Telemarketing Scam Alert From the Better Business Bureau

28 Jul 2008

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning small businesses and consumers to beware of scam activity generating from Champlain, New York - with a tiny population of just over 1,200 it has over 3,000 complaints that involve companies with Champlain and nearby cross-border addresses.

The pitch is often over the phone – and may seem harmless:

Hi, this is (insert a name) from (a company you’ve never heard of) in New York (but they are not there – just their mailbox is)
Your name is: (The rep already had it)
Your phone # is: (The rep already had it)
Can I confirm your address? (The rep already had it)
Thank you. Your business will be listed in our next directory (And - You’ve just been scammed)

With a few simple questions presented by a trained telemarketer, a “sale” is made. The schemes work because people feel more confident doing business with a company in their own country. What they don’t realize is that the ‘offices’ listed in New York are actually a mail-box drop and the key for scammers to have a place to call ‘home’ in New York State. These businesses open a mail-box and then close or move, ultimately ripping people off.

Typical Scams:

• Business Directories
• Credit Card Companies
• Grant Offers
• Advance Fee Loans
• Discount Health Care Plans
• Cash Losses:

The BBB reports $600,000 in dispute from complaints filed in the past year, however - the BBB estimates millions of dollars are lost through these scams each and every year based on historical filing behaviours - reporting that many victims do not file a complaint or do not recognize that a scam has occurred and proceed with payment on phony invoices.

Story

Comments

Scot
28 Jul 2008
a promise to be listed in a business directory(aka "Yellow Pages") is the most popular and abused scheme from my experience.
Reply !
- Peeko replies to Scot
  31 Jul 2008
  Yup, they call our office, too. When I first started at my current job, I was dumb enough to think that the caller was actually the "local yellow pages" as she said. So I started confirming information and didn't get suspicious until she started asking more questions. I hung up on her after she got rude and wouldn't answer any of MY questions.
  
  Few months later, Basic Access Communications started adding a $7.99 charge each month to our phone bill. I don't know that the two events are connected, but it makes sense. We also started receiving an avalance of telemarketing calls afterward.
  
  Now when they mention the yellow pages, I say:
  "We are aware of this type of scam. Please take us off your list."
  
  They still call about once a month. I guess to see if another naive person answers the phone and they can screw us again.
  Reply !
Ryan
29 Jul 2008
Does anyone know how to check if the company address is an actual office rather than a mail box?
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- WindsorFox replies to Ryan
  30 Jul 2008
  Look it up on Google and Google Maps, call a number of a business close by if there is none associated with the actual address. I've done that before. Most times it turns out to be a UPS Store or similar.
  Reply !
- retired postal employee replies to Ryan
  4 Aug 2008
  Ryan; the answer is simple....most often a mail box address will be proceeded with a street address followed by either PMB or Suite number.
  Both of these are not under control of USPS as they are Private Mail Boxes..ie: UPS/FedEx..etc,etc.....
  Reply !
chr
1 Aug 2008
i just recieved a call from web wealth strategies are they a ligitamate business.
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- tjpatten replies to chr
  14 Aug 2008
  Why in the world would you even think about doing business with someone who calls your phone? That is like someone who bangs on your car window.Do not respond.
  Reply !
DM
4 Aug 2008
I also got a call at the place i work at and they said they were verifying information for a free listing. Then when they got their verifier on the phone he would talk to me over the recorded message and tell me what to say.

Then I got a letter in the mail from MyLocal Reach, 160 W Camino Real, #179, Boca Raton, FL 33432 thanking our business form giving them the opportunity to do business with them. Then it said that our company would be billed only $39.95 per month and the charge would appear on the companies local telephone bill on the ESBI bill page. So I called them and told me that I was told it was a free listing. I talked to someone who sounded like they were 10 years old and she was very rude and told me I should not have authorized the charges. This information was probably said while the verifier was talk over the computerized message.

So from now I will tell them they have to send the information in writing and hang up on them.
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- fpc replies to DM
  21 Aug 2008
  hello all...well I was reading this tread because im doing marketing research for a company I have started with my partner...since Im seeing that your only scratching the surface here go to www.b2b-fpc.com we are fraud and provention consultants with over 10 years experience and are located in the telemarketing capital of the world...montreal,canada...we have programs to test your company and help prepare you for telemarketing fraud..and for your home..so residential and buisnesses alike can profite..we also offer a retainer ..so just think..you can call anytime and ask questions,ask us to find out if the company your dealing with is legit or not,we can even help you get your money back...emails and,regular mail updates on less known scams and much much more...the problem im encountering with my partner is people dont seem to believe they are getting scammed or even proun to it..so im open to sugestions..yes we are a buisness not a charity but to devote full attention and to help as many people as possible id like to be able to do this full time with my partner..if u have any sugestions email us on our website..thank you and good luck
  Reply !
  - amazed replies to fpc
    22 Aug 2008
    I would expect a fraud and prevention "consultant" to be able to spell "prevention".
    Reply !
  - op replies to fpc
    23 Aug 2008
    You are offering "the whole package and much much much more" yet you are asking people for other ideas...
    
    What you are proposing is not even technically possible.
    
    The sad part is, you might even be sincere in your approach. I would suggest you find a real job or get an education so you may develop a sustainable business model with real value to your customers and write up your business' objectives using proper spelling and grammar.
    
    Good luck to you! You need it more..
    Reply !
  - Thomas replies to fpc
    2 Sep 2008
    Hysterical. "provention"? "Im"? "profite" "your" dealing with? It's YOU'RE. "proun"? "dont", Sounds like a typical illiterate scammer.
    Reply !
  - Isadora replies to fpc
    10 Sep 2008
    If u wish 2b profitable in the business world, maybe it would help if you learn to spell and write in complete sentences with punctuation, and not in sophomoric internet shorthand. Good Luck.
    Reply !
    - CarolinTx replies to Isadora
      11 Sep 2008
      ROFLMAO I think it's a high school drop-out or a ten year old with real bad spelling. All that was going through my mind as I was reading this is "who would do business with a person who can't even spell"?
      
      The notion to click that link didn't EVEN enter my mind.
      Reply !
  - Person replies to fpc
    19 Feb 2009
    Amen to that. There were several misspelled words in her comment, which sends up a red flag to me right away. That link she gives is probably a scam in and of itself. Beware.
    Reply !
- Tracy replies to DM
  18 Sep 2008
  OMG! This exact same thing happened to me yesterday at my workplace! We get calls all the time (least twice a week) from the "yellow pages online directory" (yea right)I tell them to stop calling that we dont' need it updated. Yesterday, when they called, I was ready to blow up! I was so sick of these people calling, so I told him, to take us off what ever list it was that we were on and we hadn't changed anything in 30 years at our business. He said, ok, we will take you off the list now, it will take about 45 sec. and I would just say yes after the beep to cofirm my company being taken off the list. Well, I got a little concerened when I could hear the recording in the backgroud but could not hear what it was saying because he was talking over it. I said yes a couple times before I realized what was going on, I started saying, "yes to only a free listing and to be taken off calling list" He didnt' seem to like that. Then I said , why were you talking over the recoring sir? He didn't answer. I asked again and told him I could hear the automated voice in the background and then he hung up! Oh I was so mad! and mad at myself! Now I guess I wait for something strange in the mail. UGH! What was weird was, a couple of times, I heard other "telemarketers" in the background where this guy was, YELLING at people! hmm. Must have been people that got their bill they were scammed into getting.
  Reply !
  - Linda replies to Tracy
    31 Oct 2008
    Good luck getting the service removed. I work for a large company with offices all over the country. Most of our offices have between 25 and 600 different phone numbers coming in for them to call. Unless you have a list of ALL your phone numbers, they will not remove the service. I have been working for almost a year to get the service removed. I finally got a response from Qwest with a listing of all the numbers. Good luck getting an accurate fax number or email address from their reps too. I was given the wrong fax number two different times -- it was someone's personal private line and he was not very happy to have me trying to fax to his phone. All I can say is that persistence pays off -- of course I'll have to wait for a few more billing cycles to see if they actually remove their service. This kind of scam is also done with those small $5-$10 checks -- people endorse and deposit to their checking account and voila....you are signed up for their service.
    Reply !
- LB replies to DM
  17 Nov 2008
  Had the exact same experience. And I distinctly remember them saying it's a free service blah blah blah. But i guess that part wasn't recorded (!) Good thing the phone company agreed to reverse the charges. tsk!
  Reply !

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