Fraud, scams reaching epidemic proportions
A number of consumers called me during the last week complaining about unwanted telephone calls from sales people, scammers and con artists. Unfortunately, the number of calls to me is almost overwhelming — anywhere between 30 and 40 per week, and you know there are many more who have the same complaints but don’t call me.
Whether you realize it or not, there is an invisible, silent crime wave enveloping our community. The thieves are stealing thousands of dollars every day. They are the online and phone scammers. They are attacking us across the board, but they concentrate on the elderly, infirm and the trusting.
If a similar number of crimes was being perpetrated in the streets of North Idaho, authorities would quickly declare a state of emergency. Politicians would be calling for investigations and demanding action by law enforcement, but because these crimes are invisible, the scammers and criminals are ignored and allowed to continue to steal money and practice extortion. We need to get a handle on this. Politicians, take notice. Just because the threat, or theft, or extortion comes by phone, from outside the U.S. or Idaho, doesn’t mean citizens don’t have a right to expect law enforcement to go after the crooks.
One of the best examples of the inability of government or law enforcement to protect consumers is the “No Call List.” A few years ago politicians announced, with great fanfare, establishment of a “no call list.” Almost everyone I know has put their name on the list, yet still get numerous calls every day from sellers of everything from Viagra to mortgage services, not to mention the true scammers.
The reasons we are inundated with these nuisance calls are twofold: 1. There is no government agency, state or federal, that is effectively prosecuting the guilty: and 2. The callers set up their computers to call consumers in the U.S. from outside the United States. The computers that call into the U.S. usually generate false area codes so it appears the call is coming from inside the U.S. or even locally.
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COPY CATS: One of my faithful readers called with what is an interesting “consumer problem.” The Spokesman-Review has changed its crossword puzzle to the same one The Coeur d’Alene Press publishes. She called the SR to complain. The person responsible for the crossword puzzle reportedly informed her there weren’t that many people in North Idaho reading the Spokesman-Review to make a difference. Good news for the Coeur d’Alene Press, bad news for the Spokesman-Review — and my reader.
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QUICK TIP: One of the oldie but goodie scams is “They’re Coming to Take You Away.” The consumer gets a call from the “authorities” — the IRS, local police or other agency — threatening to come and arrest you or issue a warrant for your arrest unless you pay a fine or other amount due. Usually, they ask for bank account numbers, credit card info or gift cards.
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I received a call about yet another RV dealership along Interstate 90 using high-pressure sales tactics. Be careful. There’s never a deal so good you need to buy it today. Go home, talk with friends and family or call me. We’ll talk.
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On another subject: Did you know that most ink can be washed off checks? The crooks pluck your checks out of your mailbox — the little flag alerts them to the presence of outgoing mail. Once they have your check, they “wash” everything off except your signature. They then fill in the “pay to,” “amount” and “date.” They then cash the check, and are gone with the cash.
There are two things you need to do to protect yourself: 1. Use a “gel” pen when writing all checks; 2. Only deposit your outgoing checks in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox; don’t put outgoing checks in your personal mailbox on the street. Those days are over. Unfortunately, many banks will not protect you against this kind of fraud. The position of the bank is, if your signature is on the check, you authorized the payment.
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Take a look at my blog (cdapressconsumerguy.com) for a video about check washing.
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If you’ve ever been threatened by phone with arrest for missing jury duty or not paying every penny of tax due — listen up! One of my law enforcement friends pointed out, “We don’t ever call anyone to warn them if we are going to arrest them.” If you get a call about an impending arrest or warrant — it’s a scam! That goes for “officials” asking you to pay fines over the phone. Uncle Sam does not take gift cards as payment.
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LATE ADDITION: With yard care being on many consumers’ minds, be very wary of yard care providers billing you for services provided but not asked for. A well-known yard care company is in the habit of providing homeowner services like weed control and fertilizing, and then sending the homeowner a bill — even when the service was not requested or contracted for. That’s bad enough, but when the consumer objects to the bill, they’re threatened with being turned over to collections. That’s illegal! Maybe it’s something the Idaho Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Division should look into?
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Due to space limitations, I can’t detail or even bring to your attention all the cases I’ve worked on in the past couple of weeks. I will be detailing many more on the blog. I choose the cases to write about based on the number of calls I get and the amount of money involved. If I haven’t used your case, please understand and continue to call me.
I have many more interesting cases that I’m working on as The CDA Press Consumer Guy. Call me at (208) 449-7222, email me at CDAPressConsumerGuy @gmail.com or fax me at (866) 362-9266. Also include your full name and a phone number. I am available to speak about consumerism to schools, and local and civic groups.
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Bill Brooks is the CDA Press Consumer Guy. He is an active Associate Real Estate Broker for Tomlinson-Sotheby’s International Realty in Coeur d’Alene.