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How to Spot a Scam

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

New Scammer Alert

Avoid the following scam artists:

Name: Faith Richards
Email: unknown

Name: Melissa Kent
Email: unknown

Name: Joe Brown
Email: joe.brown101223@yahoo.com

Name: Mike Wilson
Email: unkown

Name: Sam Kane
Dropped a fake check for $4,300

Company Name: Metro Events Inc,.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Fake Sports Marketing Company Warning

This tired old scam never seems to go away, so perhaps shining the light on these roaches will flush them out. There are alot of people who have been affected by the downturn in the economy. Many are out of work and are desperate to put food on the table. As such, some shady businesses are more than eager to prey upon those who are down on their luck. One such company is LA Sports Marketing.

At LA Sports Marketing its the same song and dance. This company boasts about its' professional relationships with major league teams, but in reality they are nothing more than a door to door solicitation service; selling coupon books, oil change gift cards, or whatever "promo" they have for that day. Of course they do not offer a paid salary, instead they prefer you to work solely on commission. This company is not even remotely associated with the professional teams they claim as their clients. In otherwords this is a pyramid scheme company.

Name: LA Sports Marketing
Website: www.lasportsmarketing.com
Address: 13949 Ventura Blvd.
Suite 304
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Phone: 818-907-4079

Scammer update list

Update list for 2/22/2010

When possible avoid the following people:

Name: Rev. Daniel Foster

Name: Colleen O'Connor

Name: Mike Brown

Name: Beryl Cleary
Email: berylcleary@live.co.uk

Email: williams_happy00@yahoo.com

Sunday, February 21, 2010

1991 Volvo 240 - $2500 (Riverside, ca)



A concerned CL user emailed this experience to us:

Seller Name: George
Location: Inland Empire Craigslist

Contact: (951) 271-2174

Hi all I am reporting an experience that I had with a seller of a car listed on craigslist. The seller's ad is posted below, but what struck me is that the seller does not mention the car has blow back, which means oil spits out of the top of the engine, and that it is a SALVAGE title. Salvage title means that for whatever reason (mostly accident) the previous owner's insurance company considers it a total loss, a piece of junk, and it is essentially worthless. This seller plays dumb and tries to fool would be buyers about condition by not disclosing key problems... Watch out for this guy.




Wednesday, February 17, 2010

FTC: Don't be fooled by job-related scams

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finally comes to terms with employment scams. For those who have been following this blog for nearly two years, you know that we have been lobbying hard for the FTC to take a harder stance against fraudulent businesses practices. Today we are pleased to announce a major victory in our fight against scam artists.

The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that it is cracking down on con artists who target the unemployed with bogus job placement and work-at-home scams.

The consumer protection agency said it has asked federal courts to shut down seven entities charged with peddling such schemes and to freeze their assets.

The Justice Department has pursued criminal action in 44 additional cases and state attorneys general are pursuing 18 more, FTC officials said.

The agency is also increasing its efforts to educate job-seekers on avoiding the scams. Any advertisement or pitch that promises job listings in return for a fee or promises a business opportunity in return for an up-front investment is likely fraudulent, the agency said.

There are 14.8 million jobless Americans, the Labor Department said earlier this month, almost double the 7.7 million out of work when the recession began. There another 11 million people who are working part-time but would prefer full-time work or who have become discouraged and given up on their job searches.

Among the seven cases announced Wednesday were charges against a company called Entertainment Work Inc. that listed jobs for television and movie extras. The company "deceptively claimed" that in return for a membership fee to its Web site, job-seekers would find work near their homes in the entertainment industry, the FTC said.

The company has agreed to an interim court order halting its alleged misconduct, the FTC said.

Another company, Abili-Staff, sold work-at-home job listings for $29.98 to $89.99 and falsely said the fees would provide access to more than 1,000 "scam-free" work-at-home jobs, the agency said.

The FTC pursued another company, Career Hotline Inc., earlier this year that Cathy Willburn, a resident of Grandview, Texas, bilked her. She lost a job in October 2008.

Willburn, who participated in the FTC's press conference, said she responded to a classified ad last June that promised jobs as forklift drivers and other warehouse work.

Career Hotline told her that it helped fill jobs for Fortune 500 companies, Willburn said. Once she paid an $89 fee so she could access its list of jobs and be working in 14 days.

Willburn borrowed the money and paid the fee but never heard back from the company, even after she left messages saying she was out of work and couldn't afford to lose the money.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Car Buyers Stay Alert

Many people use Craigslist to buy a reasonable car... However, these individuals offer great cars at low prices, then feed you a story about how their family members died in iraq or giving birth or what not, and you could have this great car if you just pay the shipping (we have all heard the story before).

Location:
Inland Empire Craigslist Postings

Be warned of the few i found so far:

emmastone@gmail.com (2001 BMW 230i)

juanitareye111@gmail.com (audi a4)

camillebaudet@hotmail.com (jetta)

rustl.joe@gmail.com (2006 civic ex)

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Salvation Army left short of cash by fake SC check

The Salvation Army thought it had received a grand gift ahead of Christmas — a $25,000 check. But the donation turned out to be an expensive hoax that may force the charity to cut back on winter assistance for the needy.

Investigators said Wednesday that more than a dozen Charleston-area charities received fake checks before Christmas purporting to be gifts from a genuine local company.

None of the other charities cashed theirs, but the Salvation Army deposited its check. It went ahead and spent some of the money on food and toys for about 100 families, counting on the check to clear.

The bank called two days before Christmas to say the check had bounced, and the agency was left with less money than planned to help the needy this cold January.

"It's a matter of counting on that so we would have a cushion," said Kiki Cooper, the director of development for the local chapter. She said the single check represented about 10 percent of what the Salvation Army typically raises during the holiday season.

The check and accompanying letter appeared to come from Force Protection Inc., an armored vehicle manufacturer in Ladson. The letter said the company had enjoyed success and wanted to share with local charities.

Other charities called the company about the unsolicited donations and Force Protection sent out a memo Dec. 17 — the same day the Salvation Army deposited their check — saying it had been the victim of a holiday scam.

Officers were investigating but there had been no arrests in the case as of Wednesday, said Maj. John Clark of the Charleston County Sheriff's Department.

Tommy Pruitt, a spokesman for Force Protection, said the checks were written on a company bank account that had been closed months ago. He said he did not want to speculate on who might be responsible.

Cooper said the check arrived at the busiest time of year for the charity.

"People say why don't you check every check? We have old ladies who send us a dollar and we're talking at this time of year we have anywhere from 500 to 1,000 checks coming in a week," she said.

Cooper said people were already offering to help offset the loss.

"We've actually had a couple of people walking in dropping off $20. We have that at Christmas, never in January," she said.

Nationally, the Salvation Army raises about $500 million each holiday season — about 40 percent of its yearly donations.