1. Phony Debt Collectors are calling consumers claiming they have defaulted on a payday loan and will be arrested. The scammers claim to be with the “Financial Accountability Association” or the “Federal Legislation of Unsecured Loans,” and they have the consumer’s personal information. The phony debt collector threatens that, if the consumer doesn’t pay as much as $1,000 immediately via wire or with a bank or credit card number he or she will be arrested. BBB knows of 1 local consumer who has received a call.
2. Classified Ad Job Scam: BBB has received several calls from consumers stating they applied for a “Driver” job from a local newspaper classified ad. The contact was Pal Linard. One local consumer says, after a brief meeting with the man, he paid $150 cash to start the job. He was told the $150 was for the company cell phone he was handed. The cell phone was never activated and when the victim tried to contact his new “boss,” the phone number he had gotten in the ad had been disconnected. Other callers to the BBB complain of the same thing. This sounds like a scam to us!
3. Work-at-Home Scam: Jobs are posted for people seeking part-time positions as “mail assistants” for a work at home company under the name of ABS Consulting. The jobs are posted on Craigslist. ABS purports to have facilities throughout Europe and claims to be a leading global provider of risk-management services. This is a scam!
4. Jefferson High School Online offers high school diploma’s based partly on life experience. BBB has received complaints from consumers who say they paid $200, completed the company’s online test, and then were told it was not a valid diploma when they applied for college. JHSO advertisements often appear as sponsored links on Google or Yahoo! under the search phrase “high school diploma.”
5. The SAT and ACT Prep Center has an F rating with the BBB. Consumers complain about misleading sales tactics and refund troubles for test preparation materials sold by this company. Some consumers say the company told parents that their son/daughter had asked to get the test prep software through their high school so the parents paid $119.99 for it. Others have complained about the software, not receiving materials, unauthorized $49.95 monthly charges and trouble getting refunds or canceling the service.
6. BBB is being inundated with inquires on the Children’s Cancer Dream Network. This charity solicits nationally, but works with a telemarketing organization, Charitable Resource Foundation, based in Greenwood, Indiana to help raise funds. The charity only receives 12 percent of the monies raised and the telemarketing company retains 88 percent. BBB charitable standards require at least 65 percent of funding to go to the charities programs. Before you donate to a charity, review its report at www.bbb.org.
7. Free Medicine Foundation: For $10 per prescription, this company will send you an application to apply for free medicine from pharmaceutical companies. This same application is available for free from other sources. This company has an F rating with the BBB, with over 60 complaints. This is not “Free” medicine.
8. Berkshire Capital Funding claims that customers will be automatically approved for loans. After approving the loans the company requires the customer pay a $975 fee up front for “collateral.” This company has an F rating with the BBB. It is against the law for loan companies to collect up front fees, and to guarantee an approval before the contract is signed.
9. Military Scam: Scammers are using social networking sites to contact relatives of deployed troops, usually grandparents, pretending to be the service member coming home on leave to surprise his or her parents. They then claim their car has broken down en route and ask the grandparents to wire money to help fix the car.
10. Rental home scam: Scam artists are using Craigslist to post “rental homes” for unbelievably low rates. The landlord, who “had to leave the country and travel to Nigeria” asks that you wire two months rent up front. You arrive at the home on the agreed upon date, and find out the house is not actually for rent and the owners know nothing about the agreement.