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| Fraud |
Unfortunately, there are people in our midst who look for any opportunity to take advantage of as many people as
possible. Many, many scams and cons are being perpetrated on people every day; so many in fact it’s hard to keep
track of them all.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office advises all residents to be aware of anyone asking for money, personal
information, offers to do "home repairs" cheap, or any thing to do with your financial situation, either in person or
over the telephone. And with today’s technology, it could occur within your home computer. Some of the most popular
scams still operating today, especially on the elderly, are:
Insurance Fraud - A phony insurance agent will contact you and advise you that with the rate of inflation, all
your jewelry must be re-appraised. The "agent" will take your jewelry and give you a receipt. He or she will either 1)
never be seen again, or 2) replace it with junk jewelry.
Bank Examiner Scam - A "Bank Official" will contact you seeking your help in catching a "crooked bank teller".
You will be asked to withdraw a certain amount of money from your account, put it in a paper bag, give it the
"examiner" who will then take it to another location to, supposedly "mark" the bills and then returns the supposedly
bag of money to you. You are then asked to go back inside the bank and deposit the money into your account. When you
get in the bank and open the bag, it’s probably cut up newspaper. By this time the "bank examiner" is long gone with
your money.
Home Repairs - A "contractor" will appear at your door and try to convince you your roof needs replacing or
repairs. They will want cash up front to start and then do little or nothing to your roof and leave. They may have
even damaged your roof intentionally. The Traveling Criminals are well known for this type of scam.
Some other cons and scams being operated involve overseas request for money to move large amounts of cash into the
United States and you are offered a "cut". This is called the "Nigerian Scam" and could end up with the scammer
cleaning out your bank accounts. Be aware of these requests that may come through your computer as e-mails.
TELEPHONE / TELEMARKETING SCAMS
There are numerous telephone scams, including one whereby you receive a message, either by mail, phone or e-mail,
to call a number with e area code of "809". If you call it, it could cost you thousands of dollars. The call is to the
Dominican Republic, and because the United States laws do not regulate that country, they can charge up to and over
$1,000 a minute for the call you make. Be Aware!
The Edgewater Police Department and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) encourages you to be skeptical when you hear
a phone solicitation and be aware of the Telemarketing Sales Rule, a new law that can help you protect yourself from
abusive and deceptive Telemarketers.
COMMON TELEPHONE SCAMS
Con artists never run out of scams. Have you heard any of these?
- Prize offers: You usually have to do something to get your "free" prize- attend a sales presentation, buy
something, or give a credit card number. The prizes generally are worthless or overpriced.
- Travel packages: "Free" or "low-cost" vacations can end up costing a bundle in hidden costs. Or, they may
never happen. You may pay a high price for some part of the package- like hotel or airfare. The total package may
run two or three times more than what you’d expect to pay or what you were led to believe.
- Investments: People lose millions of dollars to "get rich quick" schemes that promise high returns with little
or no risk. These can include gemstones, rare coins, oil and gas leases, precious metals, art, or other
"investment opportunities". As a rule, these are worthless.
- Charities: Con artists often label phony charities with names that sound like better-known, reputable
organizations. They won’t send you written information, or wait for you to check them out with watchdog groups
like those listed below.
- Recovery scams: If you buy into any of the above scams, you’re likely to be called again by someone promising
to get your money back. Be careful not to lose more money in this common practice. Even law enforcement officials
can’t guarantee you’ll recover your money.
HOW OLDER PEOPLE BECOME VICTIMS OF TELEMARKETING FRAUD.
Fraudulent Telemarketers try to take advantage of older people on the theory that they may be more trusting and polite
toward strangers. Older women living alone are special targets of these scam artists. Here are more reasons older
people become victims of telemarketing fraud:
- Often it’s hard to know whether a sales call is legitimate. Telephone con artists are skilled at sounding
believable- even when they’re really telling lies.
- Sometimes telephone con artists reach you when you’re feeling lonely. They may call day after day until you
think they are a friend, not a stranger, trying to sell you something.
- Some telephone salespeople have an answer for everything. You may find it hard to get them off the phone-
even if they’re selling something you’re not interested in. You don’t want to be rude.
- You may be promised free gifts, prizes or vacations- or the "investment of a lifetime" but only if you act
"right away." It may sound like a really good deal. In fact, telephone con artists are only after your money.
Don’t give it to them!
TIP - OFFS TO PHONE FRAUD
Telephone con artists spend a lot of time polishing their "lines" to get you to buy. You may hear:
- You must act "NOW"- or the offer won’t be good.
- You’ve won a "free" gift, vacation or prize- but you pay for "postage and handling" or other charges.
- You must send money- give a credit card number, or bank account number or have a check picked up by a
courier- before you’ve had a chance to consider the offer carefully.
- You don’t need to check out the company with anyone- including your family, lawyer, accountant, local Better
Business Bureau, or consumer protection agency.
- You don’t need any written information about their company or their references.
- You can’t afford to miss this "high-profit, no-risk" offer.
If you hear these, or similar "lines" from a telephone salesperson, just say "NO THANK YOU" and hang up the phone.
Before you buy from a telemarketer, check them out with these groups, or those listed in your phone directory such as:
State Attorney General, and / or the Better Business Bureau, and / or the Local Consumer Protection Organization,
and / or
Call For Action, Inc
5272 River Road, Suite 300
Bethesda, MD 20816
1.800.647.1756
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National Charities Information Bureau
19 Union Square West
New York, NY 10003-3395
212.929.300
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THE TELEMARKETING SALES RULE
The Federal Trade Commission Telemarketing Sales Rule requires telemarketers to make certain disclosures and prohibits
certain misrepresentations.
It gives YOU the power to stop unwanted telemarketing calls and gives law enforcement officers the authority to
prosecute fraudulent telemarketer who operate across state lines.
The Rule covers most types of telemarketing calls to consumers, including calls to pitch goods, services "sweepstakes",
and prize promotion and investment opportunities.
It also applies to calls consumers make in response to postcard or other material received in the mail.
Keep this information near your telephone. It can help determine if you’re talking with a scam artist or a legitimate
telemarketer.
- It’s illegal for a telemarketer to call you if you’ve asked not to be called. If they call back, hang up and
report them to your State Attorney General.
- Calling times are restricted to the hours between 8 am and 9 pm.
- Telemarketers MUST tell you it’s a sales call and who’s doing the selling before they make their pitch. If
it’s a prize promotion, they MUST tell you that no purchase or payment is necessary to enter or win. If you’re
asked to pay for a prize, HANG UP! FREE is FREE!
- It’s illegal for telemarketers to misrepresent any information, including facts about their goods or services,
earning potential, profitability, risk, or liquidity of an investment or the nature of a prize in a prize-promotion
scheme.
- Telemarketers MUST tell you the total cost of the products or services they’re offering and any restrictions
on getting or using them or that a sale is final or non-refundable, before you pay. In a prize promotion, they
MUST tell you the odds of winning, that no purchase or payment is necessary to win, and any restrictions or
conditions of receiving the prize.
- It’s illegal for a telemarketer to withdraw money from your checking account without your express, verifiable
authorization.
- Telemarketers cannot lie to get you to pay, no matter what method of payment you use.
- You DO NOT have to pay for credit repair, recovery room, or advance-fee loan/credit services until these
services have been delivered. (Credit repair companies claim that, for a fee, they can change or erase accurate
negative information from your credit report. WRONG!... only time can erase such information. Recovery Room
operators contact people who have lost money to a previous telemarketing scam and promise that, for a fee or
donation to a specified charity, they will recover your lost money, or the product or prize never received from a
telemarketer. Advance-fee loans are offered by companies who claim they can guarantee you a loan for a fee, paid
in advance. The fee may range from $100 to several thousands of dollars. DO NOT PAY IT!)
EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE
While most types of telemarketing calls are covered by the Rule, there are exceptions. The Rule does not cover: Calls
placed by consumers in response to general media advertising, direct mailing, Catalog sales, or any calls initiated by
the consumer. Sales of Pay-for-call- services and sales of franchises are covered under other FTC rules.
Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, you can ask that companies put you on their "DO NOT CALL" lists.
If the company calls you again, you can bring legal action against them in Small Claims Court.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF?
It’s very difficult to get your money back if you’ve been cheated over the phone. Before you buy anything by
telephone, remember:
- Don’t buy from an unfamiliar company. Legitimate businesses understand that you want more information about
their company and are happy to comply.
- Always ask for and wait until you receive written material about any offer or charity. If you get brochures
about costly investments, ask some whose financial advice you can trust.
- Always check out unfamiliar companies with your local Better Business Bureau, state Attorney General the
National Fraud Information Center or other groups listed below. Unfortunately, not all bad businesses can be
identified through these organizations.
- Always take your time making a decision.
- Legitimate companies won’t pressure you to make a snap decision.
- It’s never rude to wait or think about an offer.
- Never respond to an offer you don’t understand thoroughly.
- Never send money or give out you credit card or bank accounts number to unfamiliar companies.
- Be aware that any personal or financial information you provide may be sold to other companies.
To stop unwanted telephone sales, and calls from many national marketers, send our name, address and phone number to:
DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION
Telephone Preference Service
PO Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014
Additional Resources Online:
Fl Comptroller’s Office - http://www.dbf.state.fl.us/
Division of Consumer Services - http://www.800helpfla.com/
Division of Insurance Fraud - http://www.fldoi.com/
Fraud Hotline - http://www.gao.gov/
National Fraud Information Center - http://www.fraud.com/
Internet Scambusters - http://www.scambuster.org/
Fight Fraud In Florida - http://www.fightfraud.org/
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