Craigs List Scam – A local man, trying to rent his house out on Craigs List, received an email from a Dr. Peter Cotton. The doctor, who claimed to be from England, said he wanted to rent the man’s house. He sent the man a check to hold the property. The local man said the check didn’t look real. He called the place where the doctor claimed to work, and no one had ever heard of him. BBB believes this is a scam and warns you should always do your homework before dealing with someone you don’t know.
21st Century Legal Services – has an F rating with the BBB. Complainants allege the company promises to help restructure their home loans, but asks for a fee up front. The company instructs consumers to stop paying their home loan. Complainants say the company fails to provide the services promised. One local woman says she gave the company $3,000 and didn’t get anything in return.
Publishers Clearing House Scam – Local consumers are receiving calls from scam artists claiming to be with Publishers Clearing House. The caller tells the consumer they have won a large sum of money and a Mercedez Benz; then the caller asks for the consumer’s bank account and credit card information. Never give your personal information to someone you don’t know over the phone.
Local consumers are receiving letters in the mail from The Shoppers Sweepstakes. The company claims to be accredited by the Better Business Bureau and sponsored by groups like Microsoft and Wal-Mart. The letter states your name was randomly selected to win $250,000. A check for $4,795 is enclosed. You are told to wire part of the money back for "applicable taxes." Later, you find out you really weren’t a winner, and the check was fake.
Neverpayitback.com charges $2.78 for a 7 day trial to their service — a database of grant resources. After the 7 day trial, $29.95 is charged for a monthly membership fee. Even though the website guarantees $2,500, you must apply for each grant separately and wait to see if you actually receive money from any of the grants. BBB warns that government grants are not hidden and you should not have to pay a membership fee to apply for them. For more information on government grants go to www.grants.gov.
Federal Trade Commission Checks are the real deal. Several consumers have called the BBB to verify that the check they received for $27.68 in the mail is valid. Over 400,000 checks were mailed in June as a result of a federal lawsuit the FTC won in which the defendants, JK Publications, made unauthorized charges on consumer credit cards and debit cards for Internet services.
In response to the new Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) passed by President Obama, many new Cash for Clunkers Scams have begun springing up. The new law saves consumers thousands of dollars if they trade in old, gas guzzler cars for new, fuel efficient ones. Many websites offer to pre-register you, but they are really stealing your personal information. You don’t have to sign up or be pre-approved; the car dealers handle all of the paperwork. The official website for the program is www.cars.gov.
BBZ Resource Management has an F rating with the BBB. The company claims to help businesses increase sales and retain customers by offering an opportunity to advertise free gas and grocery gift cards. After making a qualified purchase, consumers receive a voucher that instructs them to register online to receive the free gift cards. Many consumers complain of non-receipt of gift cards, long delays to receive gift cards, and that the card isn’t activated.
A letter using the Reader’s Digest name claims consumers have won a prize of $4.6 million payable by a bank wire transfer. Attached with the letter is a verification sheet asking for personal information including driver’s license, date of birth, Social Security number, credit card numbers, and much more. If they receive your personal information they will be the big winners...not you!
3hourprofits.com is an email work-at-home scam that has been using the BBB name to boost its reputation. The website claimes employees can make over $10,000 a month. The website also claims the "BBB Review rated it the number one work from home opportunity." Sorry, but there is no such thing as the BBB Review. This is a scam!