Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning potential investors to be on the alert for unsolicited phone calls from salespeople offering to set them up with web-based stores or other Internet business ventures.

Consumers nationwide say they lost hundreds or thousands of dollars to telemarketers who took their credit card information in exchange for promises of future business income. Many complaints involve companies based in or near Phoenix. The businesses include Web Media, Web Media Blogging, ITech Financial Group, Web Media Malls and UPG Marketing.

An attorney in the consumer protection division of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office called the Phoenix region “the Silicon Valley” for Internet investment schemes. She said complainants often claim to have lost $40,000, $50,000 or more.

Kim States, BBB President, said the companies typically prey on seniors and the unemployed, who may be vulnerable to high-pressure sales pitches.

“These callers can be very convincing,” States said.  “They know exactly what buttons to push to get (more…)

As Tucson’s unemployment rate hovers around 8.5 percent, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is warning consumers of three Tucson-based work-from-home companies that are soliciting consumers with questionable offers for employment.

BBB received a complaint against one company, Sweet Success Publications, in which a Maryland consumer, Mary Norris, said that she sent the company $30 for a list of residences she would be paid to mail letters too, but never received a product list, and was not able to get a refund.

“They sent a letter griping at me for contacting the BBB, and told me they had a no-refund policy,” Norris said. “I don’t see how a company can tell you they have a no-refund policy if you never even receive a product to return.”

Sweet Success Publications lists a Tucson P.O. Box numbered 35083, but BBB is not aware of a phone number or a physical address for the company.

Another company, Radall Co. located at 6336 N. Oracle Rd, claims consumers can earn up to $500 per-week in their “spare time” by painting toys at home, and a third company, Home Employment Agency, claims consumers can be paid for selecting products off a list and posting them on eBay.

“A lot of people are desperate for work and this creates a great opportunity for scammers,” said Kim States, BBB President. “It’s important for consumers to thoroughly research any potential work-at-home job opportunity, especially before sending money or handing over personal information.”

BBB recommends looking out for the following red flags when searching for a job:

Red Flag: The employer offers the opportunity to become rich without leaving home
While many legitimate businesses allow employees to work from home, there are also a lot of scammers trying to take advantage of senior citizens, stay-at-home moms, students and others looking to make money conveniently from home. Job hunters should use extreme caution when considering a work-at-home offer and always research the company with their BBB first www.tucson.bbb.org.

Red Flag: The employer asks for money upfront
It is rarely advisable for an applicant to pay upfront fees or make a required purchase to get a job. BBB often hears from job hunters who paid a phony employer for background checks, training for jobs that don’t exist, or for “kits” that are required to perform the work. Always research the job thoroughly (more…)

Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be wary of free trial offers online for diet pills, work at home jobs and teeth whiteners among other products and services. In this year alone, BBB has received thousands of complaints from consumers across the country who thought they were getting a free trial, but ended up losing hundreds of dollars in recurring credit or debit card charges.

Ubiquitous, deceptive online ads for “free trials” of various products and services can be found on popular sites like MSN.com, ESPN.com, and Weather.com. Often the ads link to websites of phony news outlets which, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, commonly feature the photo of a well-known French journalist—without her permission—under various names.

“Fighting deceptive free trial offers seems insurmountable at times,” said Kim States, BBB President. “Just as soon as one company is put out of business it’s replaced by another with the same model of ripping consumers off under the guise of a no-risk, free trial offer.”

One company behind these not-so-free trials is XM Brands which has an F rating with BBB. According to the nearly 2,000 complaints to the West Palm Beach BBB, the company sells roughly 40 teeth whiteners, acai diet pills and colon cleansers online.  Complainants say they agreed to pay anywhere from $1.49 to $3.87 to cover shipping for the product trial but were (more…)