If there's one truism about people falling upon hard times, it's that there are other people ready and willing to make their times even harder in order to reap a profit for themselves.

Take the case of payday borrowers, who have to be in pretty dire straits to resort to a payday loan in the first place. Though payday lenders in general tend to generate complaints to the Bureau, many (at least 80 to date, most since early May) payday borrowers are complaining about Crime Monitoring Division (CMD) and the several other names it uses in particular. The company has offices in Anaheim and Los Angeles. Complainants from all over the country report that they receive phone calls from them, often at work or on their cell phone, telling them they owe money for a payday loan they made previously but never repaid.

Some complainants admit that they owe a payday loan debt, others d...Click to view full post

Here's the catch: Dream Scholars Foundation (DSF), of Temecula, telemarkets SAT/ACT/PSAT preparation software for a $155 “donation.” Those who buy the software encounter problems more difficult to solve than any on the tests themselves, and both their pocketbooks and tempers come out sorely tested in the process. They undoubtedly give DSF an “F” grade, as we do.

Dream Scholars Foundation, known until early this year as Scholarship Fund America (SFA), telemarkets parents of students soon to take college prep exams to market their products. Their usual pitch is to say that the person's son or daughter indicated an interest in their materials, and the parent agrees to order and pay for them.

For $225, according to their website, they will throw in additional software such as Language Arts and advanced math programs, 30 days' access to their “award-winning” interactive on-...Click to view full post

You probably know the census drill by now: you fill out and mail back the form or someone calls on you at your home (at least if you repeatedly ignore requests for written information) to ask you questions about yourself and your family. But do you know where to draw the line in answering their questions?

It's important that you do, because scam artists aren't going to miss an opportunity to enrich themselves at your expense.

So if you're asked such questions as your name, age, gender, race, ethnic origin, marital status, whether you have a second home, for example, it's okay to give them that information. In fact, you must do it.

A certain number of people will also be asked for more detailed information. But if you're asked for personal information such as your Social Security, bank account, or credit card number, beware. Also don't accept any request for or ...Click to view full post

During these challenging economic times, consumers are spending their money with care and relying more than ever on the Bureau's Reliability Reports to help them decide where to spend their money. Companies are also looking for effective and economical ways in which to advertise. Our improved Reliability Reports are filling the needs of both businesses and consumers alike.

Now when a consumer checks out your business it will be easier for them to find out more about your company because:

• The business description has been enhanced and is now linkable from TrustLink.
• The rating is now more prominently displayed
• You can list your store hours
• There is a lot more space for promotional information, allowing you to post items such as money-saving coupons, in the advertisement section
• The pictures of your company, logo, and produc...Click to view full post

Did June's skyrocket catch your eye, as it did ours? We're talking about the 575,700 reliability reports we gave out during June – a record 73-plus percent increase over May!

Why? Possibly because consumers look even more to the Bureau's reliability reports when the economy is stagnant and mon proven to be true in past economic downturns.

Or possibly because scams continue to proliferate according to what's happening in the marketplace and how consumers can best be taken advantage of. That's also true, but not new, either.

More likely, we think, is that TrustLink deserves a lot of the credit. All you have to do is take a look at our newly-designed reliability reports to see that TrustLink is right there, front and center, to take you beyond what the report contains.

You're likely getting your fair share of the increased consumer inquiries, and maybe you...Click to view full post

Here's the catch: 200cash.com's loans may seem like a godsend to those who have no other source of a few dollars to smooth out the road to payday. But that bumpy road becomes a high-speed feeway for borrowers who anticipate loan proceeds and instead get stung with application fees, other unexpected fees, and bank charges for overdrafts. What they never get are loan proceeds or communication from the company.

For the company, reaping fees from their customers, every day is payday. 200cash.com’s website, from where they market their payday loans, promises “$200 cash overnight” (although elsewhere they do offer loans of $100 to $300). “Virtually anyone can qualify,” they say, “even with no credit, bad credit or bankruptcy.”

The company, located in Wilmington, Delaware, says it will deposit your loan proceeds into your bank account the day after they receive your a...Click to view full post

Bureau President Bill Mitchell is one lucky man. Just this morning, he received an email from Emma Kanga, from Abidjan (known as the Paris of West Africa), Cote d’ Ivoire, Africa.

Addressing him as “Dearest one,” the 20-year-old Miss Kanga tells of the torture and murder of her parents for supporting the Zimbabwe Movement for Democratic Change against President Mugabe. She tells of running away (presumably grabbing her laptop on her way out) to an asylum camp in Cote d’ Ivoire. And she says that before their perhaps not entirely unexpected fate, her generous parents deposited a box containing $9.5 million U.S. for her.

So why is she emailing from her asylum camp? Because, although she says she has all the documents necessary to back her claim for the money her parents left her, she needs help in claiming it. Though she doesn’t specify just how or from whom, she ...Click to view full post

If it’s generally accepted as true that you get what you pay for, at least some customers of International Business Interiors know that that’s not always true. The San Diego furniture company, which has done business under at least six other names and at least two San Diego locations, has been the subject of five complaints to the Southland Bureau about office furniture ordered and at least partially paid for, but never received.

From these complaints, it would seem that IBI makes the initial contacts to businesses. But once a contract is signed, deliveries, as well as such other accoutrements as communication, customer service, and pretty much all else that you might expect from a reputable business, are all invisible.

Joe Motz, Systems Administrator for Teris, a litigation support company, made a down payment of just under $7,500 for furniture for his company...Click to view full post

First launched in June 2008, TrustLink has attracted registrations, business “storefronts,” and users, all of which have increased not by hundreds of percentage points, but by thousands. Here are the impressive statistics: As of the end of March this year, upwards of 9,300 registrations (an increase of 3,221 percent over those as of October 31, 2008) have been submitted; almost 1,400 business storefronts (an increase of 4,937 percent over those in October) have been started up; and just under 435,000 visitors have accessed the TrustLink site since mid-October.

New company records created by reviewers themselves are climbing steadily, and more customer reviews are being posted daily.

Remember, TrustLink offers a number of benefits to members:

• Showcase your business and products on the TrustLink website according to your wishes ...Click to view full post

Accredited businesses may be overlooking a source of customers made available through TrustLink. If you’re an accredited business with your email address on file with us, you can sit back and wait for at least some of your business to come to you.

Here’s how it works: When consumers need a product or service and want to find a trustworthy business to fill their need, they complete a simple online form that’s automatically emailed to all BBB-accredited businesses in matching categories. The consumer can use T-Quote to get information, estimates, or proposals. The business receiving the email can the contact the customer by phone or email and proceed with the sale.

It’s a free referral for a business, and it’s a fitting complement to the free advertising your TrustLink storefront gives you.

If you haven’t provided us your email address yet, you could be...Click to view full post