Fort Bliss Monitor

Scam Alert

From Greg Abbott, Attorney General of Texas,
the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU and
the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Religious-based scam dupes thousands of investors

Investment frauds that take advantage of victims' religious or spiritual beliefs are rising dramatically. In some cases, investors are being promised sky-high returns, sold bogus promissory notes and are victims of the classic Ponzi scheme (continually soliciting new investors in order to make interest payments to previous investors).

Here's a new one. Recently the Associate Pressed reported that two people were convicted of running a religion-laced scam that duped more than 1,000 investors out or nearly $2 million by promising a cut of the late Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos' fortune. The criminals would lure the investors with pledges that $1,000 could become $1 million if a secret bank account was unlocked. They claimed to need the investments to cover document fees, travel expenses and bribes to Filipino officials. The criminals frequently quoted Scripture from the Bible and urged investors by e-mail to pray for the release of the funds.

Wise investors know to ask questions before investing their money. Are the claims made for the investment realistic? Some things are really too good to be true. Use common sense and get a professional, third-party opinion when presented with investment opportunities that offer unusually high returns in comparison to other investment options. Be particularly careful of investment offers that use religion and emotion as a reason to get you to invest your money.

Bankruptcy scam operators
can lock you out of your home

Are you having trouble making your mortgage payments? Are you facing foreclosure on your home? Get all the facts before you pay someone to help you work out your mortgage problems. Bankruptcy foreclosure scams are targeting consumers whose home mortgages are in trouble. Scam operators are advertising over the Internet and in local publications. They are even contacting consumers whose homes are listed in the foreclosure notices.

Homeowners have reported that fraudulent operators have promised to take care of their problem with their mortgage lender or to obtain refinancing for them. In some cases, consumers were told to make their mortgage payment directly to the fraudulent company. Some were even asked to hand over their property deed. Instead of contacting the homeowner's lender or refinancing their loan, the con artist pocketed all the money paid by the homeowner and then filed bankruptcy on behalf of the homeowner without the homeowner's knowledge.
Wise consumers know that a bankruptcy filing only stops a home foreclosure temporarily. If a bankruptcy is filed in your name but you do not participate in the case, the case can be dismissed by the judge and the foreclosure proceedings can continue. If this happens, you will lose the money you paid to the scam operator - and you could lose your house. If you are having trouble paying your mortgage, contact your lender or an attorney for assistance.

Home computer users
vulnerable to security attacks

If you think your home computer is safe from threats, think again! Millions of Americans are at risk - and are already infected - by viruses, spyware and adware, according to a recent study conducted by American Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance. The study revealed that nearly 80 percent of home computer users surveyed thought their computer was very or somewhat safe from online threats. However, nearly 70 percent of home computers did not have current antivirus software installed and 20 percent of computers were infected with a virus. Surprisingly, 15 percent of users reported having no antivirus software on their computers.

A large number of home computers (80 percent) were infected with some version of spyware, a software that monitors or controls a person's computer use, according to the researchers. Among the users of those computers, 88 percent did not know that their computer had such software running. The study showed that the average infected computer had 93 spyware or adware components. Almost all of the infected users (95 percent) said they never gave permission for the programs to be installed. While an overwhelmingly majority is infected, most users do not recognize the symptoms of spyware or adware.

For more information on the study, visit www.staysafeonline.info/news/safety_study_v04.pdf. For additional information on spyware and adware scams, go to www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/spywarealrt.htm.

Don’t ignore bogus billing

The Better Business Bureau urges consumers and businesses not to let the holiday rush prevent them from scrutinizing their billing statements and invoices.

Unscrupulous merchants may take advantage of this hectic time to attempt to cram bogus charges onto your telephone bills or credit card statements.

The BBB has been fielding inquiries and has received numerous complaints from consumers across the United States about a local firm that appears to be engaged in bogus billing practices. The complaints allege that a business called Premier Premium Communications has billed for Internet long distance calls to the United Kingdom that complainants claim not to have made. Other complainants allege the company is falsely billing for pay-per-view Web site access. Some of the charges appeared on people's local phone bills; other people were billed directly by PPC. Some consumers have reported they don't own a computer, or that their computer was not on at the time the call was made. The BBB has tried repeatedly to contact PPC at their 800 number; however the number is constantly busy.

Wise consumers know to be alert to invoices from this company or any other business with who they are not familiar with. Check your phone bill for unauthorized calls to the United Kingdom or other countries. And, be careful when responding to any "pop-up" advertisement that appears when you are on the Internet; by answering "yes" to such ads, you may unwittingly cause "dialer software" to download onto your computer.

Telephone scam targets bank customers

Someone claiming to be an officer of a local bank in the Massachusetts area is targeting older residents in the hope of obtaining their checking account number. In several cases, individuals were told by the caller that the bank owed them money due to a banking error, but for the money to be deposited into their account, they needed to validate the account number and check number. In some cases, victims claim the caller already possessed their checking account number.

Wise consumers should know that their bank will not call them to request information about their account. Banks already have your bank account information. Consumers are urged to never provide any information to individuals who call and claim they are with their bank. If you receive such a call, a red flag should immediately go up. Contact the bank or pay a visit to your nearby branch if you receive a questionable phone call about your account.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	January 20, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Scam Alert From Greg Abbott, Attorney General of Texas, the BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU and the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION Religious-based scam dupes thousands of investors Investment frauds that take advantage of victims' religious or spiritual beliefs are rising dramatically. In some cases, investors are being promised sky-high returns, sold bogus promissory notes and are victims of the classic Ponzi scheme (continually soliciting new investors in order to make interest payments to previous investors). Here's a new one. Recently the Associate Pressed reported that two people were convicted of running a religion-laced scam that duped more than 1,000 investors out or nearly $2 million by promising a cut of the late Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos' fortune. The criminals would lure the investors with pledges that $1,000 could become $1 million if a secret bank account was unlocked. They claimed to need the investments to cover document fees, travel expenses and bribes to Filipino officials. The criminals frequently quoted Scripture from the Bible and urged investors by e-mail to pray for the release of the funds. Wise investors know to ask questions before investing their money. Are the claims made for the investment realistic? Some things are really too good to be true. Use common sense and get a professional, third-party opinion when presented with investment opportunities that offer unusually high returns in comparison to other investment options. Be particularly careful of investment offers that use religion and emotion as a reason to get you to invest your money. Bankruptcy scam operators can lock you out of your home Are you having trouble making your mortgage payments? Are you facing foreclosure on your home? Get all the facts before you pay someone to help you work out your mortgage problems. Bankruptcy foreclosure scams are targeting consumers whose home mortgages are in trouble. Scam operators are advertising over the Internet and in local publications. They are even contacting consumers whose homes are listed in the foreclosure notices. Homeowners have reported that fraudulent operators have promised to take care of their problem with their mortgage lender or to obtain refinancing for them. In some cases, consumers were told to make their mortgage payment directly to the fraudulent company. Some were even asked to hand over their property deed. Instead of contacting the homeowner's lender or refinancing their loan, the con artist pocketed all the money paid by the homeowner and then filed bankruptcy on behalf of the homeowner without the homeowner's knowledge. Wise consumers know that a bankruptcy filing only stops a home foreclosure temporarily. If a bankruptcy is filed in your name but you do not participate in the case, the case can be dismissed by the judge and the foreclosure proceedings can continue. If this happens, you will lose the money you paid to the scam operator - and you could lose your house. If you are having trouble paying your mortgage, contact your lender or an attorney for assistance. Home computer users vulnerable to security attacks If you think your home computer is safe from threats, think again! Millions of Americans are at risk - and are already infected - by viruses, spyware and adware, according to a recent study conducted by American Online and the National Cyber Security Alliance. The study revealed that nearly 80 percent of home computer users surveyed thought their computer was very or somewhat safe from online threats. However, nearly 70 percent of home computers did not have current antivirus software installed and 20 percent of computers were infected with a virus. Surprisingly, 15 percent of users reported having no antivirus software on their computers. A large number of home computers (80 percent) were infected with some version of spyware, a software that monitors or controls a person's computer use, according to the researchers. Among the users of those computers, 88 percent did not know that their computer had such software running. The study showed that the average infected computer had 93 spyware or adware components. Almost all of the infected users (95 percent) said they never gave permission for the programs to be installed. While an overwhelmingly majority is infected, most users do not recognize the symptoms of spyware or adware. For more information on the study, visit www.staysafeonline.info/news/safety_study_v04.pdf. For additional information on spyware and adware scams, go to www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/spywarealrt.htm. Don’t ignore bogus billing The Better Business Bureau urges consumers and businesses not to let the holiday rush prevent them from scrutinizing their billing statements and invoices. Unscrupulous merchants may take advantage of this hectic time to attempt to cram bogus charges onto your telephone bills or credit card statements. The BBB has been fielding inquiries and has received numerous complaints from consumers across the United States about a local firm that appears to be engaged in bogus billing practices. The complaints allege that a business called Premier Premium Communications has billed for Internet long distance calls to the United Kingdom that complainants claim not to have made. Other complainants allege the company is falsely billing for pay-per-view Web site access. Some of the charges appeared on people's local phone bills; other people were billed directly by PPC. Some consumers have reported they don't own a computer, or that their computer was not on at the time the call was made. The BBB has tried repeatedly to contact PPC at their 800 number; however the number is constantly busy. Wise consumers know to be alert to invoices from this company or any other business with who they are not familiar with. Check your phone bill for unauthorized calls to the United Kingdom or other countries. And, be careful when responding to any "pop-up" advertisement that appears when you are on the Internet; by answering "yes" to such ads, you may unwittingly cause "dialer software" to download onto your computer. Telephone scam targets bank customers Someone claiming to be an officer of a local bank in the Massachusetts area is targeting older residents in the hope of obtaining their checking account number. In several cases, individuals were told by the caller that the bank owed them money due to a banking error, but for the money to be deposited into their account, they needed to validate the account number and check number. In some cases, victims claim the caller already possessed their checking account number. Wise consumers should know that their bank will not call them to request information about their account. Banks already have your bank account information. Consumers are urged to never provide any information to individuals who call and claim they are with their bank. If you receive such a call, a red flag should immediately go up. Contact the bank or pay a visit to your nearby branch if you receive a questionable phone call about your account.