Since 2007 Enrique Maciel, Operations Manager at Your Better Business Bureau, has been helping businesses and consumers settle disputes with one another. In addition to being in charge of all the complaints coming through BBB, Enrique teaches consumer related classes to service men and women, among other responsibilities.

Watch the video below to learn more about Enrique, and the job he does here at Your Better Business Bureau.

Better Business Bureau and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division (AGED) are warning consumers that online thieves have found a new method of siphoning cash from them: Green Dot MoneyPaks. MoneyPaks, which are sold in stores throughout the U.S., are reloadable debit cards normally used to make same-day payments or add money to prepaid cards or PayPal accounts. In recent weeks, both BBB and the DPS have noted a significant increase in schemes where scammers either tried to solicit – or were able to collect – payments via MoneyPak for merchandise, advance fee loans or sweepstakes prizes that all proved to be fraudulent or nonexistent.

“Both of our agencies are noticing that more and more scammers are moving away from seeking payments via wire transfer and instead asking consumers to give them money via MoneyPaks,” said Kim States, BBB President. “We feel this is likely due to the fact this form of payment is quite convenient – for both consumers and scammers – and untraceable.

BBB and DPS say any website requesting payment via a MoneyPak is likely a scam. They also say people should be very cautious when using MoneyPaks to pay companies or individuals they don’t know, and want people to understand that once they load a MoneyPak with funds, anyone they share the number of that card with will also have access to those funds.

Bill White, an agent with AGED, says fraudsters will convince consumers to put money into their MoneyPak card, get them to share its serial number, and then the scammers empty the card of funds, leaving consumers empty-handed.

“These scammers are smart and are extremely effective at gaining trust of their victims and convincing them they’ve won a prize,” says White. “The base rule to avoid being scammed is to understand that (more…)

Despite rising public awareness of problems in the nation’s vehicle service contract industry, consumers continue to tell Better Business Bureau they feel tricked by misleading advertising or duped into spending thousands of dollars for contracts with little or no value.

Typical is a complaint received last month from a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., consumer: “I pay on time and follow all terms of the policy but they won’t cover anything.”

Another consumer, from South Holland, Ill., made a similar claim last month: The company has “fraudulently taken my money with no thought of ever (paying for repairs).”

A consumer from Ladson, S.C., who said she received a misleading mailer from a vehicle service marketer in April, was more blunt: “These guys were slime.”

BBB suggests caution to consumers who may be considering purchasing a vehicle service contract.

In the past 12 months, the BBB has received nearly 800 complaints involving 24 auto service contract companies in the St. Louis area.  While now-defunct US Fidelis has received the biggest number of complaints – 200—three other firms have received at least 60 complaints during the 12 months. Those companies are:

• National Dealers Warranty, doing business under the name Stop Repair Bills, of St. Peters, Mo. Consumers have filed 187 complaints and reports about this company during the 12-month period and 523 in the past 36 months.
• Service Protection Direct or Protection Direct with headquarters in downtown St. Louis. Consumers have filed 76 complaints and reports about the company in the 12-month period and 298 in the past 36 months.
• Car Safe or Dealer Preferred Warranties, of St. Charles, Mo. The company has been the focus of 68 consumer complaints over the 12 months and 167 in the past 36 months.

Each of these businesses has an “F” grade with BBB, the lowest grade possible and all have been the (more…)