This one of the offers you might get by phone today. The FTC says that Phoenix-based telemarketers bilked consumers out of millions with fake promises of free grant money and internet business opportunities.
SCAM:
The caller says he represents Amazon and is offering you a website that will bring you thousands of dollars in commissions when people use it to link to Amazon.com and make purchases. The caller says you need to pay fees — ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars — but that you’ll earn your money back, and more, in 'no time'.
When the call comes, you will be talking to someone highly skilled and you won't feel like it is a scam. The caller will understand how persuading people for profit is not about a "hard sale" but instead is about listening and "feeding dreams".
The good news:
In a complaint announced today, the FTC says a Phoenix-based telemarketing operation bilked consumers out of millions of dollars with these scams. The complaint named three people and five companies as defendants. At the FTC’s request, a federal court froze the defendants’ assets and put a receiver in charge of the companies, ensuring no one else loses money.
The mark:
Wishes float around in the heads of people sitting next to you. (Maybe yours?) "I wish I could easily supplement my income." "I wish I could quit my job and make money on the Internet." "I wish I could make passive income with little or no work while sitting on the beach."
These wishes lead to others (not you!) to trust con artists, predators and scammers. This can be ESPECIALLY true for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs who like to believe "anything is possible".
They say...
In the case previously mentioned, the FTC says the defendants used official-sounding names like Federal Government Grant Assistance Center, US Federal Grant Department, Amazon.com Associates Program, and Amazon Affiliate Program for their scheme.The FTC says that they often embellished the grant scheme by posing as government officials. According to the FTC, people who paid did not receive any grants or commissions and the defendants ignored their requests for refunds.
Here are tips for avoiding grant and internet business scams. Remember, if you suspect a fraud, please file a complaint with the FTC.
