They called me 5/8/2011 (middle eastern foreign accent).Stole over $1,350 US $ from my bank acct

ComplaintsTelecommunication ServicesCentral Rewards

Complaint

0
Cheryl Howe
Country: United States
They called me 5/8/2011 (middle eastern foreign accent). I do not specifically remember the call, however they already had my debit card#. Asked to confirm the lat 4 digits (which they read off to me and acted like they were affilliated with my bank. I gave them no other information. I could not even understand what the caller was saying, tried for a while and then hung up. Next thing I know... starting around July 2011 I started receiving every magazine under the sun.. More, Womens Health, Mens Health, Family Circle, ESPN, Highlights, Glamore, Entrepreneur, INC..... all in my name with no phone numbers on the label or a way to contact anyone. No one in my family had ordered all these magazines. We never got a bill? At first figured we were mistaken for a Drs office? In Sept I noticed a 9.99 charge on my credit card. Called them & we had a 3 way call with some rewards place and they cancelled that account. But the unwanted magazines kept coming. Then in March we noticed our checking account had charges of 49.96 from Readers Services MOB 2 x. Called the bank to get a number to call. They had nothing. Looked this place up online and saw nothing but SCAMMER WARNINGS. We got a phone # from a desperarte person who posted a number they had found. 866-247-2907. Aslo on my won I got 877 652-2168, Cancel Dept #305 407-3113. We called, they had our information and said I had agreed to pay $7,500.00 for magazines. No way I said, Show me proof that I ordered this and specifically what did I order. I asked how they got my debit card# and they said it was shared through telemarkerts & places like Walmart? I told them who in their right mind would agree to that. They sent me to the proof of purchase dept who the next day played a tape that begins with:"Are the last 4 digits of your debit card xxxx and I said ummmm yes. Then the mid east foreign accent person speed reads off for quite some time so fast there is no way to understand what she said, I recall hanging up on this person as I asked her to stop but she kept going. There was no recording of anything prior to this point, like when I picked up the phone and said "Hello" to the point I hung up. I asked them to send me the scriot the person used with my responses for the duration of the call, Brooklyn (Dispute Dept Manager) said NO and Laughed and said I should have checked my statements. Turns out I did check my statements. There are no charges under Central Rewards... but there are charges under vaious names: RWDSCLUBREAD, MAGAZINE PLUS, READNGCENTRAL, READINGRWD, CLUBREADER, MAGAZINEVALU, MAGAZINESPLUS, READER SERVICES MOB, DIRECTENTBOOKS, CONSOLIDATED MARKETING..... all charges had no phone# or a traceable company according to my bank. Most were 49.96 each some were less. My fraud protectionwould not flag as each trx was under 50.00. They hit us for over $1,350.00!!!!  They will not provide me any information of what I actually paid for or proof that I signed up for this diaster and provided permission to charge me. Their business address is 8362 Pines Blvd ste 109, Pembrook Pines, FL 33024. I think the FCC Needs to get involved. Please help this is definately FRAUD! Cheryl Howe 359 E Parallel St. Palatine Il 60067. Class Action Lawsuit anyone????????

Comments

  • 0
    tj
    You are dealing with a fraudulent telemarketer, reportedly operating out of a call center in Mumbai India.

    They have a long history of complaints of fraud, including calling pretending to be associated with the victim's bank, even intercepting calls made to banks, insurance companies or utility companies and pretending they have some "deal" associated with those companies that the consumer was trying to call.  

    You didn't agree to any offer, none was even disclosed, their "verification" was obtained through fraud, and there is no "$7500 contract".  They are just crooks fabricating excuses for stealing money.


    Originally, complaints several years ago had them pitching some "gas voucher" scam, supposedly for only a couple bucks for shipping, that became monthly charges of around $58 until consumer disputed and blocked the account.

    More recently, complaints report they are engaging in fraudulent telemarketing of magazine subscriptions, using illegal tactics common with shady U.S. fraudulent telemarketers, including teazer offers that they later inflate to multi-thousand dollar "verbal contracts".  Up until now, this was mostly practiced by several shady sellers in the Buffalo NY area, a couple around Atlanta GA, and several near Denver CO.

    What you are reporting is that they are illegally buying account information like debit card numbers, and using them to fabricate fraudulent "sales" and make fraudulent charges.  This is not surprising, given their past record.  They appear to think they can get away with anything, since they are safely overseas.

    Asking you to read the last 4 digits of your card number is an attempt to fraudulently fabricate a recording that appears to comply with the FTC's rules for preacquired account information verification of authorization.  In around 2003, after increasing problems with fraudulent telemarketing that ultimately led to the Do Not Call laws, FTC proposed, and then implemented special rules that apply to outgoing telemarketing calls when the seller already has consumer account billing information.  This was mostly intended to deal with documenting the consumer's authorization in a verifiable form, where the seller was affiliated with some merchant or bank the consumer already did business with.

    When the seller already had account information and could just run through the charge without any more information from the consumer, the FTC required that the seller record the consumer repeating the last 4 digits of the account number, so that it was clear to the consumer that they were actually agreeing to buy something and be charged for it.  

    But that was not all.  The FTC specifically required in these cases that the seller record ALL of the call, including ALL of the terms of the offer, so that it could be verified exactly what the consumer agreed to buy.  

    These rules were instituted specifically because of problems with telemarketing fraud in these cases where the telemarketer had already obtained consumer account numbers by comarketing with a company the consumer already was a customer of.  

    It is still highly illegal for telemarketers to just buy card numbers, and it also violates VISA and MasterCard merchant contracts.

    You can see how the crooks are still trying to get around this, still trying to defraud.

    They typically fabricate the recording, or as in your case play just the snippet that supports their claim that you "agreed".  But this is just another deception, since this does NOT meet FTC rules.

    You also see how they are gaming your bank's security threasholds, slipping many small charges under the $50 threashold to avoid raising a red flag with the bank.  This also is common with this type of fraud.  

    Placing other barriers in the way of disputing, like no phone number, phones that are never answered, mail drop addresses, and various delaying tactics, is also typical of fraudulent charging schemes.  Their goal is to run out your 60 day dispute period (during which your bank can reverse the charges under FRB Reg. E or FCBA), string you along, and if you don't file a timely dispute, they win and keep your money.

    They are also preemptively running their charges thorugh under many names, to get around you and your bank's attempts to block charges under the names you might see from their early charges.  The ONLY way to stop this is to BLOCK the card or close the account.  You cannot stop it by trying to play wack-a-mole with each new name they make up.

    Of course they won't provide you with any information.  Anything they sent would be a fabrication anyway.  Their whole business is built on blatant fraud.  (Google "complaintwire central rewards" for more of the same.)

    This is NOT a "merchant billing dispute".  This is a FRAUD dispute.  Insist that your bank handle it as a bunch of related fraud disputes, blocking the card number or closing the account, and pushing the many fraud disputes back through the system.  

    If your bank will not accept your fraud dispute, and idiotically insists that you treat this as some "billing dispute", MAIL IT TO THEM, to activate your FRB Reg. E or FCBA dispute provisions.  You mail it, proven by the post office stamped certified receipt, and under FRB Reg. E, "tag, they're it",a s of that date, regardless of how stupid they are.

    File a fraud dispute with your bank, IN WRITING, mailed certified to your bank's dispute address from your statement.  Do this IMMEDIATELY, as the only way you will ever get money back from these crooks is if your bank takes it back.  Also, IMMEDIATLEY have your bank block your card number or close the account to block further fraudulent charges.  You have already seen how they make up as many "magazine subscriptions" as they want to.  These crooks will keep taking money, pretending they are charging for this "order", forever, unless you stop it.  

    File a complaint with your local Police Department, to report the bank fraud and theft.  Get a copy of the Police report.

    Contact FTC, to report that these crooks are illegally buying debit card numbers to use in fabricating fraudulent charges.

    Contact the Florida Attorney General.  Although they are using a mail drop in Florida, they are probably elsewhere, but that is no reason to keep letting them use a mail drop in the U.S. as if they are some legitimate business.

    Also contact the U.S. Postal Inspector, since by sending magazines through the U.S. Mail as part of a fraudulent scheme, they are engaging in mail fraud.


    And if after filing fraud disputes, your bank doesn't reverse the charges, get a new bank, and file a complaint with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, against your bank, at www.occ.gov

    You can also SUE YOUR BANK, in lieu of suing the crooks, for failing to protect you from fraud if you notified them timely.  Your SOL is 1 year from the date of the loss.
  • 0
    tj
    In the future, NEVER give any account information to any caller, even if you think they are your bank.

    Your bank will understand if you tell them you will call them back at their number from your statement.
    If they don't like it, it's not your bank.

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