scam!
Complaint
Patrick Jernigan
Country: United States
I recently received a phone call from 1-888-279-9221 and also 1-877-855-4547 that told me I had won a $1000 online shopping spree. All I had to do was answer a few questions; little did I know the questions were about my bank account information. Beware, everyone, if you get a phone call from this number(s). It is a scam. After doing some research on the company, I discovered that they use your bank account information to rob you. The report I read was written by a woman who had the same experience with this company. She was told that she would receive magazines in the mail. She received no magazines but money was still withdrawn from her account.
For those that get a phone call from this number, DO NOT answer.
For those that get a phone call from this number, DO NOT answer.
Comments
People who get suckered into making a payment using a checking account have to deal with closing that, possibly messing up outstanding payments to creditors, missing money that may or may not be retrievable, etc.
NEVER use debit cards, check cards, or provide checking account numbers for payments to anyone you do not know and trust.
Virtually all telemarketers are engaged in fraud at some level.
With a normal honest merchant, you might treat this as some "shipping error", but in this case you are dealing with scammers.
You never agreed to pay for the magazines they sent. Under postal regulations, unordered merchandise is the property of the receiver, to dispose of as you see fit. If you want to be generous, give them ten days to come pick them up. (They don't want their worthless magazines.)
They sent you a bill for magazines you did not order. Sending an invoice or demand for payment through the U.S. Mail for unordered merchandise is prohibited "unmailable matter".
They aren't even delivering on any deceptively sold "subscription" you may have though you agreed to, so there clearly isn't any such "agreement". Hence any deceptively misrepresented "contract" is void due to fraud.
Immediately dispute their charges through your bank as fraudulent, and close and block that card number to prevent additional fraudulent charges. File a mail fraud complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector, and a telemarketing fraud complaint with FTC and your state Attorney General.
That doesn't take their "permission".
They promised certain magazines. They delivered nothing.
They told you that you could cancel, then claimed you couldn't, demanding $783.98 for nothing. FTC calls that telemarketing fraud.
They are running a fraudulent telemarketing scam, using deception to obtain your "agreement", then defrauding you by failing to deliver, then lied to you again when you caught them in one lie, then attempting to extort you into paying to get out of some "contract" you didn't agree to, and they haven't even honored themselves.
Even the numbers don't add up. They sold you on "$4 per month for 6 magazines for two years", probably implying your $4 got you 6 magazines each month, but even if that was $4*6*24 months" you only get $576 not $783, and $4 per magazine is no great price for a magazine subscription.
They just make up the rules based on what they think they can con you out of, and raise the "price" if they think they can.
Do you want to bet they never ordered any magazines? If they had, you would be receiving them. In fact, if they even ordered the wrong magazines, once you got the first, you would be getting one each month.
Some of these scams just pick up a few magazines at the corner store, slap a label on to mail them, and start extorting you for full payment on your "subscription".
And why would they send you the wrong magazines, fraudulently claiming your husband ordered them? What they really want is to be paid off $783.98 for nothing but to just go away. Extortion.
You would be a sucker to pay them. If you do, don't be surprised if they come back for more.
At the rate they make up excuses for you to give them money, they will have no problems inventing some more so you can give them more money.
They are engaged in telemarketing fraud, so file complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, and the Georgia Attorney General. Also file a fraud complaint with your local Police Department or Sheriff.
They are using the U.S. Mail as part of their fraudulent scheme, so file a mail fraud complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
You can dispute fraudulent or unauthorized charges under FRB Reg. E for debit cards and checking accounts, or FCBA for credit cards. It is important that you contact your bank immediately, and follow up in writing to preserve your dispute rights.
Be aware that fraudulent telemarketers typically engage in various threats (implied legal action, etc.), or even fabricate or doctor "recordings" to use in intimidating consumers into paying unowed "debts". They might even use such doctored recordings to attempt to con your bank into rejecting your dispute. The more serious the threats, particularly in connection with outright fraud, the more they are likely pure bluff. They are looking for suckers.
Your response to all threats and fraud should be to block the money, and file complaints with all appropriate authorities.
If you didn't agree to what they are now claiming, that is fraud. If they are taking amounts you never agreed to, that is fraud, and the charges are fraudulent. If you agreed to some charge based on deception or misrepresentation, but now they aren't delivering the goods, that is fraud. All the above are reasons from disputing and blocking all charges due to fraud.
File complaints with the U.S. Postal Inspector for all fraudulent schemes using the U.S. Mail or common carriers for deliveries.
In addition, file complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, and the Georgia Attorney General.
FTC defines how telemarketers must disclose the terms of their offers. They must fully disclose all material terms up front, including total cost and any cancellation terms, including "no cancellation", prior to obtaining agreement or asking for payment.
Anything else is fraudulent telemarketing.
Claiming amounts owed different from the original offer is fraudulent.
Claiming undisclosed total costs afterward is fraudulent.
Claiming undisclosed "no cancellations" afterwards is fraudulent.
Claiming the "contract" can't be canceled "because the subscription has already been paid for" when it hasn't, is fraudulent.
Claiming different products were ordered, or intentionally sending the wrong product while demanding payment for it, is fraudulent.
Demanding any payment for any product not ordered, whether shipped or not, is fraudulent.
Sending such a demand through the U.S. Mail is fraudulent. It is mail fraud.
Using the telephone system to engage in fraud is wire fraud.
If the original offer was fraudulent, made with intent to deceive and later enforce different "terms", then the alleged contract is null and void due to fraud.
If any telemarketer engages in fraud, report it, to FTC, state Attorneys General, and U.S. Postal Inspector if they use common carriers or U.S. Mail.
You can't convince me some company that trumps a couple magazine subscriptions into an $800 bill without even a signed written contract is "suffering" from deadbeat "customers". If they documented the terms up front, in writing, they would have a written contract to enforce, but they choose not to. Why is that? No legitimate business would operate that way.
The companies engaged in this crap are the ones getting the free ride.
Block or reverse all payments due to fraud, and file fraud complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, and the Georgia Attorney General.
In addition, file complaints with www.ic3.gov, which is used to track internet crime and fraud. This database is accessible to law enforcement, FTC, and the FBI units that investigate fraud.
This company appears to be closely connected to a list broker. Some list brokers sell sucker lists bought from other marketers, such as lists of people who respond to TV ads, etc, and it may be that they are obtaining credit card or checking account numbers from those other marketers.
FTC places a bunch of additional requirements on telemarketers who use "preacquired account information", specifically requiring verifiable authorization, but much telemarketing still occurs when the sellers already have consumer account numbers. If you did not authorize the transfer of your account number information to this company, their purchase and possession of it would be illegal (a form of id theft), as well as a violation of the VISA and MasterCard merchant agreements.
You have blocked your card number, but you would be wise to contact FTC to file a complaint giving them the details.