STAYING SAFE — “America’s Crime Prevention Column”
with
Bruce Mandelblit
America is in the grip of the worst economic situation since the Great Depression. With unemployment rates on the rise, many households are struggling with mountains of debt, including “underwater” mortgages, expensive car loans, as well as credit cards maxed-out well beyond their limits.
In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, American household debt is at a near record of 122% of deposable income, and unemployment is likely heading to a national average of 10%.
Given these hard economic times, you can bet that there will be cold-hearted crooks and nasty scam-artists just waiting to take advantage of cash-strapped individuals and their families.
One of the latest and most popular rip-offs going on today is the so-called “Debt Elimination Scam”.
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICCC), here is how the debt elimination scam works:
Debt elimination schemes generally involve websites advertising a “legal way” to dispose of mortgage loans and credit card debts. Most often, all that is required of the participant is to send $1,500 to $2,000 to the subject, along with all the particulars of the participant’s loan information and a special power of attorney authorizing the subject to enter into transactions regarding the title of the participant’s homes on their behalf.
The subject then issues bonds and promissory notes to the lenders that purport to legally satisfy the debts of the participant. In exchange, the participant is then required to pay a certain percentage of the value of the satisfied debts to the subject.
Quick Security Tip: The potential risk of identity theft related crimes associated with the debt elimination scheme is extremely high because the participants provide all of their personal information to the subject.
So what can you do to help prevent becoming a victim of the debt elimination scam?
Here are some debt elimination scam prevention tips and ideas provided by the ICCC:
1 — Know who you are doing business with — do your research.
2 — Obtain the name, address, and telephone number of the individual or company.
3 — Research the individual or company to ensure they are authentic.
4 — Contact the Better Business Bureau to determine the legitimacy of the company.
5 — Be cautious when dealing with individuals outside of your own country.
6 — Ensure you understand all terms and conditions of any agreement.
7 — Be wary of businesses that operate from P.O. boxes or maildrops.
8 — Ask for names of other customers of the individual or company and contact them.
9 — If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
If you think you have been the victim of a debt elimination scam, contact your local law enforcement agency and file a complaint with the ICCC.
For more information debt elimination scams and prevention tips, go to the ICCC website at ic3.gov.
My Final Thoughts: Although there are many legitmate agencies and organizations that may be able to help folks with their debt problems, there are, unfortunately, some evil criminal thugs that are just trying to take advantage of already suffering people.
Be sure to take the time to properly research and locate any legitmate agencies and organizations in your community that might be able to truly help you with managing your debts.
Don’t let these debt elinimation scheme rip-off artists make an already tough money situation even worse.
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Copyright 2009 by Bruce Mandelblit
Bruce is a nationally known security and safety journalist, as well as a recently retired, highly decorated reserve law enforcement officer.
Bruce blogs on www.CrimeZilla.com.
This column is provided for general information purposes only. Please check with your local law enforcement agency and legal professional for information specific to you and your jurisdiction.
The information in this article is provided “as is”, with all faults, expressed or implied. The author and/or publisher and/or copyright holder makes no guarantee regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information. In no event shall the author and/or publisher and/or copyright holder be liable for any incidental or consequential damages, punitive damages, lost profits, and/or any indirect damages.
