If not, you may be putting your hard-earned money at risk.
Fraudulent telemarketing calls affect millions of people every year. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the largest telemarketing fraud case sweep in their history, including 180 law enforcement actions by federal, state, and local agencies. The FTC filed federal district court complaints against 13 allegedly deceptive telemarketing operations. The FTC estimates the companies involved defrauded more than 500,000 consumers, resulting in over $100 million in losses.
African American consumers may more likely be victims of fraud. FTC’s fraud survey report, Consumer Fraud in the United States, noted that African Americans were more likely to have experienced fraud than non-Hispanic whites. For African Americans, the three most frequently reported frauds were paying an advanced fee for a promised credit card or loan; being billed for a buyers’ club membership the consumer had not agreed to purchase; and fraudulent foreign lotteries.
Through its new Who’s Calling? Recognize and Report Phone Fraud campaign and Web site, (ftc.gov/phonefraud) the FTC provides three R’s that consumers can use to stop fraud:
Recognize. Learn steps to avoid telemarketing fraud, including:
Check the clock. Calling times from legitimate telemarketers are restricted to the hours between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Ask why they are calling. Telemarketers must tell you it’s a sales call, the name of the seller and what they’re selling before they make their pitch.
Know who you’re dealing with. Do business only with companies that clearly provide their name, street address, and phone number.
Protect your personal information. Don’t give your credit card, checking account, or Social Security number to unknown callers.
Don’t be pressured to make an immediate decision. Just about any offer that’s good today will be good tomorrow, too.
Get the offer in writing. Get all information in writing before you pay.
Report fraud to the FTC.
Register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry at DoNotCall.gov, or by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the number you are registering.
For more information about specific types of telemarketing scams, and to learn additional signs of fraud, go to ftc.gov/phonefraud. The site is accessible in Spanish at ftc.gov/fraudetelefonico.
BAKER ONLINE MBA
PROGRAM MAKES
GETEDUCATED.COM BEST BUYS LIST
FLINT, MI — GetEducated.com has named Baker’s online MBA program as one of the “Top 40 Ranked Best Buys – Online MBAs – Regional.” Rankings are based on a GetEducated.com, LLC survey of publicly posted tuition rates at 168 distance-learning MBA programs offered through accredited universities in the United States.
“Providing quality higher education at an affordable cost is integral to our mission and purpose,” said Michael Heberling, Ph.D., Baker College Center for Graduate Studies president. “We’re pleased by the recognition from GetEducated.com.”
Established in 1989, GetEducated.com was the first online counseling center for adult learners seeking accredited online college degrees. The organization’s college experts evaluate every program to help consumers get educated about what it takes to succeed in online learning. GetEducated.com offers listings only to colleges and universities accredited by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation.
Baker College Online and the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies are part of Baker College, the largest private college in Michigan. Both are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Center for Graduate Studies MBA program is also accredited by the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). The Baker Online MBA program is nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s usnews.com “E-Learning Online Graduate Programs: Business – Regionally Accredited Programs,” and has been ranked as one of the first established, largest and best value online MBA programs in the nation. Baker College is a non-profit higher education institution, serving more than 36,000 students on 12 campuses and in four satellite locations. As a career college, the Baker College system is proud to have achieved a graduate employment rate of 98 percent. Baker grants certificates and associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, health sciences, education and human services, and various technical fields, as well as a doctorate of business administration. For more information, please visit the Baker College Web site at www.baker.edu.
BBB Receives Thousands of Complaints on
Mysterious Credit Card Charges
Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to closely check their credit card statements for mysterious charges that are cropping up by the thousands across the country. Upset online shoppers have contacted BBB about unwanted credit card charges that are ultimately being traced back to Connecticut-based Affinion Group, an affinity-marketing company that recently changed its name from Trilegiant.
In the last 12 months alone, BBB has received nearly 1,800 complaints regarding Affinion Group. Most complainants state that they were shocked when they discovered unwanted charges on their credit card for membership services such as “Shoppers Advantage,” “Privacy Guard” or “Great Fun.” Charges ranged from $12 to as much as $59.99 every month. Some complainants had been charged by Affinion Group every month for several years, resulting in hundreds of dollars being paid for services they never took advantage of or even realized they had signed up for.
“Consumers who get signed up for Affinion’s programs never actually provide their credit card information and therefore don’t suspect that the company will immediately begin charging their credit card every month,” said Tim Burns, BBB spokesperson.
Some complainants were able to retrace their steps and find out how they were inadvertently signed up for membership services that resulted in the monthly charges. Typically, consumers had purchased items online – such as movie or airline tickets – from a reputable Web site. At some point in the transaction process, pop-up ads or chat boxes appeared offering incentives, such as $20 rebate cards for the Web site or claims like, “Click here for your 10% savings.”
Complainants allege they were signed up for unwanted services simply by clicking on pop-up ads or replying to chat windows, even though they ultimately declined the offers. Complainants never provided their credit card information to ads or chats because the company with which they had just made their online purchase had a pre-established agreement with Affinion Group to automatically transfer consumer information when they clicked on the ad or chat.
“Most complainants report to BBB that they have no idea how or why they were being charged and were extremely angry when they discovered how much money they had lost through affinity marketing practices,” added Burns. “Unfortunately many credit card holders are learning the hard way about the value of reviewing their statements and finances every month.”
BBB has also received complaints from consumers who knowingly signed up for the memberships or services – with the promise that they could cancel after a month and pay nothing – but then never received the promised rebate cards or other incentives, or were given the runaround when they tried to cancel their membership.
In 2006, 16 state Attorneys General (including Michigan) reached a settlement with Trilegiant Corp. and Chase Bank totaling $14.5 million, to resolve allegations that the two companies partnered to deceive consumers into paying for membership programs. According to BBB records, Trilegiant is now doing business as Affinion Group – but it’s the same business and same people continuing their pattern of misleading consumers by not making it clear when a consumer has purchased something.
For more information on Affinion Group and to see the more than 50 names the company is doing business as, see BBB’s reliability report online.
To find trustworthy businesses in thousands of industries, search BBB’s database of more than four million reports free-of-charge at www.bbb.org.
