possible and don't wait to complain. If you didn't order a service or if the service was charged higher than represented, don't pay. You do not have to pay for services that you didn't order even if you received such services.

If you are a business, inform your employees of this scam so that they will be on the outlook for such scams.

Only deal with internet service providers that you know. Don't be pressured into buying any offers made by unsolicited calls. Don't be afraid to say no.

If your bills are crammed, cancel your service with that company and retain the services of another company. Even after you have cancelled your service with that company, check your credit card to ensure that the company is still not charging the amount to your card. Call your credit card provider and let them know about the problem.

Finally report the scam to our Complaint Centre and your local Better Business Bureau. You may also want to contact your local Enforcement Agency to assist you in closing the service provider down.
- 60.240.160.219

Sunday, 30 July 2006 - fraudbureau.com says: Be advised of the technique of some scammer websites of "pagejacking" and "mousetrapping" which tricks internet users into visiting scammers websites and then holding them there despite efforts of the visitors to exit the site.

On September 22, 1999, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a press release stating that the "scammers copy existing Websites and insert coded instructions in the copycat sites which automatically redirects unwitting consumers to adult sites operated by the defendants. Then the scammers disable the browser's "back" and "exit" commands so that Internet surfers trying desperately to escape the pornographic images face screen after screen of similar material and advertisements for other adult sites." In other words when internet surfers used search engines to find subjects such as 'wedding services' or 'Kids on the Net,' they would find themselves redirected to pornographic sites instead. Then despite their efforts, the surfers would not be able to leave such sites by pressing the "close" or "back" button of their browsers.

Scammers benefit by making money by selling ads, which is based on the number of visitors to the site. Each time the visitor tried to leave, he would reenter the site which would count as a new visit thereby increasing the advertising revenue to the scammer.

According to the press release the FTC obtained a preliminary injunction and is seeking a court order to permanently stop this scam on the Internet.

- 60.240.160.219

Sunday, 30 July 2006 - fraudbureau.com says: The Nigerian letter scam is well known to many people around the world. This scam is now being perpetrated through the internet via email. The scam comes in many forms and it usually involves innocent recipients who receive a letter from a Government Official or an officer of a Nigerian state business who claims to have stolen millions of dollars and needs to get the money out of the country. The person cannot use his own bank account and therefore asks to send money to your bank account after which he would give you 10-35% of the money in exchange for this service. Once the fraudster had your account number he then would withdraw money from your account.

There are many variations of this scam. Such scams have included the opportunity to receive a tremendous return on your investment. Your are asked to send monies overseas to a certain bank account and either the innocent investor is asked to invest more and more to avoid losing money on their investment. In all cases the money is lost and unrecoverable. This scam is not restricted to letters or emails from Nigeria any more but all involve the same telltale signs. The scam either requires upfront money or your back account.

If you receive an unsolicited email resembling the foregoing, then simply delete the email and contact your local Enforcement Agency.

Remember to never give out your bank account or other financial or personal information and never advance any funds up front.

- 60.240.160.219

Sunday, 30 July 2006 - fraudbureau.com says: Be advised of a scam, known as "Pentagono" operated through an Internet home page provided by an Italian company, Future Strategies Srl (Srl, meaning a limited company registration in Italy). This scam involves the company soliciting funds on the Internet by way of a participation in a pyramid type scheme offering huge returns on investment.

The company soliciting the funds claims to be registered with the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Modena and approved by the Italian authorities.

Future Strategies solicited United States residents to purchase Pentagono "Certificates," now called "Card Purchase Orders" or "CPOs," which Future Strategies prepared and issued. At least 400 investors throughout the United States have invested in this scheme. The complaint alleges that Future Strategies, as part of its solicitation, claims that an investor can earn up to $116,400 from an investment of approximately $120 through the Pentagono scheme.
- 60.240.160.219

Friday, 1 September 2006 - Christian Roberts - ScamWatcher.org says: The Truth about Paid Surveys

We've all got them. You do, I do, everyone has them. And we all want to share them with everyone else. Do you know what "they" are?

Opinions. Yep, opinions, I know you have a few of your own right now don't you.

Well, up until recently opinions were just something we got to harbor and share with people when it was appropriate (and even sometimes when it wasn't, we've all done it). Now, times have changed and there is a new trend taking the internet by storm, being paid for your opinion.

It's true. According to hundreds, even thousands of websites out there you can make a tidy income (up to $250 an hour according to some) just for filling out surveys and giving your opinion.

First, let's talk about how this all works and how on earth you're supposed to be able to get paid for your opinion.

There are thousands of companies out there that make products, anything from Angora sweaters to Zippered sandwich bags (otherwise known as Ziplock). Now, what is the singular goal of every company? To make more money of course. How do companies make more money? They sell more products. Either more of the same products or more of the new products they develop. Like any good business person knows, the best way to sell more is to first find out what your customers want and then offer it to them. Think about it, makes sense doesn't it?

The absolute best way to find out what your customers (or potential customers) want to buy is to simply ask them.

Imagine this... A man comes to your door and asks you which laundry detergent you use now. You tell him. Then he asks you if there is anything you want your detergent to do that it doesn't do right now.

"Why yes, I really would like to use one detergent for everything rather than having to use one for normal washes and then use bleach for whites, and Woolite for delicates."

The man thanks you for your time and leaves. Two days later he reappears and shows you a new detergent that does everything you described to him, one detergent for every type of wash. Would you buy it from him? You bet you would, and so would everyone else. He asked what you wanted and then delivered exactly that.

That's the purpose of surveys, to make products better so more consumers buy them. The marketing departments of the largest companies in the World employ other companies to administer surveys and deliver the survey results so the big companies can make better products and in the end make more money.

Back to the matter at hand. The surveying companies get paid a certain amount for each survey they return to whomever employed them. And they use a variety of incentives to get people to spend 20 minutes of their time filling out the surveys: cash, free products, gift certificates, frequent flier miles, and a whole bunch of others.

So, on the net right now there are a multitude of sites that promise to set you up with all the surveys you can shake a stick at and say you'll be able to spend an hour a day filling out product surveys and make hundreds of dollars a week. These sites say that they have huge lists of companies who will be vying for your opinion and paying you top dollar. All for the bargain basement price of $35 (or so) and you'll get access to the "special" list and be on your way to making all the money you can imagine.

There are a few critical flaws in this system. The first of which being that you have to pay to get the list of companies. Remember, there are thousands of companies who want you to take their survey so they can make more money in the long run. There isn't a single company who charges people to take their survey, that would be totally defeatist. But, the websites out their who offer paid surveys are acting as middle men. They take the time and compile the list for you and then charge you to get access to that list.

Now, there isn't anything wrong with this. The paid survey company/website took the time and put the list together. They also give instructions showing how to sign up for the surveys. They deserve to be paid for their effort.

But, here's where it all starts to fall apart. The websites who are selling the paid survey system all promise that you'll be able to make money filling out surveys, participating in focus research groups, and whatever else. They don't tell you how it really works though.

About 6 months ago my younger sister was in dire straits financially. She needed to make some extra money. Like most people these days she turned to the internet to find a cure to her ails and stumbled across a paid survey site. She called me and asked whether she should spend the $35 and if it would work. At the time I'd never looked at the survey sites so I said,

"Here, I'll give you the $35 and you can take the surveys, keep the money and tell me how it goes so I can tell everyone else about it."

A week later I stopped by her apartment for lunch and asked her how the surveys were coming along.

"Well Christian, you wasted $35 and I haven't made a dime."

She took me over to her computer and opened up her email, clicked Send/Receive and I watched as hundreds and hundreds of emails came flooding in. We started to sift through them and found a few surveys mixed in with offers for everything from Aerobic exercise tapes to discount Viagra. Needless to say all the surveys she joined ended up getting her email address on so many mailing lists that she had to dump the box altogether. And out of the few surveys that came through not a single one was going to pay her for her opinion. They were all the "fill out our survey and we'll send you a free sample of out new tuna fish" type. She ended up frustrated and I wasted $35.

So, after that experience I no longer tell anyone to use "paid" surveys to make extra money. Here's why; most of the surveys you'll signup for will not pay you any money but they will waste your time. When you do sign up for all those surveys your name and email address will be sold or traded to a slew of other companies who are going to slam your inbox with tons of unrelated offers soliciting you to spend money you obviously didn't have in the first place. And, the websites who sell "paid" surveys services are using false advertising to entice unsuspecting people to part with $35 (or so) and deliver little in return.

Do I think survey sites are a scam? Well, the big companies who are trying to improve their products aren't doing anything wrong, just business as usual. It's the websites selling the information that are misleading you with their false promises and over-hyped claims. Don't pay anyone to take surveys, you are wasting your money.

Keep those opinions to yourself or share them when it's appropriate, but don't believe the promise that everyone and their uncle will pay you for them.

- 220.244.239.187

Monday, 11 September 2006 - Bruce Farmington,Arkansas says: Surveys do pay! Because anything you say is the direct opposite. Especially after contributing to the Scam you pulled on me, you rip off Faggot! - 63.25.33.13

Monday, 11 September 2006 - Bruce B. Farmington,Arkansas says: Everyone, read this and Heed! Do not invest any money with Gary Jezorski or Christian Roberts! They are professional con men. They lure you into their trap with nice e-mails and "we are here to help" techniques. I lost over 300 dollars because i believed Christian Roberts messages, took a chance and now i hear nothing back. End result: Roberts and Jezorski have my money and will not return calls or e-mails. They sent to me a blank CD. Bastards! Cold blooded Bastards! - 63.25.33.13


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