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ADVERTISING |
The objective of advertising is to sell you something,
not tell you the downside of the product or service. A
lot of commercial high end advertising is more of a
GOTCHA than a SCAM. But beware, besides the crooks, even
Fortune 500 companies will attempt to SCAM you. |
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Small type below main
advertisement
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TV
Information disappears before you can read it
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Get rich
fast or secret to success
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Credit approval
guaranteed regardless of your financial background
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Pay off your car trade
no matter how much you owe
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Zero percent loan
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Asks for credit card, bank account, social
security
information
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Going
out of business or liquidation that goes on for
months.
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Free, pay only
Shipping/Handling/Processing
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Work at Home program
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Precautions
You Should Take |
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TV/Radio/Print Media usually only gives
you half of the story, the better half
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Small or light type below the main
advertisement usually excludes things that are implied
in the large print above.
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Review terms and conditions. Buried
somewhere might be conditions that entice you to buy
something you don't want.
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Shouting at you on TV,
may mean lower quality or there are strings attached.
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Paid high
profile spokespeople such as actors, sports
personalities and politicians that make specific claims.
Since
you're familiar with them they might be
more believable, but but what makes them an expert?
TO FILE A COMPLAINT GO TO THE
COMPLAINTS SECTION BY CLICKING HERE
Investment Opportunities You Should
Avoid |
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Online
money-making scams are really survey panel
advertisements. Companies want
to pay you money to test products, provide opinions and
provide information used for marketing.
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If a web page promises thousands of dollars/month without any effort
from you, turn away immediately.
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Success quotes and posts
from other people "just like you"
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Get rich offers, drop-ship games, run
surveys and work at home offers usually require you to put
money up front-DON'T BE LURED IN!
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Get rich quick schemes require you buy
books, tapes or other material. Makes you wonder if
someone can get you rich why don't
they just use the
technique themselves.
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Watch out for exotic investments as a
way to make money, such as
investing in satellites, gold mines or
ostrich farms, are typically fake.
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Don't buy products or services that
tout what they're selling as "hot" or as an incredible
investment
opportunity.
What a Deal You Won't Get |
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Manufacturers' claims may
be overstated just to draw you in.
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Testimonials, except from true review
sites, may not provide a realistic evaluation of the
product/service
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Watch out for anyone who wants to act
as your agent to promote
your business or service or sell any rights you
own and charge an upfront fee even if they guaranteeing
results (which they cant).
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Considering signing with someone to
manage your advertising, verify references and
investigate.
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Little effort involved! Companies
will not pay thousands of dollars per month to multiple
users for little to no effort. This also applies for
testimonial sections. Frequently, the (falsified)
testimonials will be labeled with a first name, last
initial and vague location,
coupled with nothing but glowing praise.
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You should never have to pay up-front
to receive services.
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Watch out for advertising guarantees.
No legitimate advertiser can guarantee results.
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Don't be moved from a
low-priced "bait" to an expensive "switch"
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Telefraud,
is where one receives a call from a company claiming payment
for an advertisement placed in a magazine, journal or
register which never really occurred or you didn't make.
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In most
states, if you received something you didn't order, you are
under no obligation to pay for it or send it back. Think of
it as a gift. However, be careful, that if you asked for a
sample, you also didn't agree at that time to receive and pay for the
item.
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Beware of "offer" pages. If
you see a page that reads "you must complete X amount of
offers to qualify," it is a disguised advertisement and
signup page for various offers such as magazines, online
subscriptions or items.
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Look at the
website design. If you
spot copy editing errors or if the design includes lots of
bright colors, highlighted words or exclamation points,
you've likely stumbled onto a sales letter disguised as an
employment opportunity.
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Avoid sites that require
valuable personal information such as credit card, bank
account, or even social security
info during registration. They are NEVER to be trusted
Examples Of Scams Or Gotchas |
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EXAMPLES #1
Even prestigious organizations will try to SCAM you. A
letter was received from one of them with the bold words on
the envelope, WELCOME BACK. The person never subscribed to
the magazine identified. The inside continued to make you
think you requested the
magazine
EXAMPLES #2
A major company tries to make you think that they, company
#1, is recommending the Health Care program of #2. The
explanation at the bottom of the advertisement uses
difficult to read small white letters on a red background.
If you didnt read it you might be left with the impression
that # 1 is the sponsor of # 2 who they state is the
insurer. The small print states that #1 allows #2 to use its
name and pays a fee to #1. The small print caveat
explanation by #1 states that it is not the insurer, does
not recommend health related products, insurance or
programs, they are not an insurance agencies or carrier and
do not endorse insurance agents, brokers, representative or
advisors and that #2 is not connected or endorsed by the
Federal Government or the Federal Medicare program.
EXAMPLE #3
The advertisement which has been run many times in USA Today
with the Headlines State Residents set to get new portable
heaters being released by Zip Code Except for three State
which they probably can not sell in, pretty much all the Zip
codes in the USA are covered. The advertisement states that
this offer is only available for 48 hours to the first 6,049
callers. Other papers carry the same type advertisement. In
one case it was only for residents over 50 years of age,
other would have to pay more This advertisement has been run
many times before so the 48 hours is really a hurry-up or
you will miss out message. The Better Business Bureau
stated, They had 258 complaints closed in three years and
98 in th last 12 months. Complaints for this company
generally concern slow delivery or non-receipt of product,
difficulty reaching customer service representatives, delays
in obtaining refunds after returning merchandise, product
quality issues, inability to get repairs or obtain
replacement parts and advertising claims.
Example #4 A Consumers
Story-Bait & Switch on A Cruise Line
I booked a four-day Bahamas cruise for two with a Cruise
Line. The rate posted on the web-site was $132 per person
plus taxes and fees for a total of $385. Before booking, I
called Carnival to ask about required travel documentation
and confirm the accommodation at the offered rate. The day
after booking we got a call from the Cruise Line informing
us that our rate was booked in error and to keep the booking
we needed to pay an additional $224. Their representative
did not offer any help in keeping the rate we booked, or
offer to negotiate the additional amount. I asked her to
send me documentation showing that the price we paid was an
error and she said she had no such document. I left a
message with a supervisor, but have never heard back. The
Cruise Line confirmed that the posted price paid was wrong
and would not be honored, adding, "There is verbiage on our
confirmations and on our site stating that pricing errors
will not be protected (Interesting that a Cruise Line can
make changes to a contract any time they want.)
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NOTICE: We provide this Encyclopedia
as a public service. Unfortunately we do not have the manpower to answer
all of your emails or questions on specific topics. We, therefore, do not
post our telephone number or address as all our communications are
through email. |
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2011 -
www.stopthescam.org |
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