“What you’re doing as a salesman, what we are doing is painting a picture. Soon as they pick up the phone, and I get on the phone with them, my hand is on the way. My hand goes, two hands go through that phone. One hand goes up to the wall and starts painting pictures, the other hand is in their checkbook . . . and writing it out.” [Transcript of conversation, used in trial of United States v. Leake (Southern District of California)]
This is the state of things. It’s appalling to think that such a “business” exists. Their sole purpose is to swindle and misrepresent. Just listen to this sound bite. The victim is having their emotions preyed upon. They think they are going to be giving to a charity, when in actuality the victims of this scheme will routinely received prizes of little or no value as thanks for paying hundreds and even thousands of dollars to what was represented to them as a legitimate charity. There are other scams where they will say you’ve won a large sum of money, but have to pay fees or taxes on it within a strict time frame in order to receive it. Don’t fall for it.
The FBI gives us some tips to avoid falling victim:
- Don’t pay for “free prizes”
- Never pay in advance
- It’s never rude to wait and think
- If you don’t under it, ask. If they don’t answer all questions or become hostile, don’t respond.
- Credit Card numbers, bank account numbers, dates of birth, & social security numbers are never given out over the phone. Ever.
- If it’s a charity, research it first. Don’t just go on what they say. And find out how much is paid in commission and how much actually gets to the charity. (It’s usually best just to find a charity yourself. There is a better chance of legitimacy.)
No one wants to get deceived. It’s like being made fun of, kicked in the nose, and being picked last in a game of third grade dodge ball all at the same time. Only in this case you also get to see your hard earned cash go to some crook in a headset.
Sites like KilltheCalls.com help to not only stop calls from these people, but also help us fight back. When these telemarketers step out of line, and often they do, you stand to benefit to the tune of $500 to $1500!
No tags
