Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning sports fans to be extremely cautious when doing business with Ex Sport Group, a Missouri ticket broker that apparently took $5,200 from a Rhode Island man but never delivered promised tickets to this year’s Super Bowl.

“I was destroyed,” said the retired businessman, a New England Patriots fan. He said he has tried to contact the company’s owner, Wendell Southerland, without success.  He said dozens of phone calls, emails and text messages were unanswered. “Words cannot describe the anger and frustration,” he said.

The case is among several across the country in which football fans say they were duped by Craigslist ads for Super Bowl tickets. Two friends from Boston said they paid a broker $2,800 for two tickets after seeing an ad on the website. The tickets turned out to be counterfeit.  An Indianapolis woman told police she was cheated out of $2,000 when four tickets advertised on Craigslist were never delivered.

Last fall, BBB warned consumers about World Series ticket scams involving Craigslist and other websites.  And earlier this month, an Ohio couple was sentenced to prison for using Craigslist to steal more than $200,000 from hundreds of victims for nonexistent tickets to the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and numerous concerts.

In the Ex Sport Group case, the Rhode Island businessman said he sent payment for the tickets via FedEx and arranged to meet Southerland in an Indianapolis hotel lobby on the Friday before the Feb. 5 Super Bowl, but Southerland never appeared.  The fan, who had flown to Indianapolis with his son, said he spent thousands more for replacement tickets to the game.

The man said he had seen Southerland’s ad for Super Bowl ticket and hotel packages on Craigslist and was suspicious of the offer at first.  But Southerland convinced him through emails and phone calls that the ticket packages were legitimate.  Southerland pointed out that Ex Sport Group was registered with the Missouri secretary of state.

BBB tried several times to contact Southerland, with no success.  Recently, BBB representatives visited Southerland’s home on Jackson Street in Vinita Park, Mo.  A resident of the house acknowledged that Southerland worked as a sports ticket seller, but said he was not at home. Southerland did not respond to a BBB request for information left at the home.

Kim States, BBB President, said that consumers who pay unfamiliar, third-party brokers for tickets may end up with nothing.  “If you don’t know them and haven’t heard of them, you probably shouldn’t trust them,” she said.

The Patriots fan said the experience ruined what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime event. He said a text message he sent to Southerland summed up his frustration: “How can you do this to my son and me?”

The Missouri secretary of state shows that Ex Sport Group was registered in June 2008.  Southerland is (more…)

Consumers nationwide, including Tucson, are reporting a new round of phishing email scams using the BBB name and email address. Some of the new emails appear to be targeting accountants.

Consumers report that many of the latest scam emails use a BBB.org email address in conjunction with the American Institute of CPAs logo and name. The message informs recipients that their CPA license is being terminated due to tax fraud allegations and encourages them to click on a link and reply to the charges. The link leads to a third party website that downloads a virus on to the recipient’s computer.

Other scam emails appear to come from a fake BBB employee claiming that the recipient needs to review a complaint that has been filed against them, and advise BBB of their position. From there, the email appears to direct the recipient to the BBB website, but actually directs them to a fraudulent outside link.
This email scam primarily targets accountants, but BBB has received reports of other professionals receiving the emails.

Steps to take:

• Do not reply or click on the link in the email
• Forward fake BBB emails to phishing@council.bbb.org
• Delete the email
• I you clicked on any of the links run a virus scan on your computer

This is the latest iteration in a recent outbreak of scams using the BBB name. For more information about other versions of the scam, please see the following articles:

• Scammers Pick Up the Phone in New Twist on BBB Phishing Scam
• Watch Out for New Wave of Fake BBB.org Emails
• Malicious Complaint Email Claiming It’s From BBB

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning of advanced fee loan company, Billerica Financial, allegedly located in Auburn Massachusetts. BBB was made aware of Billerica Financial after consumers contacted BBB to inquire about Billerica Financial’s business practices.

Billerica Financial, which markets itself nationwide, offers personal loans for an upfront fee of over $800, with no request for verification of ID, date of birth, social security number, or any type of collateral. BBB attempted to contact Billerica Financial by phone and by mail to inquire about the business. The company provided no response.

The business website states their address is 48 Sword Street in Auburn MA. This address is occupied by an unrelated legitimate business. Billerica Financial is not licensed by the Massachusetts Division of Banking, or by any other state, to disperse loans, as is required by law

BBB recommends that consumers shopping for a loan look for the following red flags of an advance-fee loan scam:

Red Flags: Be wary of:

• Guaranteed approval. It’s a warning sign if the company promises loan approval before the borrower applies.
• Pressure to act immediately. Advance fee loan schemers will try to get consumers to send money or give out personal information (bank account information, credit card and Social Security numbers) before providing any paperwork.
• Hidden fees. Be suspicious if the lender understates loan costs or won’t provide a written summary of all fees associated with the loan.
• Evasive tactics. Be wary if a company refuses to provide location information. If they hesitate to reveal their physical location, it is usually a ploy to avoid law enforcement detection.
• Internet lenders. When applying for loans online, the consumer may have to fill out a detailed application; providing bank account information and other personal details. If the lender does not abide by strict privacy policies or fails to secure their website, identity theft risks abound. Additionally, some internet lenders may attempt to bypass state usury, licensing and consumer protection laws by residing in states with lax regulations or outside the U.S.
• The lender is not registered in your state to do business. Check with the state’s financial or banking regulators.
• The lender asks you to wire money or send a money order before you can receive the loan. You might be asked to wire money to another country. Consider this a giant red flag.

The BBB recommends the following tips when shopping for a loan:

BBB Tips:

• Don’t buy into bogus loan promises. If a loan offer is made and you must pay to get access to the funds, it is a scam. It is illegal for telemarketing loan providers to offer a loan and require an upfront payment before it is issued.
• Never wire money or send money orders to obtain a loan. Legitimate lenders won’t pressure you to wire funds. Never send funds to a third party.
• Be wary of loan approval or financing guarantees. Be suspicious of any lender that pre-approves loans or financing without checking your credit status or contacting references—especially if you have bad credit or no credit record. (more…)