Two new fraud alerts:
1) door-to-door salespeople - The Henderson County Sheriff's Department is reporting that a trio of door-to-door salespeople may be engaging in distraction thefts once they enter victims' homes. According to a story in this morning's Asheville Citizen-Times, the thieves claim to be selling linoleum flooring. A male and a female ask to enter the house so that they might evaluate the flooring in the kitchen. Once they are inside the kitchen with the home owner, a second male secretly enters the home and steals valuables from the other rooms.
2. telemarketing advance fee loans - The North Carolina Attorney General's Telemarketing Fraud Prevention Unit has learned that classified ads are being placed throughout the United States for "advance fee loans" by a company using the name and address as follows:
Real Time Referral's Group
6125 Belfield Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19144
866-870-0026 Phone
866-544-7541 Fax
Sarah McDonald is the individual attempting to place the ad, which reads as follows:
"Start the New Year Debt Free! Small and Major business loans, Debt Consolidation Personal Loans, Mortgages/ Refinancing options. Must be employed to inquire. 48 hour response time on all applications. Bad credit is not a problem. No application fees! Call Toll free 1-800-870-0026."
Based on information obtained by this office, investigators have determined that the toll free number provided by the advertiser is assigned to Startech Canada and rings in Canada.
The company's main pitch to consumers, that it will provide loans to consumers once they have paid a fee in advance, appears to be false. In addition, Real Time Referral's Group is not licensed to provide loans to NC consumers.
Our office urges you to exercise caution in deciding whether to run this advertisement. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dorothy Strickland at 919-716-6000. |
Fraud Alert: Medical Discount Vouchers Scam
The Colorado Attorney General is warning his counterparts in other states that Colorado seniors are being called by scam artists posing as state health department officials. The callers contact public benefits recipients and assert that the state wants to deliver medical discount vouchers to them. The callers possess the consumer's name and address, the name of their banking institution and the routing number for that banking institution. They ask the consumer to "verify" their identity by reciting their checking account numbers. They call back repeatedly if the consumer does not provide the requested information.
According to the warning, background noise audible during the calls suggests a busy call center. The callers can be very rude and insistent.
Federal agencies have received similar complaints from consumers in several states, including TX, VA, PA and OK. In each case, the name used is of that state's Health Department while the content of the call is the same. No calls have been reported in NC yet. |
