This list is current as of January 31, 2010. Readers should take into consideration the importance of the practice in question and the total performance of the company. For complete information, please visit www.bbb.org.
1. Be careful selling items on the Internet. A consumer called in regarding an ad he had placed on the Internet to sell his washing machine. He had requested $120 for it and had received 2 money orders from Money Gram International in the amount of $1900. The purchaser of the washing machine communicated through email and told him to cash the money orders and that someone would be by to pick up the difference. Fortunately, before cashing the money orders, this consumer contacted the bank where the money orders were written. As it turns out, they were fraudulent, and the signatures were forged.
2. Watch out for credit card hikes! Five companies, citing economic woes, have increased their rates on consumers. These companies are American Express, Bank of America, Citibank, Capital One, and HSBC. The best defense against credit card hikes is to manage credit responsibly and maintain a good track record for paying bills on time. Other than that, you can pay off your account, find a better deal elsewhere, possibly negotiate a better rate with your credit card company, and keep an eye on new regulation.
3. Mystery shopping scams have made their way to email. The email scam works the same as the mystery shopping scam sent through regular mail. You are contacted in regards to a mystery shopping opportunity. Simply submit your résumé and answer questions regarding your background information. Then, you will be sent a check along with a survey to fill out. Your instructions are to cash the check and to go shopping with it at one of the stores listed. Fill out the survey regarding your experience. For the second part of the evaluation, you must test Western Union or Money gram’s money transfer process by sending money. Once the money is sent, the bank contacts you to inform you that the check was counterfeit and that you now owe the money. Stay away from these types of schemes!
4. Mike of Fort Wayne is NOT collecting items for the Haiti Relief Fund. This individual, who said he worked on behalf of the American Red Cross, was last seen at the Northcrest Shopping Center area. The American Red Cross does not have anyone collecting items on their behalf for this fund. If you are approached by anyone collecting items, clothing or money for Haiti, who might be claiming they are with a legitimate charitable organization, PLEASE contact that organization or the Better Business Bureau to find out if they are in fact with that group.
5. Fake fundraising efforts for the Haiti disaster are spreading like wildfire on Facebook. Dozens of fan pages have been set up, urging users to join and promising a $1 donation for each member. One group this past weekend attracted 1.5 million members before it was disabled. BBB warns Facebook users about "promiscuous friending" - the habit of many Facebook users to simply accept all friend requests. This significantly opens the door for computer criminals to take advantage of trust relationships formed on the site. Hackers with friend access can post links to viruses on victims' walls, for example, or directly message the friends with Trojan horse e-mails!"
6. The word is out you can text "HAITI" to 90999, and a donation of $10 will be made to the American Red Cross for Haiti victims. Problem is, when a consumer was doing a Google search for "Haiti texting," The first results page included a link that looked promising. The link was "http://sciencefirst.com / ? q - texting-Haiti-to-90999." Another link was sevencycles.com. Both companies URLs appeared to have been hacked. The Red Cross is doing a phenomenal job of getting consumers to donate, but please, CALL the Red Cross or BBB if you are suspicious.
7. Be careful with your Haiti relief Google search. Malware security experts have found an influx of “malicious URLs”, since the recent earthquake. One, in particular, is called “Haiti earthquake donate”. This claims to be linked to anti-virus protection but actually will download malware on your computer, simply by clicking the link. The BBB encourages you to only go to well-known, reputable sites to donate.
8. Dispelling Twitter rumors in regards to free flights and shipping to Haiti. Tim Smith, Airline spokesman, has reported that American and Jet Blue are NOT flying medical personnel for free to Haiti, despite rumors that have been circulating on Twitter. Also, UPS is NOT sending parcels for free to Haiti that weigh less than 50 pounds. In fact, shipping is on hold due to the destruction of roads and telephone networks. For more details, visit http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/14/twitter.hoax.haiti/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn.
9. Answer the question “20 + 5” and win $5000. Have you received one of these letters from Windsor Morgan & Parker from Australia? You’re not alone! Don’t fall for this! Foreign offers extended to U.S. citizens violate federal law, which according to the Federal Trade Commission, “prohibits the cross-border sale or purchase of lottery tickets by phone or mail.” So, if you enter into one of these contests, not only are you breaking the law, but you are opening yourself up to being defrauded as well. Play it smart! Only participate in a lottery, if you know it is legitimate. Call the BBB if questions.
10. What a bargain!!! Have you received a letter from Award Payment Data Release from New York, offering to pay you $1.4 million in exchange for $19.99? Don’t fall for this! If you have in fact won money, you will not have to pay in advance for the winnings. The only time you will ever have to pay would be during tax time, and that money would go directly to the IRS. Scammers often will state that part of your winnings must pay for insurance costs or administrative fees. This simply is not true and is a ploy to get your money. In the end, the scammer will not own up to their end of the bargain. You will be out $19.99, and they will be out nothing.
11. Emails from Obama’s Foundation. Consumers are reporting having received emails from info@obama.us, awarding them $1 million in compensation of scam victims. This is a pfishing scam. The email recipient is requested to contact a bank manager in the UK to receive the bank account log-on, in which the funds will supposedly be transferred into. The HSBC Bank in the United Kingdom is in no way affiliated with the Obama Administration and is not distributing $1 million winnings to U.S. citizens.
12. Visa Card awards $11 million payments. A consumer reported having received notification of a Visa card and PIN in the amount of $11 million via email. This email came from perema@hetnet.nl. The recipient is told to contact Sir Wood Brett, Payment Officer at woodteeam2@yahoo.co.uk with name, address, age, sex, occupation, and phone number. If you receive one of these emails, it is bogus. Do not respond to it! Forward it to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov and delete it. Visa is not randomly selecting individuals to issue credit cards with $11 million credit limits.
13. Possible businesses to avoid. The BBB has been alerted that owners Joe and Sherrie Hamacher are expanding their businesses to other states. They have a history with the BBB of being unresponsive to their complaints. Businesses that they have owned are as follows: Superior Coatings East, Superior Pools, The Home Improvement Source, Barrier Reef Pools, Hamacher Energy Reduction Systems, and Utility Management Solutions. If you ever want to check on the reliability of a business, call us or view our company reports at www.bbb.org.
14. A consumer reported having received a suspicious job solicitation from craigslist. The email came from a Judith K. White/HR Director of Yrs-Corp. She was seeking to fill an Office Administrative position and requested a free report be filled out. The report was at www.freecreditreport.com. This report asked for credit card and other personal information. Soon after the information was submitted, the consumer received charges on his card. The consumer attempted to call two of the phone numbers listed on the website, www.yrscorp.com. Neither phone number belonged to the company. Be very careful dealing with online businesses. Check them out like you would any other business. Find out their reputation. Verify their location and contact information. Call your BBB to find out if there have been any complaints or reports of scams.
15. Super Bowl Tickets. It is still not too late to get scammed. Please call BBB to be sure that the tickets you are purchasing are real, that tickets you buy in Miami are not fraudulent. Frauds are going to lurk around unsuspecting fans until Super Bowl is over. Pry before you buy!