The National Consumer Empowerment Conference and Expo

The National Consumer Empowerment Conference and Expo this past weekend in Florida was a wonderful event, and I was so happy to be a part of it. I met some wonderful people, heard some inspiring stories, and made friendships and partnerships that I hope will last a lifetime. In the following weeks I will share some of the stories of the people from this event with you.

 This entire event started off as an idea in the head of one inspirational woman, Denise Richardson. Denise took on a battle with a large bank in order to fix the accounting errors and credit problems that they created for her. Her story is truly an inspiration and shows that one person can stand up and make a difference, and that as consumers we need to look out for ourselves because the people we trust with our money, the banks, are not.

While my story is different from Denise’s, I do feel a common bond with her . . . fighting the bank for what is right! We were both told that we could not take on the “big bad bank”, and we were both told by the bank employees not to worry, and we both learned over the years that what the bank tells you and what they actually do are not always the same thing. We have both gone from being the average woman to someone who is willing to stand up and speak . . . and sometimes yell . . . for the rights of the consumer. Denise is someone I respect, trust and motivates me to do even more in my work in fighting scams.

I would strongly encourage you to read Denise’s book, Give Me Back My Credit!

Shawn Mosch
Co-Founder of ScamVictimsUnited.com
There is strength in numbers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and more through
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Support Scam Victims United by shopping at
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Support Scam Victims United while you shop

Support Scam Victims United by shopping with the following retailers. Every time that you make a purchase at one of these retailers through our links, a portion of what you spend will go to Scam Victims United.

If you plan on doing any of your Christmas shopping online, please think about doing it with our retailers. As we add more, you will be able to find them at http://shopittous.blogspot.com/

Thank you Monster!

I have been wanting to see this happen for YEARS! Monster just sent out a warning about work at home/employment scams to all of their members! Here is a copy of the information.

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” Whether you are searching for a new job through Monster or other websites, keep in mind that the same technological innovations that help in your job search may be used by cyber-criminals looking to lure job seekers into questionable job “opportunities.”

Monster, the worldwide leader in the online recruitment industry, makes protecting job seekers a top priority. While Monster continually monitors its network and database to detect and terminate fraudulent access or job postings, keep in mind that Monster’s primary purpose is to serve as an open forum for employers to advertise open positions and a service for job seekers to broadcast their qualifications to interested employers. We work hard to ensure that only appropriate parties (such as employers) have access, but neither we nor any other online recruitment company can guarantee that inappropriate parties will not gain access to a posted resume. Accordingly, we’d like to remind you of what you can do to help keep yourself safe during a job search.

Know What to Avoid

Some employment scams appear as job postings or classifieds while others may target victims with an offer through an unsolicited email. Below are the most common scams you may see:
Money-Laundering Scams
Money launderers often create job descriptions that offer commissions or pay as high as $2000 per day to process checks on behalf of foreign nationals. They are recruiting local citizens to “process payments” or “transfer funds,” because as foreign nationals, they can’t do it themselves. The image below is an example of a money laundering scam hidden behind what appears to be an offer of employment. Learn more about money laundering scams here. »

Reshipping Scams
Reshipping, or postal forwarding, scams typically require job seekers to receive stolen goods in their own homes– frequently consumer electronics — and then forward the packages, often outside the United States. Those who fall for reshipping scams may be liable for shipping charges and even the cost of goods purchased online with stolen credit cards. Read more about reshipping scams here. »

Pre-pay/Work at Home Scams
Although there are genuine jobs working at home, many “offers” are not valid forms of employment and may have the simple goal of obtaining an initial monetary investment from the victim. Using claims such as ‘be your own boss’ and ‘make money quickly’, Work at Home scams will not guarantee regular salaried employment and almost always require an “up-front” investment of money for products or instructions before explaining how the plan works. Find out more about avoiding these scams. »

Protect Yourself

What seems like a lucrative job offer could cost you your savings and more. Learn to identify the signals of an employment scam to protect yourself. When conducting a job search:

Look for signals in a job posting or email offer, which could serve as an indicator that what is being presented as employment is not legitimate. Don’t get involved with an employer that can’t make its business model perfectly clear to you or one that’s willing to hire you without even a phone interview. Do your own research on any employer that makes you feel at all uneasy.

Never put your social security or national ID number, credit card number, bank account number or any type of sensitive personal identification data in your resume. You should never share any personal information with a prospective employer, even if they suggest that it is for a “routine background check”, until you are confident that the employer and employment opportunity is legitimate. Use Monster’s resume visibility options to ‘Be Safe’.

Do not engage in any transaction in which you are requested to transfer or exchange currency or funds to a prospective employer. Remain alert for the Work at Home employers who require you to make an up-front investment.
Be cautious when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country.
If you see a questionable job posting or suspect misuse of the Monster website or its brand, please report the suspected fraud to Monster.

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, immediately report the fraud to your local police and contact Monster, so steps can be taken to ensure your safety. We also recommend that you file an online report with The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C). For more information on how to conduct a safe job search, visit Monster’s Security Center. You can also check out LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com.

Best regards,

The Monster Team

Phishing scam hitting hard

From http://www.annarbor.com/news/community-driven-credit-union-says-customers-falling-victim-to-phishing-scam/

The Community Driven Credit Union in Pittsfield Township has frozen the bank accounts of 20 to 30 of its customers in recent days after they provided sensitive information to suspected scam artists.

The phishing scam – involving e-mails and text messages – appears to be hitting Washtenaw County hard since last week.

Many people have reported receiving the messages, which warn them their accounts have been frozen. They’re directed to call a number and are then prompted to provide bank and debit card information.

The majority of the messages appear to reference the Community Driven Credit Union. Kevin Finneran, president and CEO of the credit union, said even his wife and daughter received the text messages.

The scam also appears to be impacting the Chelsea State Bank. Michigan State Police Sgt. Tony Cuevas said today at least 3 people have reported similar scams involving the Chelsea bank.

One man said he received an automated message that his bank account was frozen, and when he called, he was directed to enter his 16-digit debit card number, Cuevas said.

On Tuesday, the president of the Ypsilanti Area Federal Credit Union said the credit union has heard from at least 50 customers who received suspicious messages.

Finneran said his credit union has talked to 50 to 60 customers, and 20 to 30 of them provided their banking information by computer or phone to the scam artists. Their accounts were frozen, and new cards are being issued.

Finneran said the bulk of those who received the text messages appear to be Sprint customers. He said the credit union has spoken to the Pittsfield Township Police Department and state Attorney General’s office, and also is spreading the word about the scam to help customers avoid being victimized.

“It probably started last Thursday or Friday,” Finneran said of the calls. “If people provided information, we’re immediately taking steps to secure their accounts. We’re also doing everything we can to make people aware.”

Barrie Kiser, marketing manager for the credit union, said the e-mail can appear convincing because it has a screen shot of the credit union’s home banking system. But the address is wrong, and the information it requests to log in also is different.

Officials at the banks stressed this week that they never gather information from ttheir customers via text or e-mail, so customers should never respond to such messages.

Anyone who received the messages and provided information should immediately contact their bank or credit union and local police department.

The Anti-Phishing Working Group also offers some advice on what to do if you’ve been scammed and how to report it.

One last reminder

I am so sorry that I have not posted as much this week, but I have been so busy getting ready for the National Consumer Empowerment Conference and Expo in Hollywood, Florida this weekend.

http://www.givemebackmycredit.com/blog/2009/08/31/Expo%20Invite.pdf

Both consumers and advocates coming together to share resources, ideas and discuss the issues.

Join us!

I am sure that I will have a lot of great things to share with you from this event.

Scams and the Holidays

Thanksgiving is just over a week away, and it is time to start thinking about the Holiday Season. We at Scam Victims United usually see an increase in the number of scam victims during this time of year. Many people are looking for a way to make some extra money to pay for the gifts that they want to give to family and friends, so they may sell something they own at an online classified ad site, like Craigslist, or they may look for an extra part-time job. It is because of this need for the extra money to get through the Holidays that some people may let their guard down and become more vulnerable to online scams.

Common online scams include the overpayment scams, in the form of counterfeit cashier’s checks and money orders, or work at home job offers such as the Secret Shopper Scam. Let’s review the signs of both.

Counterfeit Cashier’s check or Money Order Scam

You are selling an item over the Internet – it could be a used car or motorcycle, jewelry or even bred animals. You receive an email offer to purchase your item and the buyer says he’ll send a bank cashier’s check. The buyer is from Nigeria or “West Africa”, but has a business associate in the United States who will send you the cashier’s check. Then you are told that for some reason the check was already made out to you for an amount larger than your asking price. The buyer asks you to please deposit the check, wait for it to clear, and then send him the difference — “but only after the cashier’s check clears, of course.”

You are skeptical – but, sure enough, the bank cashier’s check arrives by Fed Ex, it looks real, your bank accepts the check, and the bank assures you the funds are in fact available. So you wait the time the bank recommends to verify that the check is clear and then you wire the difference to your buyer in Nigeria and prepare to ship your item.

A week later your bank calls: “We’re very sorry, but the cashier’s check was counterfeit” — a superb copy, but worthless. Your account is frozen. You must pay the bank back the entire amount of the cashier’s check. You may even be considered a fraud suspect yourself.

Secret Shopper Scam

The scammer will either place an ad in a legitimate classified listing, online or in print, or they will collect their victim’s names and email addresses off of resumes posted online. Some of them are even making “copy cat” websites of legitimate Secret Shopper companies to use in their scam to help convince the victim that this is all legitimate. For a listing of legitimate Secret Shopper companies, go to http://www.mysteryshop.org/

 The victim will be told that they have been hired as a Secret Shopper and will be sent a cashier’s check or money order to cash and use on their assignments. One of the assignments is to review the service at a Western Union or Money Gram location. They are given a name and address to wire money to, from the check that was sent to them, and told to fill out an evaluation form on the service received and email or fax that back to the company they are working for.

Everything seems fine, and some victims may even complete a few “assignments” before the check is discovered to be counterfeit. On average, it takes about 10 business days for the bank to realize that the check is counterfeit, but we have seen some cases where it has taken over 6 months. Once the bank dose find that the check is counterfeit, they will contact you demanding the return of the money and deduct the full amount of the check from your bank account. This sometimes leaves the victims with negative bank accounts.

For more information on the check clearing process and the banking terms, please read http://scamvictimsunited.blogspot.com/2009/08/banking-terms-not-as-clear-as-they.html

Shawn Mosch

Co-Founder of ScamVictimsUnited.com

There is strength in numbers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and more through http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch

Support Scam Victims United by shopping at http://shopittous.blogspot.com/

 

Rothstein Investment

This press release can be found at http://miami.fbi.gov/pressrel/2009/mm111209.htm

FBI and IRS Seeking to Identify Victims and Individuals with Information in Rothstein Investigation

The Miami Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Miami Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are seeking information from individuals who have invested in the Rothstein Structured Settlement Investment (RSSI) or from individuals who have information that would be helpful to the investigation. To facilitate information gathering, the FBI has established a dedicated e-mail address and an informational telephone line 1-800-CALL-FBI, “Rothstein Option.”

Details of the investigation cannot be discussed at this time, as the investigation is ongoing. However, the FBI and IRS are seeking to identify victims and to obtain any information to determine the extent of any potential fraud.

In an effort to determine the scope of the matter and the amount of losses that may be involved, investigators are requesting that individuals provide:

Basic contact information (name, address, telephone numbers, e-mail address.)

Amount of investments/losses with the Rothstein Structured Settlement Investment.

Whether you can verify your investments by providing the most recent statements.

Any additional information that may be helpful.

Information may be provided via dedicated e-mail address Rothstein.Investment@ic.fbi.gov

 or to informational telephone line 1-800-CALL-FBI, “Rothstein Option” (1-800-225-5324.)

 If you have investigative information that may aid the criminal investigation, you may also submit it via email or telephone. For those who would like to return funds received from Rothstein please call the 1-800 number and someone will get back with you with specific instructions on how to return the funds.

 Hard copy documentation may be mailed to:

FBI Victim Assistance Program

Rothstein Investment

16320 NW 2nd Avenue

Miami, Florida 33169

If it is determined that you are a victim, the FBI will be in touch with you. Please note that due to the expected number of responses, it may be several days before you are contacted.

Raise Your Voices

Consumers Invited to Raise Their Voices at the Consumer Empowerment Conference and Expo on November 21, 2009 in Hollywood, FL

 Hollywood, FL, Nov. 9, 2009- Don’t let the big banks dominate the conversation any longer; join with consumers and advocates at the Consumer Empowerment Conference and Expo on November 21st and raise your voice against abusive and predatory lending practices.

 “We can’t pick up a newspaper or turn on the radio or the TV these days without hearing yet another story about fraud, identity theft, spiking credit card interest rates, or foreclosure nightmares,” says Denise Richardson, co-host of the event. “The current financial crisis and mortgage industry meltdown has affected this entire nation, but the state of Florida is one of the hardest hit. Now, we finally have a way to do something about it.”

The upcoming event, to be held at the Crowne Plaza in Hollywood Florida, will be hosted by Americans for Fairness in Lending (AFFIL) and Denise Richardson on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 from 1-5 pm. It is free to the public.

“Whether you have questions about fair lending practices, want to know what’s being done about abusive credit card interest rates, or need advice about how to deal with identity theft, this event is for you,” says Richardson. Advocates on site will also be speaking on panels, talking with consumers at tables, and answering questions about credit scores and reports, mortgages, short term loans, medical debt, debt collection, and will be providing information about current legislation that is furthering the fight to create a fair lending system.

Sarah Byrnes, Director of AFFIL says “It is our hope that by attending this event, even more consumers can become part of the solution in the fight against predatory lending and help shine the spotlight on the problems caused by abusive loan products. By working together, we can raise the volume on our collective outrage and the need for better consumer protections.”

This event will give consumers a unique opportunity to interact face-to-face with local and national advocates who are working to reform the lending industry. It’s a chance for people to connect over the issues, speak one on one with consumer attorneys and advocates on issues that matter most to them, and to find new ways to work toward a common goal: a more fair financial system for all.

 Confirmed participants include:

Americans for Fairness in Lending

Credit Union Strategic Planning and American Debt Relief Challenge

Florida AARP

Florida CHAIN

Florida PIRG

GiveMeBackMyCredit.com

Identity Theft Victims Support Group of North America

Robert Murphy, Attorney and Law Professor

National Organization of Victims Assistance

Ira Rheingold, Executive Director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA.net)

Scam Victims United

John Watts, NACA Attorney … and more!

Visit www.givemebackmycredit.com for an updated listing of attendees.

 

Event details:

 Consumer Empowerment Conference and Expo

November 21, 2009

Speakers/panels start at 1:00 pm.

 Open to the public 1-5 pm

Crowne Plaza, Hollywood Beach Hotel, 4000 South Ocean Drive, Hollywood FL

MySpace Scam

There is a MySpace Scam email going around that asks you to update your account information. Do not click on any of the links in the email!

Dear MySpace user!

Please be informed that you are required to update your MySpace account.

Please update your MySpace account by clicking here:

If you’re unable to click on the link above, copy and paste it into your browser’s address bar.

————————-

At MySpace we care about your privacy. This email is never sent unsolicited.

If you think you’ve received this email in error, or if you have any questions or concerns regarding your privacy, please contact us at:

privacy@myspace.com

MySpace, Inc.
8391 Beverly Blvd. #349
Los Angeles, CA 90048
USA

Florida, in two weeks

It is less than two weeks until the National Consumer Empowerment Conference and Expo in Hollywood, Florida

http://www.givemebackmycredit.com/blog/2009/08/31/Expo%20Invite.pdf

Both consumers and advocates coming together to share resources, ideas and discuss the issues.

Join us!