Scammers Disguised In Help Wanted Ads!
FIRST: Job hunters scouring the pages of the classifieds need to know not all opportunities are what they appear to be. The BBB notes an uptick of inquiries about
Safety Enterprises, a division of
G&M Marketing from the Cleveland area, exact location unknown. Consumers advise the BBB that the company advertises management trainee positions. Accordingly, applicants are
required to work in sales positions in order to be eligible for promotion;
required to pay a $70 non-refundable registration fee to cover various administrative costs; and
required to pay a $165 fee for a demonstration kit. The $165 kit fee is said to be refundable upon reaching office manager status; or, if management is not achieved and the kit is returned, only a pro-rated amount, if any, will be returned. This company is not a BBB Accredited Business! In fact the BBB gives it an
F rating. Reasons: a high number of complaints filed against the business, unresolved complaints, failure to respond to complaints and the number of serious complaints.
NEXT: Mystery shopping scams abound! Be diligent in identifying them from the legitimate ads. Consumers nationwide report receiving checks from a reputable company along with a letter stating they have been chosen for two mystery shopping assignments. The letter looks legitimate with the company's logo and a reference to the company being a BBB Accredited Business. The consumer is told to take the check they were sent, keep a portion of it and wire the rest of the money back to them (in Canada). The check bounces and the consumer is out the money, sometimes thousands of dollars. How do they get their leads? Apparently, the scam artists mine names and addresses from consumers who have posted resumes on job search sites. Consumers need not fall victim. Check with the BBB first!
NEXT: Worthless gold and platinum credit cards. They thought they were getting a guaranteed, non-secured gold or platinum VISA or MasterCard. Instead, the folks who sent $69 to Texas-based
Consumer Financial after receiving a solicitation in the mail, say they got a card that could only be used to buy merchandise from their catalogue. And they say that wasn't what they were promised. The company has a BBB rating of
D+ due to a pattern of complaints that allege consumers were led to believe they would be receiving an unsecured VISA or MasterCard. Instead they either received a card that could only be used to purchase merchandise from the company's catalogue or they received nothing at all. Consumer Financial denies any pattern of wrongdoing.
FINALLY: More bogus offers! Consumers report
Vertue, Inc. of Omaha is sending out discounts in the areas of healthcare, travel, family entertainment and fashion. Customers are tricked into unintentionally signing up for long term agreements after being led into assumed 30 day trial periods. The BBB has processed a walloping 2518 complaints during the last three years, earning
Vertue and its subsidiaries an unsatisfactory rating.
Ric Herrold, BBB