http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/ by Bill Wixey en Copyright 2008 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:21:49 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss i know how we all love craigslist good deals and stuff but after trying to find a house for rent here in tacoma i also found a big scam! there is someone going to rental houses.com and copying the info and putting it on craigslist for a way cheaper amount.they also change the email addresse each time.they wrote me saying they were working in africa and needed someone to take care of there house.they also wanted me to send 300.00 to get the key.this told me it was a scam.i ended up finding the real owner who said this was the 6 th time someone has posted his house on there and stoled his info..this was ONE of the adds please note there are like 4 more too.crazy... Here is the ad that Renee says started this whole fiasco: $1000 / 3br - 3 BR / 2 BA HOUSE AVAILABLE NOW (Tacoma, WA ) One level, 3bdr, 1.5 bathroom, bonus room for office/ family rm / guest room. Hardwood floors throughout except kitchen and bonus room. 2 car garage w electric openers. Gas fireplace & furnace. Comfortable kitchen includes refrigerator with water and ice dispenser and range. No dishwasher. Also space for small dinnette. Large, leveled, fenced backyard with two sheds, great for kids. W/D hook-up in garage. Quiet neighborhood. Elementary school at street's end. Middle and High school within 2 miles. Close to shopping centers, grocery stores, and bus line. YMCA one mile. Point Defiance Park and Zoo two miles away. 20 minutes to McChord. 25 minutes to Fort Lewis. Public 9 hole golf course one block. Easy access to Highway 16. Tacoma Community College few miles away. Univ of WA (Tacoma) and Univ of Puget Sound minutes away. I followed up on a scam exactly like this one a few months back, and actually talked to the supposed landlord on the phone. He wanted me to pay him the first month's rent, and he wanted it badly. He called me dozens of times, day and night from a Nigerian phone number, demanding that I send the money. Eventually he gave up. Another example of why you need to deal locally when making large purchases. The warnings are posted all over the place on Craigslist. Nicole writes in, with another Craigslist horror story: I have a story for you! I posted an item on CL for $450 and I think I have a person from Africa or wherever those people are that try to get into your bank account E-mailing me about an item I posted. I am not sure who to E-mail on here but I figured I would send it here and you point me in the right place. He told me that he would give me a check overnighted if I took down the item today, and sent him my name, address, plus my phone number. I could tell it was a scam from that point, because my ex got scammed over 10,000 dollars. Thanks for reading this .. Nicole, first of all, good for you for recognizing this as a scam. Chances are, this scammer is not trying to steal your bank info, but rather just trying to dupe you out of your money. the way they do it is to send you a check (which is probably bogus), in hopes that you'll send them the item. They will probably also try to send you a bogus check for over the amount of the item, with instructions to wire back a portion of it. I have another story on Craigslist scams coming up next week. They are becoming very prevalent. a viewer named Jennifer from Kenmore, says her father is a magnet for check scams. This is a good heads up for how these cons work. Hi Bill - I thought of you after going through this with my father. He has beeen quite the target for mail fraud. Just recently he received 3 checks from lottery co.. He was able to cash the checks and then was required to wire large sum of $ back to receive the balance of his winnings. Luckily he is to cheep to return the wire. The checks deposited then bounce and he in return will owe the bank. Luckily we caught this and put a freeze on the $ so he was not out much. The checks are real and issued on closed bank accounts. In checking with the banks these companies have several accounts open and close them in a short period of time. I brought this to your attention, after watching an episode on fraud that you did a couple of weeks ago. Thanks Jennifer. Probably the most disturbing part of these scams and ripoffs is how ruthless the perpetrators are. They target the elderly, and so it becomes an entire family's problem. It's really up to us to watch out for our parents and make sure that they aren't being taken advantage of like this. Good on you, Jennifer, for fighting back against this kind of fraud. We all need to be diligent these days. Michelle is getting some annoying scam phone calls: We have been receiving calls from a number that only identifies itself as "marathon, Fl". They have correctly given us the last 4 digits of one of our credit card numbers and offered us "free gas". We have told them numerous times we are not interested and if they have sent us something we will send it back and to please stop calling us. They will not stop calling. I called the number left on my caller id only to recieve a message stating "Hello, thank you for calling back, this company is working dilligently to steal your identity, press 1 for more information" Then what happens is it says the mailbox is full and cannot recieve any more messages. I have contacted the FTC and filed a complaint. Thought you would want to know and maybe spread the word. The number we recieve the calls from is Marathon Fl 305-848-1247. Thanks Bill and have a great day :) Happy to spread the word about this one. I called the number and recieved a "not valid or blocked from your area code" recording. It's a pain that you had to deal with this, but I applaud you for having a sense of humor about it. You did the right thing filing a complaint with the FTC. I would also make sure that you get on the national "do not call" registry, and add that number to it. I'm also seeing more of the bank phishing scams, that look so real that you are tempted to click on the link to update your account. It looks something like this: Important Notice To Credit Card Account Holder's _______________________________________________________ To take advantage on a low interest rate on all transactions on Balance Transfer, update on your information is needed to be updated in our newly upgraded database to take advantage in , this special offer before August 11th 2008. Kindly update your Credit Card Account details https://www.bankofamerica.com/loc/cgi-bin/ Thank you for your patience as we work together to protect your account. Sincerely, Bank of America Customer Service *Important* Please update your records on or before 48 hours. _________________________________________________________ Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. Again, the scam email has the real Bank of America logo and asks for you to update your account. It looks legit, but understand that your bank will not contact you randomly in this way. They will not ask you to "update" your information. If you have questions about your account, or about any correspondence you have received from anyone claiming to be your bank, just contact them and they'll set the record straight for you. I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your money safe. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/viewer_feedback_3.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/viewer_feedback_3.html Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:21:49 -0800 I have discovered numerous consumer complaints about "Safepay Solutions". The company has an unsatifactory rating with the Better Business Bureau, which has received more than 20 consumer complaints about them in the past 36 months. http://reno.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=100&bbb=1146&firm=6011210 Http://www.talkgold.com/forum/r90580-.html The parent company of Safepay Solutions dissolved the company under that name in 2007... http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS130156+04-Jan-2008+PRN20080104 ...and now may be operating under the name Emaji, and it's stock is trading for under a penny a share. http://www.hotstocked.com/companies/e/emaji-EMJI-92632.html In my opinion, this viewer did the right thing in backing out a deal, especially with a company with such a spotty history. http://www.ratingshub.com/review/index2.php?item_id=328 This is a good reminder that if you're getting involved in a transaction, involving a company that you aren't familiar with, it's always a great idea to do some of your own research before jumping in. After seeing our story, Terri from Redmond writes in, with another take on this: I had a very similar incident with a used car on Craigslist as the SafePay one you reported on. It was a 2002 VW Passat with 48,000 Miles for $4000 (way too good to be true) She told me that we would be using Ebays Protection Program for "our" safety. I told her I didn't even know what that was and I needed to know what city to look at the car in. She said the car was here with her in Dallas, TX and that she was a single mom with 2 kids with money probs, that's why she was selling it so cheap. She said it was in great shape, no engine probs, damages or hidden defects, never smoked in and always garaged blah blah blah and that we WOULD be using Ebays Protection Program for this and all she needed was my full name and address so she could open a case number with Ebay with no further obligation or fees to me. Then the car would be shipped to me where I would have 7 days to decide if I wanted it or not and she would pay the shipping back if not. I told her as good a deal as it was, I would pass. I tried to email her a week later and her email address was suddenly invalid. Please also share this as there are more ways than SafePay they are trying to use!! Thanks for reading this. Terri That's a good reminder as well. If you're making a major purchase, such as a car, it's always better to make those deals in person, face to face. If you have questions about a deal that you're involved in, or think you might be getting scammed, let me know about it, and I'll look into it for you. I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your Money Safe. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/safepay_solutions_1.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/safepay_solutions_1.html Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:17:22 -0800 Dear Mr. Wixey, I got this letter and it sounded to good to be true. I was supicious and tried to report it to crime stopper and was told they could do nothing about. Before I gave out any information I went to the bank to check it out and the also confirmed most of these email are possible scams or is there a way you can verity if it is legit or a scam . Here is what I was sent and there reply. I wil try to see your response on the air but if possible could you please return my email to let me know if it is legitimate or not. Respectfully Scott Please give my best regards to the crew for my wife and I enjoy your staff Thanks Scott. This is an increasingly common online scam. Like millions of people, Scott posted his resume online. What he didn't realize is that scammers are taking advantage of job hunters' eagerness, and duping the job seeker into sending them money. Here's how this transaction went down: Scott received a "hit" on his resume: ----- Original Message ----- From: Latoya Smith To: latoya_smith001@yahoo.com Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 12:06 AM Subject: CONCERNING YOUR RESUME YOU POSTED ON THEJOBPLANET.COM ( EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY) Hello , I am emailing you because I went through your resume on WWW.THEJOBPLANET.COM and I have the feeling that you have every feature of being a good company worker. I am Latoya Smith , I am a Financial Consultant for an INVESTMENT MONITORING COMPANY that is based in the UK .Our Company is looking for a competent worker that is honest, sincere and trustworthy that will be acting on their behalf in the UNITED STATES. The job is not a stressful job; it will only be taking less than thirty minutes of your time. It is part of our company goals that people can actually work from their home and earn good income and numerous reputable companies are now adopting this system. You will be performing the responsibility of a Cashier from the comfort of your home and it will not in anyway affect your present occupation. The company will be paying 10% on each transaction handled on their behalf and will amount to $4,500 monthly.Let me know if you are interested or not and if you need more information, contact me. BEST REGARDS: Latoya Smith FINANCIAL CONSULTANT. Email: Latoya_smith011@yahoo.it NOTE: NO FEE WILL BE REQUIRED FROM YOU. I AM NOT A RECRUITING AGENT BUT I AM ONE OF THE COMPANY WORKERS. THE COMPANY IS IN NEED OF SOMEONE THAT IS CAPABLE OF DISCHARGING THEIR DUTIES EFFICIENTLY. Okay, so Scott thinks it sounds like a great "work at home" situation. But think about it this way: If this is a legit "Investment monitoring company", wbhy would they need someone to take checks from a third party, cash them and then wire them 90% of it? Why wouldn't they just take payment directly? That's what was going through Scott's mind, so he asked for more information, and received this reply: Thanks for the response and i believe without adequate or enough information, you will not be able to make a sound decision. I am also one of the company workers but am unable to perform effectively because of the increasing number of the company client and the nature of our company service tolerate no delay. Our company has authorized me to look for someone that will be performing the following functions on their behalf: 1. Receive payment from Clients 2. Cash Payments at your Bank 3. Deduct 10% which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed. 4. Forward balance after deduction of percentage/pay to any of the offices you will be contacted to send payment to (Payment is to be forwarded by Western Union Money Transfer). How much you will earn: 10% from each operation! For instance: you receive 2000USD via check,bank draft or money orders on our company behalf. You will cash the money deduct 200USD (10% from 2000USD) for yourself! At the beginning your commission will equal 10%, though later it will increase up to 12% or more depending on how fast.sincere,competent,efficient and capable you are in handling payment on our company behalf. I hope you are a sincere and honest person that i can provide with this opportunity that is why i have to email you. The only requirements are honesty, sincerity, competency and efficiency. NOTE: THE NATURE OF THE JOB WILL NOT AFFECT YOUR PRESENT JOB OR OCCUPATION BUT IT WILL EARN YOU ADDITIONAL INCOME AND IT WILL NOT TAKE MUCH OF YOUR TIME. YOU WILL TRAVEL NO WHERE TO GET STARTED AND YOU WILL NOT PAY ANY FEE OR CHARGES BUT ALL THAT IS NEEDED FROM YOU IS HONESTY AND SINCERITY. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, LET ME HAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION IN THIS ORDER: NAME: ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP CODE: COUNTRY: PHONE NUMBER: EMAIL ADDRESS: PRESENT OCCUPATION: AGE: I will fax the above information to the company upon receiving it from you and one of the company secretaries will contact you with more information upon receiving it. Thanks I've featured this scam several times now on Moneysafe, and I'll put this plainly: IT"S NOT A REAL JOB IF YOUR EMPLOYER ASKS YOU TO CASH CHECKS FOR THEM AND WIRE MONEY. It's not a real occupation. It is a con job. The checks you receive are either fakes or drawn on the account of another fraud victim. If it's fake, you will be out the money you wire back, plus overdraft charges. If it's a fraud case, you could face charges for being party to this con. Thousands of people are getting these offers through online job sites. It's impossible for the sites to keep all of these con artists out. It's up to you to sniff this out, and hit DELETE. Rachael, from Lacey, is up next: I received this with the subject line BOA. I use Bank of America but I knew this was not them. Diabolical! From: sebascd@telefonica.net > Subject: Confirm Receipt of Your ATM CARD > Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2008 11:30:59 0200 > > Attention: Sir/Madam > > > Have You Received Your New ATM CARD?, If Not Report Back Immedaitely To Enable Us Cancel The Already Sent ATM CARD, Which You Can Use To Withdraw Your Money From Any ATM Machine In Any Part Of The World,The Maximum Is (Fifty Thousand Dollars $50.000.00) Per Day. > > > Reconfirm Information: > > > 1) Your mailing Address (P.O box Not Accepted) > 2) Your Full Name > 3) A Valid Phone Number. > > > Below is the contact Information of our ATM center: > > > > (Director ATM Center) > Tel: 229-93413506 > Email: bafribjj@consultant.com > > > We Await Your Urgent Response. > > > Best Regards > Mr.McMartins Okri > Director of Operation, Thanks Rachael. What I found particularly funny about this scam email is that they actually gave a phone number. But it's an ELEVEN-DIGIT NUMBER. "Mr McMartins Okri" didn't do enough homework to realize that we only use 10-digits here in the States. Another typical scam that I see all the time. Your bank is not going to contact you about a debit card via email. Your bank is very careful about sending information like this through US Mail, or perhaps they would contact you directly via telephone. If you have any concerns about whether a bank offer is legit, contact your bank and they will tell you whether they have contacted you about such an offer. And finally, Rebecca writes in with a story about a phone scam that is making the rounds: received 4 phone calls this week about a free $500 shopping spree from phone# 909-842-9148. all I had to do was pay the $1.95 shipping fee with my credit card. They said their co name is EBI Phany. When I told them It was illegal for them to ask for cc# over the phone they hung up. Rebecca Thanks to all of you for writing in, and being do diligent about spotting these scams, and staying in contact with me so I can get the word out. I've been ridiculously busy lately, anchoring the morning and the evening news over the past couple of weeks (whew!), so I haven't been as good as usual in keeping up with all of you. I am getting back at it with a vengeance, going after the bad guys, but I need to hear from you to know what you're seeing. Together, by exposing these frauds, we really are making a difference and helping keep our money safe. Thanks! Bill Wixey Q13 Fox News ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/viewers_fight_back.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/viewers_fight_back.html Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:11:48 -0800 ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/irs_tax_cheats.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/irs_tax_cheats.html Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:15:57 -0800 Hi, I have been reading this blog for some time now but never bothered to comment until today. Wanted to let you know that I am a fan and enjoy your work. Thanks, Thanks for watching! I'm glad you like the site. Hi, I would like to keep my name anonymous for personal reasons. Today I received a check that applies exactly to what is said on top about taking 10% and sending them the rest. I will like to know more about this information and a list of which web sites do this. The one that sent me a check is globbal plastics. Their Web Site is globbalplastics.com. And as you can see "global" is spelled wrong, exactly what you stated on top. I will take a close look into this one. The misspelled company name does raise some major red flags for me as well. I also receive about 7 letters a week stating that a company called AOG (Award Opportunity Group), Global Funding Associates and the list goes on. These are all scams!! They want $20 or less to send me a report about sweepstakes I have entered in and supposably really won but need their report to find out where to get it or they would send it to me. Which after research is totally false. No one can touch your winnings but you and the IRS, so why are they providing a service to help me receive 3 million dollars, and only want $20. I will tell you why because it is a SCAM!! What is sad is that I have entered sweepstakes in the pass and if I was to win, I wouldn't believe it if Bob Barker knocked on my door holding the check. I sure won't enter anymore, the risk isn't worth it. I just wish the BBB would list these people to help those who don't have the time and energy to research 4 hours like I have tonight. Thanks to all of you that have taken the time to write in. I spend a lot of time looking in to operations like these, and as soon as I get some answers, you'll see it: either here on the blog or on "Moneysafe" on Q13 Fox News. I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your money safe. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/hi_i_have_been_reading.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/hi_i_have_been_reading.html Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:18:47 -0800 A local man who bought a car on Craigslist thought he got a great deal. But when he took it into the Department of Licensing to get his title, inspectors knew right away that this was a chop job. When they ran the VIN number, which came back as a different year than the license plate, officers knew the car had been Curbstoned. It's a term that a lot of us haven't heard. But the State Patrol says it's becoming big business here in Washinghton. And that's why the Patrol is teaming up with the Seattle Police Department and the DOL. They're going after unlicensed dealers to get Curbstoned cars off the road. The cars in question are assmebled from parts obtained from insurance company salvage yards. They re-assembled, and then sold to unsuspecting buyers. Here are some tips to avoid Curbstoning: 1) Buy from a licensed dealer. 2) If you buy one online, or thru a want ad, don't fall for the deal that's too good to be true. If it's a $10,000 car, and they're selling it for $5,000, that should be a red flag. 3) If the seller doesn't have the car's title, that should a be a red flag. 4) Ttake the car to a mechanic and get the VIN numbers checked in three places: On the door, on the dash, and near the firewall under the hood. If any of those numbers are missing or don't match, it's probably a chop job. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/curbstoning.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/08/curbstoning.html Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:59:29 -0800 Cami was lucky. She pulled out of the deal before she had her money stolen. But another viewer wasn't so fortunate. Angela lost thousands of dollars to con artists, pulling the exact same scheme. Here's another viewer, who is in the midst of an online job scam: Hi bill, so i recently just signed up for something similar to the money scam i heard about last night. i went and deposited the check and it's just sitting there and now the guy is calling me out of control and emailing me and telling me that i need to send them the rest of the money. i don't know what i should tell them. i've already reported this to the fbi. i called the bank and they said that so far the check is good and can't do anything for me. can you help me? thank you, julie Julie: The Federal Trade Commission says that you should take several steps right now. First, contact your bank and let them know your situation. If you haven't spent any of the money, the bank can "freeze" those funds, so when the check bounces, you aren't going to be injured, and neither will the bank. You did the right thing by forwarding your information to the FBI. It would also be a good idea to also file a police report with your local department. This way, you will have documentation that the police are involved. And finally, it's probably best to not respond. After a while, they will get the message. DO NOT ANSWER THEIR PHONE CALLS OR RESPOND TO TEXT MESSAGES. There have been instances where these scammers have managed to slam charges onto a victims' phone bill. If you do reply to an email, inform them that you have forwarded your correspondence to the FBI, and they should get the message, but they are persistent. I have investigated countless stories like this, and have gotten myself on the hook with these con artists, just to learn how they operate. I've found that once they get a potential mark on the hook, they are ruthless. They will call and email you constantly, day and night, demanding their money. Thanks for writing in Julie, and good luck. A warning from the FBI about these scams: Job candidates should be cautious when seeking employment online, according to the FBI. The FBI has released a warning, saying it is investigating several "online employment scams. The FBI outlined several schemes and told candidates to protect their information and be skeptical of some prospective employers. According to the warning, fake recruiters are pretending to do background checks or set up bank accounts for direct deposit. Instead of getting a job, the candidates become victims of identity theft or owners of empty bank accounts. In other cases, job ads for correspondence managers or import/export specialists are ruses to get people to ship items " purchased illegally online " using stolen credit cards, to Nigeria and other places. The FBI states that people should never pay upfront for any job opportunity and never provide identification or financial information to prospective employers. Job hunters should consider posting resumes anonymously, withholding personal information and using e-mail as a primary means of contact. The FBI also warns people to be wary of ads with misspellings, grammatical errors and terms like "money transfers," "wiring funds" and "package forwarding." "Those are big clues that something is amiss," the FBI warned in its prepared statement. Authorities advise people who are scammed to immediately close all bank and e-mail accounts that could be jeopardized and contact all three credit bureaus to place fraud alerts on their files. They should also regularly monitor credit reports for signs of theft and report the fraud to the site that posted the scam as well as the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. Here's another site worth checking out, offering lots of good information about online offers that "look to good to be true". I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your Money Safe. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/online_job_scam.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/online_job_scam.html Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:39:29 -0800 Most all of us have the "call forwarding" feature on our home, business and cell phones. now, the state Attorney General's office is warning about con artists, who are using that feature to rip people off. Kristin Alexander with the Ag's Office says the latest phone ripoff, is being perpetrated by prison inmates, and here's how it works, she says. "You'd get a phone call...and they say 'shoot I misdialed, I only have one call. would you please help me place this call to my wife, my kids are here at the station. I need to have somebody come pick them up.' Well, the number they give, has a prefix which is actually a trigger to make your phone forward incoming calls to another number." That prefix is usually *72... that's why it's called the "Star-72 scam." Punching in that prefix allows all future calls to be billed to your number. Once you punch it in, that inmate is using your phone to call wherever they want: Other countries, 1-900 numbers, and you wouldn't even know it, until you get slapped with the bill. Alexander says, "just know right away if somebody wants you to place a call and punch in *-anything, that's not going to an actual phone number, it's tricking you into forwarding calls into your phone." AT&T says the bottom line on the star-72 scam: Don't ever use your call forwarding to someone you don't know. Only forward your calls when you want them to go somewhere else. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/star_72_scam_1.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/star_72_scam_1.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:34:28 -0800 Heidi took this picture with her cameraphone when she arrived at the apartment that she thought that she had rented in New York: Here's a tighter shot from her cameraphone. Heidi says that the resident of the apartment targeted by this scammer had been visited by at least 15 people who had shown up, bags in hand, thinking they had rented the place. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/ny_craigslist.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/ny_craigslist.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:40:41 -0800 Teresa's family was also targeted by these scammers. Only this time, it appears they were just looking to take advantage of an elderly person, by tricking them to give out their bank account number. She was shocked at how aggressive they were. Teresa writes: My husband got a call from a man asking him if he was a senior citizen. My husband played along and said "yes" to see what he wanted. The man (Sam) told him that he needed a new "medical identification card" and that he needed to tell him his "medical identification number" to confirm the number that he had. My husband asked him what the med. identification number was and he said that he could find it on the bottom left of his "bank book" (we realized that he meant the checking account number and routing number). To make a long story short, my husband again played dumb until "Sam" got really frustrated. Thinking he would hang up, he continued. Instead, "Sam" continued to press him, (even after my husband pretended that he had had a stroke and also that his wife had died and he didn't have any idea where a bankbook would be) We thought he would get off the phone when my husband pretended his son was in the room, but "Sam" wanted to talk to him. This continued on! He kept pressing for the bankbook, even telling them where to look (by the nightstand, etc.) FInally, my husband called him out, saying that he was scamming people. He even asked him who the president of the US was (Because my husband believed he was calling form another country) The man said "George Bush" My husband said "who?" And he replied "The Prime Minister." He got off the phone and we were both very disturbed by how much he bullyed my husband. We were concerned that this man would do this again to some poor elderly person and wipe their bank account clean. We just wanted to let you know about this. Thanks! It's really disgusting what these crooks are trying to do, don't you think. As you surmised, Teresa, it's a pretty good bet that this guy was calling from out of country. They are looking for your money. They're either going to ask you to wire it to them, or try to dupe you into handing over your personal information. It's really not all that sophisticated or complicated. The Attorney General's Office says this is a growing crime, and just alerted me about another elderly victim in Auburn. The best thing to do, is if you get a call from someone claiming to be a member of your family, ask a few questions that only a member of the family would now. That should tip you off as to whether it's legit. I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your money safe. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/family_fraud.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/family_fraud.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:35:32 -0800 "Consignment box" from FEDEX Courier Co. containing $2.5 million. I need pay only $260 to receive it. Info. required: Name. address, phone, age and scan my driver's license. Can I send you the email? How? I didn't send any money, I was hoping you could check into it and let others know. Thank you. Shardale Oscar Writes in: Award Opportunity Group is a CA based scam that wants you to send $20 to Henderson, NV so that they can release a supposed 3mil to you. Please put this on the 10 o'clock news. All letters came out today 6/30/08 I googled the name and people all the way in the Philippines are getting this letter. SCAM,SCAM,SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! --Oscar The Federal Trade Commission tells me that any contest that offers a prize that you have to pay for, it's not really a prize. Also, any time you are asked to wire money to somebody you don't know, that is a huge red flag. Once you wire that money, it's gone, and there's no way to get it back. There is no big money jackpot. Coretta writes in, with another form of the lottery scam. This is the classic "fake check" scam, which we have featured previously on Moneysafe: I received a letter today with no return address, when I opened a check for $4890.00 fell out ...with a letter that said I was one of the declared winners of the Shoppers Sweepstakes...I don't enter sweepstakes...the letter goes on to say..."to expedite the processing enclosed is the check for $4890 which has been deducted from your winnings. The sole purpose of this check is for payment of applicable Government Taxes on the big winnings. The tax amount is $2985 to be paid either by Moneygram or Western Union. Please do not attempt to use this check before you call." The name Yolanda King is given as your claim agent with 1-905-598-1425, which is a number in Ontario, Canada...The name of the company is Imperial Platinum Inc. 500 HWY 7, Midland, ONT,L4R 1Y5...when I googled the company I found that other people have been receiving the same letter but the check was a different amount...it is a scam. Coretta Yep. It sure is. The disturbing thing about this is that the checks look very real. Often when you take them to the bank, the tellers can't tell that they're fakes. So, initially, the check clears, but then days later, when the check bounces, you realize that you've been had. You lose not only whatever you spent from the check proceeds, but you're also out overdraft fees, and if you wired the scammers any money in return, you are obviously out that money as well. Joie says that she received one of these fake checks, but her bank was able to spot it as a fake: Hi Bill I had received a fake check in the mail from UPS. Today my bank verified that it was a fake check set up by a fake account #.The person who gave me the check, her name is Nicole Johnson from Nigeria.I had saved her emails also. --Joie Here's another one, sent in from a viewer, offering a free ATM card, that you supposedly could use to get cash anywhere in the world (?) Here is something i suspect a little fishy i have yet to go through with it but it just dont sound right. i have no idea who this person is and have never filed a claim. this is what it said : This is to officially inform you that we have verified your contract file presently on my desk, and I found out that you have not received your payment due to your lack of co-operation and not fulfilling the obligations giving to you in respect to your payment. We will send you an ATM CARD which you will use to withdraw your money via ATM MACHINE in any part of the world, and the maximum daily limit isFive thousand Dollars dailys ($5,000) However, Note that this method of payment will be granted if it is acceptable to you for the release of your contract/inheritance entitlement. In View of this, you are advised to contact the Director(CBN, IRD,and ATM) DR.USMAN SHAMSUDDEEN for further information with the following contact details; Name: DR.USMAN SHAMSUDDEEN Email: shamsuddeen_private@yahoo.dk You are required to provide the following information: 1. Your full name. 2. Phone and fax number. 3. Address were you want the ATM Card to be sent. 4. Your age and current occupation 5. Attach copy of youridentification. As soon as you receive this message for further update. BEST REGARDS, DR.USMAN SHAMSUDDEEN DIRECTORS FOR FOREIGN OPERATIONS. Okay. First of all, the english is very difficult to decipher, so it's hard to tell what they are offering, or why they are contacting you. The scoop, though, is that it's a badly-worded scam, and doesn't make a lot of sense, so I would certainly hope that nobody falls for this one. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/viewer_feedback_2.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/viewer_feedback_2.html Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:41:03 -0800 Last week, I revealed how corporations are taking the average American family for about $2,000 every single month with hidden fees. This week, I provided you with some tools on how to get some of that money back: how to Argue and WIN! But not everybody was thrilled with the information that I revealed: Bill, I have always enjoyed watching you report the news. My husband and I love your offbeat sense of humor. I am slightly disturbed though by this Argue and Win report that you did. Specifically the part about cable companies training their employees to tell customers "No" when they ask for bundled services. My husband and I both work for a cable provider (not the big one) in Western Washington. I am a customer service rep and am that "first person you talk to". I am trained to offer anything that will save the customer money. Even if you don't know about a special promotion I am supposed to offer it. Reports like these create a lot of animosity towards representatives like me because it is false information. I will not tell a customer "No" if they ask for a promotion. Also my job is NOT to "get you off the phone". EVER. My job is to assist my customers in any way that I can, and if I can't help then I find who can, I follow up on issues and ensure that anything that comes across my desk is taken care of. A lot of the information you gave is great as far as knowing your consumer rights. I just feel that you have now made my job harder because customers will now have a preconceived notion of what my job is and how I will treat them. Thank you for your time. -J Steele It's always great to hear from you. It's heartening to hear that your cable company is working to make the customer service experience simple and easy for customers, but in this increasingly cut-throat corporate culture that our country has been thrust into, it's very difficult to even get an actual human being on the phone sometimes. The strategies that I provided in the story are from sources at MSN, Bob Sullivan, the author of "Gotcha Capitalism", and the Wall Street Journal. I'm happy to hear that your company is adhering to a more customer-friendly approach. That gives us all a little more hope. If you've been ripped off by corporate America, or have some ideas on how to fight back, let me know about it right here by leaving a comment, or email me directly: bwixey@tribune.com Here's a few more strategies from MSN and the Wall Street Journal: --Know your rights. Sometimes companies get away with egregious behavior simply because its victims dont know the law. Its illegal, for example, for a company to knowingly report false credit information, or for collection agencies to keep calling you after youve told them in writing to stop. Knowing the law -- and letting the companies know you know -- is sometimes effective in getting bad behavior to stop. --If your complaint involves a contract, warranty or guaranty, read all the fine print that came with it. You dont necessarily have to limit yourself to the remedies prescribed in these documents, but you should at least know what the company promised. --Know what you want. Be clear in your mind and in all your communications with the company about what you want to happen. That way you wont get sidetracked. --After all, the customer-service reps job, typically, is not to make you happy. Its to get you off the phone. --If the rep suggests ways to fix your problem at all, it will usually be ways that dont cost her or the company much. When my new laptops hard drive failed for the second time last month, Dell wanted to send me yet another replacement part. But I knew from the start of my call that I wasnt getting off the phone until a replacement computer was on its way. --Make sure that what you want is both reasonable and doable. Your definition of those two terms may vary from the companys, but you cant be ridiculous about it. The dry cleaner that ruined your jacket, for example, should be expected to buy you a new one. You shouldnt expect free dry cleaning for life. --Be concise. Boil your story down to its essential elements; you might even practice first with a friend before you pick up the phone. Nattering on about irrelevant details will just make it easier for the rep to tune out or miss the point. Besides, youre going to have to repeat your story over and over and over to get results. Might as well save yourself some time by editing in advance. --Dont be a jerk. You dont have to be nice, necessarily. You do have to be polite. Being nice sometimes greases the wheels. --Carve out some time. Im convinced some companies try to wear you out with excessively long hold times. You cant force them to pick up the phone, but you can fight back by out-waiting them. --Get names and call back numbers. Sometimes, you dont have three hours in a row to spend on the phone. Rather than start over from the beginning each time you dial, make sure you know how to get back in touch with the people who handled your last call. Having a name and number also comes in handy when you get transferred into voice-mail hell or the phone simply goes dead -- not that a customer-service rep would ever, ever deliberately hang up on you. --Take notes. I dont know why, but reps are inordinately impressed when you can tell them exactly when you were told what by whom. These details can also help when youre enlisting others to come to your aid (see below). --When in doubt, get it in writing. Consumer advocates usually recommend putting disputes in writing. The reality is that most problems get handled over the phone, and you dont necessarily have to conduct business by snail mail. --If the issue involves a lot of money, taxes, legal issues or your credit report, however, put everything in writing and send the letters certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep a log of all your communications with the company and copies of every relevant piece of paper. --Keep moving up the ladder. You probably know that if you cant get what you want from a phone rep, you should ask to speak to a supervisor. But the folks with the real power may be several rungs up the ladder. If you strike out, try the companys marketing or public-relations division. A letter sent to the companys president or CEO can often break through a logjam like nothing else. --If the company is violating the law, you may need to contact the appropriate regulator. Youll need to do some research to find the right office, and you cant necessarily count on results. The Federal Trade Commission, for example, collects complaints about credit bureaus, but typically only acts if it sees a pattern of problems emerging. --If youre having a problem with the government itself, the ultimate resource may be your local, state or federal representative. Many lawmakers pride themselves on taking care of their constituents on this grassroots level. --Finally, you can always hire a lawyer. Its not the easiest or most cost-effective way to get what you want, but sometimes it pays off. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/argue_and_win.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/argue_and_win.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:42:23 -0800 "Save Our Sonics" did all they could to save our team. They too, have weighed in on the comments published here on my blog, and are now asking sports fans to take action this November: Bill: Those at the end of your finger point are very much part of the blame that went into getting us to this point. However what got you to the scene of the accident isn't what caused the accident it just made it possible for you be the victim. The blame for this city not having Sonics Basketball for a few years rests right on the doorstep of the Governor. She failed to lead. The comment "I want to keep the team here, but what am I supposed to do, walk the halls myself" tells it all. The answer is "YES! borrow a pair of tennis shoes from Patty Murray and get busy being a leader. Gov Lowery did, Gov Locke did, both knew that they had to drag the rest of Olympia kicking and screaming to a solution. Excuses are the name of the game in Olympia right now. They can think them up faster than the speed of light. The litterly spent more time telling us that they didn't have time to solve the problem than it would have taken to just solve the problem. If Sonics fans want our team back, either through the Schulz lawsuit or with the Ballmer group bringing a new group of players here, we have to have leaders in place in Olympia. Sports fans need to be VERY active this November. If there is an incumbant that was on the wrong side of this issue on the ballot then you vote for the opponent no matter what party (or write in the name of your favorite Sonic if they are unopposed). If January comes and there are some new faces in Olympia we will have sent our message loud and clear. Send the message that excuses are no longer acceptable, failure is not an option, and it is time to earn your pay and SOLVE THE PROBLEM! --From "Save Our Sonics" http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/a_call_to_action.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/a_call_to_action.html Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:04:50 -0800 This is straying a bit from the usual subject matter for this blog, but I have to vent. I've been a Sonic fan as long as I can remember. They arrived in Seattle, the same year I was born. On the heels of hosting the World's Fair, being awarded an NBA franchise was validation for this city that we were really on our way to becoming a world-class city. When the Supes hired Bill Russell as head coach, I celebrated. When they fired Bill Russell, I celebrated. When they arrived at Boeing Field as World Champions after beating the Washington Bullets, I was there, along with about 10,000 of my closest friends. My dad and I had season tickets in the nosebleed section of the Kingdome. I still have my green and gold t-shirt from the "Top of the Dome" club, which reads "I love the Seattle Supersonics". The t-shirt doesn't fit anymore, but I've always worn my Sonic loyalty proudly. I was in the press conference room at City Hall when I got the word that the city had settled, and the Sonics were moving. Just writing about it makes me sick to my stomach. I've gotten used to the feeling, because the nausea initially set in two years ago when Howard Schultz sold the team to Clay Bennett and his band of thieves from Oklahoma City. I'm in the mood to point fingers. It's easy to point at Howard Schultz. Why couldn't he see that these guys had no intention of staying here, when all the rest of us knew immediately what a sale to Oklahoma City-based owners meant? The answer is, Schultz did know what it meant, and that's why he did it. Schultz and his group lost tens of millions every season, and had the exact same complaints about the lease, and the arena that Bennett aired in court. Schultz couldn't get the city or the state legislature to budge, and neither could Bennett. It would be easy to point a finger at Barry Ackerley, who sold the team to Schultz. Ackerley had big plans for a new arena. He wanted to bring NHL hockey to Seattle, but the Coliseum wasn't sufficient. In the early 90's his ideas to build a multi-purpose arena on the site where Safeco Field now stands were rebuffed by the city. So Ackerley made a bandaid fix to KeyArena, and configured it such a way that NHL hockey would never be able to be housed there. 15 years after the remodel, the bandaid has worn away. The arena isn't good enough for NBA basketball. It's not even good enough for WHL hockey. The T-birds are gone in January, moving south to the new Kent Events Center. What's the common thread in all this? The problems with the arena, and the city's unwillingness--until it was far too late--to address it. If you're going to point a finger of blame, the city and state legislature is where to aim. Ackerley couldn't deal with them, so he got out from under the lease. Schultz couldn't deal with them, so he sold the team to outside owners. And guess what? The new owners couldn't deal with the legislature either, and frankly, didn't care, which thrusts us basketball fans into the nightmarish scenario we are in. The Sonics are gone, and nobody knows if NBA basketball will ever come back. The city's "scorched earth" policy, as NBA commissioner David Stern put it, in the midst of a flurry of lawsuits and threats, has damaged hopes of landing a new franchise. The smiles on the faces of city officials in announcing the compromise was telling. They weren't smiling about the good deal they brokered for basketball in Seattle, because they clearly never really cared about that. It was a relieved smile. They got some money in their pocket, and now they won't have to deal with those pesky Sonics anymore. --Bill Wixey Here's Rick Turner's take: Any child of divorce can relate to the feelings that percolate after hearing news of the Sonics leaving today. Memories of that tumultuous time in my own life came flooding back as I tried to analyze how I feel about this team leaving. At first you cover your ears, hide under a pillow and hope that the fighting will stop. You do your best to ignore the dysfunction surrounding you everyday and pretend that everything is fine. Then reality sets in. They’re not coming back and you get mad. Questions flood your mind… “How could they leave me?”, “What did I do wrong?”, “What could I have done to make them stay?”. Anger, betrayal and hate set up tent in the yard of your mind’s windmills. In our case, Seattle’s NBA team left for another woman. And she’s ugly. What was he thinking? He left for HER? I don’t want anything to do with them. Anger turns to misery. Misery turns to sadness and after a while, sadness turns to acceptance. The Sonics are gone. They aren’t coming back. Nothing in Seattle’s professional basketball life will ever be the same. A new “step-team” will not be the same. It can be fun and ‘nice’. Just like a step parent. So, we’ll get dressed up, smile at the wedding and might, in time, learn to really like this “step-team”. But we know not to get too close. What’s to prevent another break up? So we agree to like you and support you and to be a part of your life… but you’ll never again have the complete and unconditional love that you once did. We can’t take that chance. I’ll cling to my own memories. Like the time the Sonics and I went to Disneyland together or when we used to go camping or when they came to my piano recital. Those are great times to remember and no one can take those away but I know now that they will never return. If I get a new “step-team”, I’m sure that I will learn to like them over time. I’ll be happy that the community is happy. And I know that it is something that we need. We don’t want to die alone and without an NBA team. We’ll call them the Sonics but everyone will know that they really aren’t the “Sonics”. We’ll cheer with them and curse them and cry with them but we will never again have what we are losing. All I can say to David Stern is that… He may re-marry my city… but I’ll never call him dad. --Rick Turner, Snoqualmie Jeff Robinson chimes in: In '79, a friends mom took a few of us to the Sonics Parade. Missed school, the whole deal. DJ was my favorite. Freddy, Gus, Simka (spelling intentional), et al... Yes they were great, but DJ was the man. Both ends of the floor, the rise, the D, the redemption of 2 for 12 in Game 7 the year before. Anyway, it was hotter than Alba that June day, and I had a fistful of confetti. There simply was one man who earned that confetti, and he was 'ol 2-4. I was going to get him, and only him. Shelton....Awtry....Downtown....when will he be here???? It felt like hours, but DJ finally came into view. "That's my guy" I said to myself, with awe and excitement. As his convertable approached, I readied for the toss. Unfortunately for DJ, I learned what palm sweat was that day. I let loose with a Moyer-like fastball, expecting confetti to shower The Champion. Instead, DJ got 4,000 wadded up punch holes right in the mug. Like a boxer brushing off a stiff jab, he went right back to waving and smiling, soaking it all in. Fast forward 12 years. Omar (Parker) and I get invited to play in a benefit game, billed as "Sonic Legends vs. Mercer Island Alums". Downtown, Ricky Sobers, Dean Tolson...ok, not exactly the best of the best, but these were REAL SONICS! Ed (Pepple, the legendary Mercer Island High School coach) is coaching us of course, and he finally puts Om and me in the game. The MI gym feels full. There's a buzz. It's like the good old days, except for two things: 1) Ed's not gonna yank me if I miss, and 2) that's not Action JJ or Mianos in Stockton's. So we check in, and the memories flood my mind. I look at Nitz. He looks me back. We smile. I say, "who do you want?". He shrugs. So I say, "I got Slick, you got Gus". I have chicken skin just thinking about it right now! So we go up and down a few times, and nothing crazy happens. Except for the SIZE. The SPEED. The SKILL. Its unbelievable. So we get the ball back, and O brings it down. You can tell when he's gonna fire it, and you don't have to have played with him for 15 yrs to know. He crosses mid court, and Gus has him. But he's sagging off, and he is the one guy in the gym who is caught off guard when the hard dribble is laid down 23 feet from the hoop, and the left hand let's it fly. WHAP! Right in Gus' eye! 3 ball from straight away. We five, and Gus looks at Om and says, "Oh, its like that"?!, with a huge grin. Of course Gus gets it right back, takes one dribble over mid court, gives his patented shake, and rises up, ball up over his head, right elbow flying, and busts Omar. "There you go, Son" Phenomenal. Clay Bennett you can't buy that. R.I.P. DJ. My Sonics are now resting with you. --Jeff Robinson http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/my_take_on_the_sonics_move.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/my_take_on_the_sonics_move.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:00:35 -0800 The best strategy to avoid these nasty little fees is to go to your cable company, your phone company, your credit card company, and go through the fees line by line, and just ask them, "Do you really need to charge me this fee?" If it's a government charge, they probably do. If it's one of their countless surcharges, you may be able to hammer out a compromise with them. The best strategy is a "Just Ask" policy. If you don't ask, you don't get. Then, once you feel like you have your bill in order, you need to follow a budget. About 10% of Americans have an actual working budget. Very few of us are watching every bill and every penny we spend. But if you can identify the 10 or 11 bills that you pay every month, and really watch how much those bills are, you will notice when there is an increase, and can then immediately call them on it. They are banking that you won't. Next week, I have a great story for you on how to argue with these corporations, and WIN. Please drop a line and let me know what you think of my stories, and if I'm missing anything. I always love to hear from you. I'm Bill Wixey, keeping your money safe. ]]> http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/hidden_fees.html http://weblogs.q13.com/features/lifestyle/money-safe/2008/07/hidden_fees.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:46:17 -0800