Money Safe

This story is an example of "Car Bushing". It's something that we featured a few weeks back, and the viewer response has been overwhelming.

The State Attorney General has received hundreds of complaints about "Car Bushing" over the past several years. What is it? It goes like this: When you buy a car off a dealers' lot you don't really own it yet. Bet you didn't realize that. A dealer has four business days to secure financing under the terms that you agreed to. If they can't get the financing, they can call you up and rescind the deal, or change the terms. But if they contact you after those four days, and try to change the terms, that's Car Bushing, and it's against the law.

Chad Chapman fell in love with the truck...the first time he saw it on the lot...he liked just about everything about it..except for the deal he got.

He paid 8500 bucks for the truck, with 15-hundred dollars down, and 24% apr...which seemed high, but since he didn't have good credit, and co-signed with his mom, he figured it was as good as he was going to get... so he signed the deal.

But then eight days later, he got a phone call, and learned the deal had changed.

Chad says, "I had to pay another 15-hundred bucks down to keep the truck."

Not only that, but his APR was jacked up, from 24 percent to 29.9 %.

With no other wheels, and no options, he felt he had to pay the higher amount, so he did.

State Assistant Attorney General Mary Nobel recommends for him to walk away, "Especially with 24% apr. what it tells me that he didn't do his homework before he bought the car, and what the interest rate should be."

Chad says he feels he has nowhere to turn because the dealer he says took him for a ride... is now out of business.

Now, I've told Chad that he does have a few places to turn:
First, he has 1 year to file a cvonsumer complaint with the Attorney General's office.
He can also contact the Department of Licensing. The Bonding company may be liable in a case like this, and the DOL can track down that information.
Also, he should consider hiring a private attorney who specializes in cases like this, although the return on that will likely be a nullification of the deal, and a reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, such as insurance and repairs.

Some resources for Car Bushing victims:

RESOURCES FOR CAR BUSHING VICTIMS

With millions of economic stimulus checks showing up in mailboxes nationwide these days, there's a lot of other checks showing up, that you would be wise not to cash...
The federal trade commission is warning about a new wave of sophisticated fake checks that are making the rounds here in western Washington.
a Marysville man tipped us off about the one he received.

When Roy Mosby opened the letter in the mail, he could hardly believe it.
Not only had he won $250,000 in the Canadian megamillions lottery, he received a check for $4200.
A down payment, they said, on his winnings... All he needed to do, was send them back 32-hundred of it...through Moneygram or Western Union.
And that struck Roy as odd... so he did some research on the company that sent the letter, to see if it was a real company, which it was.
The bank, and the check seemed to check out.
"Everything on it's legit, watermarks, the works", Roy says.
But he dug deeper...He searched the company's address and phone number, and neither checked out...
and when he took the check to the bank, they studied it closely, and confirmed, it was a fake.
"This was the fifth one they've gotten the last three months, Roy says."
If he would have deposited that check, and wired the 32-hundred dollar supposed tax fee...
he would have been out all that money, plus all the bank fees.
Roy says, "It would have been a nightmare."

Now, I've warned you about this before. Any time you're asked to send money as part of a contest you've won, it's not really a prize. The best thing to do with these letters is to just throw them away.
For more information on how to send a formal complaint to the federal trade commission, it's here, on our website. q13 fox.com

Please email me any comments or concerns directly at bwixey@tribune.com

--Bill Wixey

The largest telemarketing investigation in history has uncovered a huge range of scams and ripoffs. The federal trade commission's investigation, called "Operation Tele-phoney" has revealed more than half-a million victims nationwide, and more than $100 million dollars in losses.

Some victims have been contacted on the phone, some on the internet.
And a lot of viewers have contacted me, to tell me about how these scams work.
One viewer wrote in saying that they received a phone call, from someone claiming to be with the the Department of Treasury, or the "Tax Rebate Department", promising a quick rebate, deposited directly into your bank account.
Chuck Harwood, of the Seattle office of the Federal Trade commission says, "The first thing people need to know about these economic stimulus checks is that the irs is not going to contact them, asking for personal information, social security number. if you filed a tax return, the irs will follow up with a check."
Our viewer was smart, and knew that somebody looking for your bank account number is looking for information to clean you out.
But hundreds of thousands of others have been sucked in by cons perpetrated by foreclosure consultants, credit and debt consolidation businesses, credit card companies and timeshare companies.

The head of the Federal Trade Commission, Steve Kavicic says the public has had enough and his agency is doing something about it.
"Fraud is one of the worst poisons to commerce, and telemarketing fraud is one
of its worst manifestations.This is
a major step ahead in the efforts of public law enforcement agencies.. to
attack and deter fraud."
Many of the scams involved the elderly, including one company that told
consumers they would lose medicare benefits if they didn't sign up for its
prescription drug plan.
For more information on this crack down, and the companies nationwide that are in trouble with the law, click here:
http://7thspace.com/headlines/281803/ftc_announces_operation_tele_phoney_agencys_largest_telemarketing_sweep.html
I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your money safe.

It's a scam that police want people to be aware of, especially this time of year.

When someone comes knocking, offering help... but is actually looking to rob you blind.
85-year old Ida Madou didn't think the young man who stopped by her house to check on her roof looked suspcious--even though he showed up unnanounced.
So she let him inside, without asking many questions...
Ida says, "I just trust people, and I don't even try to notice what they're doing or what they look like."

He led her around her house and property, leading her to believe he was
checking for problems and leaks, and then he left. A few hours later, Ida's son came to
check on her, and noticed all sorts of things out of place.
"They went through this house in a
matter of minutes," said Ida's son, Kevin Madou. "One of them kept my
mom busy acting like he was concerned about her roof, and there had to be a
second perpetrator."
Among the items missing: a safe, that had been hidden below the basement stairway for
more than twenty years. It contained dozens of sets of Canadian
and U.S. mint coins that were purchased and collected by Ida's late husband.
"It's irreplaceable from a value standpoint. You cant go out and get
these, and especially because my Dad has passed. And that it was what he did
every christmas", said Kevin.

While the safe is gone, the family says the main thing is Ida's safety. At 85,
Ida's still learning from her life experiences.
"You cant judge people by their looks, you have to not trust everybody, and
I've been told, don't let anybody in the house."
The Federal Trade Commission says the best way to avoid a scam like this one is to be wary of any supposed contractor that solicits door-to-door.
If you know of a scam or a ripoff here in the Puget Sound area, shoot me a note here on the blog, or email me directly: bwixey@tribune.com

I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your Money Safe.

We've devoted a lot of time on Moneysafe talking about scam emails, because so many people are clearly affected by this. I am constantly getting emails like this one from a viewer in Shelton:

"Bill, I received notifaction from Australian Lottery Inc. stating I'v won $350,000. Need to know if this is a Fraud. Need more info? Please contact me. They said my E-Mail address was chosen as the winner. Help!!!"

The answer is yes. It is a fraud. The easy rule to follow. Read it. Delete it. Perhaps even skip the reading part. Just delete it.

Here's another one sent to me from a viewer:
=======================================

Sachsen Lotto-GmbH.
Sachsen Lotto-GmbH
Central Office
Management and Central Services:
Sachsen-Strasse 52,DE-13370 Postdam
Germany.
Reference Number: SL/06-GmbH/4009
Batch: SL/06- GmbH/3434

Congratulations!!!

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded annual final draws of Sachsen Lotto-GmbH Program.

Sachsen Lotto-GmbH draws was conducted from an exclusive list of 25,000,000 e-mail addresses of individual and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer ballot search from the internet as part of our international promotions program which we conduct every year.No tickets were sold.

After this automated computer ballot, your e-mail address attached to serial number 06-3434 drew the lucky numbers 7-17-21-26-37-42 which consequently emerged you as one of first fifty (50) lucky winners in this category.

You have therefore been approved for a lump sum payout of 1,000,000.00(One Million EURO) in cash credited to file SL/06-GmbH/4009.This is froma total cash prize of 50 Million Euro shared amongst the first fifty (50)lucky winners in this category.

This year Lottery Program Jackpot is the largest ever for Sachsen Lotto-GmbH. The estimated 50 million jackpot would be the sixth-biggest in Europe history. The biggest was the 363 million jackpot that went to two winners in a Febuary 2000 drawing of The Big Game Mega Millions'predecessor.

Your fund is now deposited in an offshore bank with a hardcover insurance.Due to the mix up of some numbers and names, we advice that you keep this award from public notice until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to your nominated bank account as
this is
part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unwarranted
taking
advantage of this program by the general public.

Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet representative office in London. In view of this, your 1,000,000.00 (One Million Euro) would be released to you by our affiliate bank in Europe. Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds to you as soon as you
make
contact with him.

To begin your claim please contact our licensed and accredited agent assigned to you:

Mr.Gray Armstrong
Sachsen Lotto-GmbH
Information and Payment Bureau:
London Representative Office.
Phone: +44-702-402-0585
Fax: +44-870-068-8245
E-mail:armstrong2007@live.com

Your claims agent will assist you in the processing and remittance of your prize funds into your designated bank account.

Note that all prize funds must be claimed not later than 3 weeks. After this date all funds will be returned to the LOTTERY TREASURY as unclaimed.In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please endeavor to quote your Reference Number:SL/06-GmbH/4009 and
Batch
numbers:SL/06-GmbH/3434 in every correspondence with your agent.
Furthermore, should there be any change in your address, do inform your claims agent as soon as possible.

Members of the affiliate agencies are automatically not allowed to participate in this program.

Congratulations once again from all members of our staff and thanks for being part of our promotions program.

Yours faithfully,
Mrs.Susan Flo
Promotions Manager.
==============================================
Apologies to "Susan Flo, Promotions Manager", but this is a terrible attempt. I've seen dozens of different lottery emails just like this one. This one is supposedly from Germany, but I've seen them from all over the world. Several things to know here: If you really won a lottery, they would contact you by phone or by mail. Not a random email. Second, did you enter this lottery? And third, is it really a prize if they're asking you to send them money in order to claim your prize? If you send your money to them, that will be the end of the transaction. No lotto money for you.

Here's another one that a viewer emailed me:

Dear Friend.
>
> I am Mr Andy Tombi the Former credit manager of SNS Bank in the
> Netherlands now based in united kingdom. I have a proposal to discuss
> about a certain bonded account in SNS bank, Please contact me through
> my email below if you are interested to know.
>
> It will be beneficial to all parties concerned.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mr Andy Tombi
> Email: mrtombiandy@yahoo.it
>

I am so flattered that he considers me a friend. We've never even met! Andy Tombi sounds like a pretty desperate guy. He's wants to let me, a complete stranger, in on his big score? Hmmmmm.

And finally, I have to say that it's encouraging to see viewers investigating some of these fishy emails on their own, and then calling them out. A viewer had placed their apartment for rent on Craigslist, and received this reply:

"Hi,

I want to rent your place for 15 days for my God-Daughter and her Spouse honeymoon it's my gift to them for my inabilty to attend their wedding as am in the gulf as a medical doctor with United states Marine 1st battalion 14th infantry out of schofield. Let me know if there is any availability with the rates, the schedule date is 10th june thru the 25th 2008.
My Regards "

This viewer replied:

"1st Battalion, 14th Marines was deactivated on March 24, 2007 and was based in alameda CA .. infantry denotes the ARMY not the marines and so does schofield ... sooo.. you wanna revise your story?

i guess i'm gonna report you as a scam to craigslist, gmail , the united states army AND to the REAL united states marines... "

I LOVE THAT!! Keep up the good work. And if you spot a scam or a ripoff, let me know here on the blog, or send me an email directly at bwixey@tribune.com

I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your money safe.