Compiled by Zan Deery, Communications/Investigations

9/14/09

zan@spokane.bbb.org
800-356-1007 or 509-455-4200

www.bbb.org

Readers of these tips should take into consideration the importance of the practice in question and the total performance of a company.

For complete information and BBB reports, please visit
 www.bbb.org 

TIP NUMBER ONE

MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION SCAM CALLS HIT IDAHO

Be Wary of Sound-Alike Names or Scammers Using Legitimate Names to get you to Compromise Precious Donation $$

Better Business Bureau Boise reports that the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Idaho has received calls from consumers being solicited by telemarketers (or perhaps scammers) claiming to be with the charity, asking for credit card #s.

What’s wrong with this picture? Make-A-Wish Foundation does not solicit donations by phone. They ask anyone who receives such calls to get as much information as possible from the caller and report it to the BBB and Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

The Better Business Bureau offers the following tips to help donors make wise decisions when considering giving to an organization:

*Visit the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance online at www.bbb.org/charity to access detailed charity reports. If there is a web site for the charity, research it and read about it before giving. ANY legitimate charity will let you check them out first!

*Check out charities with your state government's charity registration agency, usually your Secretary of State.

*Don't hesitate to ask for written information on the charity's programs and finances. And don’t be afraid to call a bluff if there is one.

*Be wary of excessive pressure in fund raising. Don't be pressured to make an immediate on-the-spot donation. Charities should welcome gifts whenever provided.

TIP NUMBER TWO

LATEST CHECK SCAM a Mouthful:
Publishers Clearinghouse Northern International Joint Commission

A woman from MO sent BBB a copy of a mailing that she received coming from the above mentioned mouthful of blah giving her a claim # to receive funds and needed to call 647-476-2332! Don’t believe this mailing if you receive it. There is a fake check enclosed in the amount of $2947 and is drawn on a Montana company, Stellar Investments with a drop box in Dearborn, MT. There is no such address that exists for this company, and everything in this letter is fake. DO not contact the agent they require you to contact. Do not pass GO, don’t collect their scam money.

BBB ADVICE

Do not attempt to cash checks from someone you know nothing about. Do your research first because if you spend any $$ from a fake check, you are responsible for whatever you have spent or wired.

TIP NUMBER THREE

3V Marketing of ME Gets Complaints RE: Billing After FREE Trial Period

3V MARKETING
PO Box 17855
Portland, ME 04112
(877) 653-0015
(888) 247-5008
(888) 247-5160

3V Marketing is a campaign manager working on four campaigns for Vitality LLC:  Acai Advanced, an herbal supplement; Certified Reservatrol, a dietary supplement; Sera Concepts, an anti-aging skin care line; Live Lean for Life, a lifestyle management content based website. 3V Marketing offers the following product(s): Acai Advanced, Reservatrol, Sera Concepts, Vytalin, Live Lean for Life.

BBB ADVICE

Make certain that if you enter into an agreement for a free trial period that you are reading and understanding all terms and conditions of the contract and what your obligations are after the free trial period PRIOR to saying yes. If you are unable to contact the company to cancel within the time period, keep a paper trail and good notes on when you contacted the company and file a formal complaint for resolve at: www.bbb.org

TIP NUMBER FOUR

Instant Message Scam Targets Elderly Woman Using Friend’s Actual Address

Spoof Email States that Friend won $300,000 from “Agency” to build a New House, Says she is “NEXT IN LINE TO RECEIVE”

An elderly Spokane area woman called BBB to report that she received an instant message from a friend she had not had contact with for some time.  The email address the “sender” used was, in fact, her friend’s address.  In this message, her friend said she had received $300,000.00 to build a new home from some agency, and that another of their friends received money to build a house, too.  The only info the “agency” gave are these two email addresses:

federalgov01@aim.com and fbiferalatt.net01@ymail.com 

The email went on to tell her that her name was on this list to receive money, too, and asked if she had been contacted yet. The woman said she knew nothing about it, so her friend gave her the contact email addresses above. 

She used the email and immediately received a response from the “agency” stating that she was, in fact, next on the list to receive thousands of dollars.  All she had to do was send them $800 for expenses and one of their reps and an attorney would be at her door the next day with the money. 

She replied that she didn’t have $800 but she had $100.  She was told that was fine, to send it, and when they came by tomorrow with the money they would take the remaining $700.00 out.  She again replied to the email, giving them most of the information they requested, including she and her husband’s names, address, Social Security #s, and her picture. They wanted financial info, and it was only then that she felt skeptical.

BBB ADVICE

What happened here? Someone must have gotten into this woman’s friend’s computer and spoofed (hijacked) her entire email list, and proceeded to send this scam email to all of the friends in her email tree. This type of spoofing is very clever and is becoming a very hot scam. BEWARE! This type of hijacking of information off computers comes usually when your computer isn’t safeguarded against these types of invasions, or you have clicked onto a link that has taken you somewhere that has compromised the safety of your computer. If you are ever made aware of your information misused to commit fraud, report it immediately to your local FBI office. If this scam is tried on you, DON’T GIVE ANY PERSONAL INFO to unknown sources, even if they sound like an official agency.

TIP NUMBER FIVE

DAZZLE WHITE aka DAZZLE SMILE of ALBERTA, CANADA Has Delivery Issues

Dazzle White aka Dazzle Smile
(888) 948-5508
201, 85 Cranford Way
Sherwood Park, AB T8H 0H9
Jesse Willms, Owner
www.dazzlewhitepro.com (and other various web sites)
 
BBB has received a large number of complaints on this company regarding consumer orders of a free trial sample of the product. In most cases, the free sample is never received yet the consumers are still being charged $58.76 for a monthly membership and additional monthly auto shipments which they did not realize they were signing up for. As well, consumers state they are unaware that they are also signing up to an Insider Secrets Tips package and the Comprehensive Weight Loss eBook package for just $3.24 and $7.14 a month when signing up for this company’s free trial process.

BBB ADVICE

If you have an unresolved issue concerning this company, we encourage you to file a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at: www.ftc.gov