Know Your Scams Well, My Child

[Bob Maxey]

Grab a few old cellphone bills and take a look at this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9MQAfh-bCE&feature=player_embedded

Bob

 

[Jammy]

A 38 page bill?!

I get this emailed to me each month:

If I click "look at your bill here", I get this:

 

[Njcellgeek74]

My oldest son did that once. I now have a block on all my lines to prevent it. Fortunately I caught it the 1st month because I'm anal retentive about my bill. It usually is tied to the "free ringtones" sites.

 

[Tempusfugit]

Know your scams well indeed. Jason Hope IS a scammer:

Verizon complaint

However, the youtube poster isn't 100% accurate. He did sign up for a service on a website. He did reply with a pin number to a text message. There were deceptive practices, and the price probably wasn't displayed according to standards, making it a scam. They also used false addresses, and used code to redirect auditors to legit sites -BUT the youtube guy was looking for something free in the scamtastic world of text message services.

I would suggest you DON'T REPLY to any random texts, the text message he described is not how he got the charges, there is more to the story. Even At&t would shut it down if there wasn't actually a double opt in - original sign up through website or text(first opt in) and then entering a received pin again through text or website(second opt in)

 

[Martimus]

There was an article in the Arizona Republic newspaper the other day about the law suits against Jason Hope and Jawa...

Scottsdale firm accused of texting scam

Both Verizon and the Texas AG's office have filed against Jawa...

 

[Crude]

I love the reference to ATT's code of business conduct. Where I work they have OUR code hanging all over so I know it well. One of the words used in this code to describe my companies dealings with it's customers and employees is "integrity".

Interestingly enough in the last 3 years I know of 3 lawsuits brought against the company that we lost. Also there have been several instances where the company fired some one, then fought against unemployment benefits and lost on grounds of lying or cheating.


I have to assume the code is a joke or some one doesn't understand the word "integrity".

 

[sevenstars]

...

 

[Gmash]

Wow...just...wow. I knew that text scams were common, but I wasn't aware that they were so extensive and how complicit, and even cooperative some companies are. Kudos to Verizon for suing them! They rip me off every month, I don't need them helping others to do so!

Do you really want to give kudos to verizon for allowing these scammers to use their network and billing system, taking half of the money, then suing them when it becomes public? These are scum among scum, I can't tell which one is worse.

 

[sevenstars]

...

 

[dan330]

that is nutz!

i will have to look closer at my bill.

 

[Gmash]

No, I am giving kudos to verizon for suing them. I am sure it wasn't from any noble intentions. More likely, they were pissed off that they were getting a ton of complaints and lost man-hours (thus money)due to staff having to answer questions, handle complaints, adjust bills, etc. I've never had an issue with any of these scammers simply because I don't reply. If vzw did start charging me for NOT replying to something, like AT&T is apparently doing, they would have no choice but to adjust my bill because even big companies realize that lawyers cost a LOT more than $9.99/month. Don't get me wrong, I am not a "proud verizon customer" (although I am loving this LTE), I am just a customer. Believe me when I tell you that I would love to jump ship to another carrier for a lower bill. I simply can't because I often have to travel to obscure places, and vzw has proven the most reliable for me.
I don't want anyone thinking that I am a "carrier fanboy" (which I always failed to understand), or that Verizon is a noble company with only their customer's best interests at heart. That would be silly.
Besides, judging from the video, it looked like AT&T was a heck of a lot more guilty of being complicit than vzw. At least Big Red was suing them (for whatever reason).

I didn't mean to sound like I was attacking you. Sorry if you took it that way. These big corporations just piss me off with their lack of accountability. They do whatever they want until enough people cry foul, then they buy their way out of it or blame somebody else.

 

[sevenstars]

...

 

[Outlaw71]

I'm trying to figure out my own scam so I can build a 2,000,000 sq ft home in Arizon that will include an indoor airport, a live volcano & Jason Hopes house so that I can charge him parking at a rate of 100 million dollars per vehicle, per day.

Any ideas?

 

[sevenstars]

...

 

[jamor]

It's not a hard scam to pull off.

You just make a colorful TV commercial saying to kids:

"Text your name and sex, and we will text back your Jersey Shore Guido nick name!! You will be soo coool!"

Then in small, unreadable font that flashes on the TV for 1 second, you write "This automatically enrolls you in a monthly plan for 9.99 a month. Must text stop to cancel."

 

[shawn1224]

I had this happen to me once but noticed the charge immediately on my bill and had T-Mobile refund it. Your best bet is to just stay away from those free "whatever" sites. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

 

[Outlaw71]

Yes, well I've come to the conclusion that my scam...... er, excuse me, I mean my new 'service', will be selling 'Catastrophic' insurance to anyone with a cell phone. And it will automatically appear on everyones phone bill at the mere cost of $1.99 per month. When they call in to inquire about this new insurance charge on their bill, the service providers will be instructed to tell the customer that my new insurance provision covers their phone 100% in the event of a catastrophic occurance. There is no charge for the replacement phone, and if their device is 3 months or older, the next 'latest and greatest' model device on their particular company (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, etc...) will be shipped same day shipping in its place.

This will lull the unsuspecting customer to compliance with the incredibly cheap cost of the insurance. However when it comes time to actually make a claim on the insurance, the fine print will then be presented entailing that the catastrophic premise that this particular plan insures its customers against is any and all events in which their cellular device becomes abducted by aliens.

Naturally a police report is necessary proving that their device was in fact beemed up aboard a mother ship of an alien race from another dimension via a 'lighter shade of pale' ray (not the typical BRIGHT white ray you see in most movies). But the perpetrators can't be the little green men who usually pull off such pranks. That is far too common place (and should already be covered in your normal insurance policy). Catastrophic insurance only covers those devices that have been reposessed by yellow and purple plaid creatures flying around in a giant, wooden craft in the shape of a statue very closely resembling Ronald Regan.

So long as all of those facts are included in the disposition signed by the local police department, the state senator, my fifth grade teacher (who is dead if I'm not mistaken), and the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms... then they shall recieve their upgraded phone later that very day. Guaranteed! And under the finer, fine print it will state that if they don't recieve their new device later that same day, then they will instead be refunded their $1.99 cents.







.... but only the last 3 months worth. They can't expect me to refund ALL of their money. That would be preposterous!