Still More Scam Alerts
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Gary [email protected]
First, the Hoosier State Press Association is asking newspapers to warn readers that con artists are using classified advertising, especially online classified advertising, to defraud our readers.
Here's how it works.
The con gets the phone number of somebody who has placed an item for sale in the newspaper's classifieds, which the newspaper then posts to the Web site.
The con then contacts the individual, using a telephone relay service created for the deaf. This, according to authorities, makes the call untraceable.
The con agrees to purchase the item and then sends a counterfeit money order or check for an amount much more than the selling price of the item, playing it off as a mistake.
To rectify the situation, the person selling the item is instructed to write a check or provide a money order for the difference and ship it along with the purchased item.
A second scam was brought to my attention by Michael Bergen of Alderfer Bergen &
Co. Retirement Planning here in Warsaw.
One of their clients received a very official and legitimate-looking bogus check for $3,500.
A cover letter from the global services office of an actual law firm in Los Angles, Latham & Watkins LLP, states, "We are pleased to inform you that you are one of the third category winners of lottery draw held on 25th January 2007." (The halting grammar is actual.)
Ironically, or maybe as an intentional gaffe by the scammers, Latham, according to its Web site, "aggressively defends corporations and their employees in high stakes litigation involving charges of business crime, securities fraud, false claims, computer crime and theft of trade secrets, health care fraud and abuse and environmental crimes."
Latham is more than a little upset by its name being bandied about by these crooks.
Anyway, the letter:
"Your ticket with reference number 684753995 drew the lucky winning numbers. You are therefore entitled to the sum of US $250,000 payable to you by bank draft, money order or Certified check.
"Enclosed is a check of $3,500 to help pay for the Clearance Fee/Tax.
"The purpose of the check is for the payment of the Clearance Fee/Tax and other miscellaneous charges. The Clearance Fee/Tax amount is US $2,700.00."
So what you're supposed to do is deposit the $3,500 in your account and send them a check for the $2,700 Clearance Fee/Tax. You can keep the change for your trouble.
Of course, the check is worthless and by the time you realize it, you're out the $2,700.
So if you think you've won a lottery for which you never bought a ticket, or have been mistakenly overpaid by someone buying an item from an online classified, shred the stuff and throw it away.
Hillary, Hillary
Interestingly, as Hillary Clinton during her campaign for the White House continues to rail on the W administration for all its fraud and corruption, she gives former Billary hack Sandy Berger the hookup as an "unofficial adviser."
Also interesting is how she chose to characterize that quite questionable decision afterwards.
A USA Today reporter asked her about it.
It went like this:
"He has no official role in my campaign. He's been a friend for more than 30 years. But he doesn't have any official role," Clinton said.
But he's an unofficial adviser, the reporter asked in a follow-up.
"I have thousands of unofficial advisers," said Clinton, "and, you know, I appreciate all of that. But he has no official role in my campaign."
The "all of that" Hill is referring to is the fact that Berger was busted in 2005 for stealing classified documents from the National Archives, destroying them, and then lying to investigators.
The documents were stolen in advance of the 9/11 Commission hearings in 2003. Written by White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke, the papers were highly critical of the Clinton administration and pointed out shortcomings in dealing with terrorism.
He actually stuffed them in his pants and socks to spirit them away from the National Archives.
At first, the Justice Department said Berger stole only copies of classified documents. The Government Reform Committee told investigators that Berger had been given access to classified files of original, uncopied, uninventoried documents on terrorism.
Archives officials say Berger could have stolen any number of items and they "would never know what, if any, original documents were missing."
Nice.
At his sentencing in 2005, Berger was fined $50,000, placed on probation for two years and lost his security clearance for three years.
(Hmmmm. As a side note, remember Dick Cheney's buddy Scooter Libby? He got 30 months in prison and a $250,000 fine for lying about something wasn't even a crime. Interesting.)
When the scandal broke in 2004, Berger was an adviser for John Kerry's presidential campaign. Kerry dropped him like a hot rock.
But not Hillary.
She brings him on board.
At first it seems stunningly ignorant of her, but when you think about for a moment, it's not that surprising.
It's hubris.
She's just that arrogant.[[In-content Ad]]
First, the Hoosier State Press Association is asking newspapers to warn readers that con artists are using classified advertising, especially online classified advertising, to defraud our readers.
Here's how it works.
The con gets the phone number of somebody who has placed an item for sale in the newspaper's classifieds, which the newspaper then posts to the Web site.
The con then contacts the individual, using a telephone relay service created for the deaf. This, according to authorities, makes the call untraceable.
The con agrees to purchase the item and then sends a counterfeit money order or check for an amount much more than the selling price of the item, playing it off as a mistake.
To rectify the situation, the person selling the item is instructed to write a check or provide a money order for the difference and ship it along with the purchased item.
A second scam was brought to my attention by Michael Bergen of Alderfer Bergen &
Co. Retirement Planning here in Warsaw.
One of their clients received a very official and legitimate-looking bogus check for $3,500.
A cover letter from the global services office of an actual law firm in Los Angles, Latham & Watkins LLP, states, "We are pleased to inform you that you are one of the third category winners of lottery draw held on 25th January 2007." (The halting grammar is actual.)
Ironically, or maybe as an intentional gaffe by the scammers, Latham, according to its Web site, "aggressively defends corporations and their employees in high stakes litigation involving charges of business crime, securities fraud, false claims, computer crime and theft of trade secrets, health care fraud and abuse and environmental crimes."
Latham is more than a little upset by its name being bandied about by these crooks.
Anyway, the letter:
"Your ticket with reference number 684753995 drew the lucky winning numbers. You are therefore entitled to the sum of US $250,000 payable to you by bank draft, money order or Certified check.
"Enclosed is a check of $3,500 to help pay for the Clearance Fee/Tax.
"The purpose of the check is for the payment of the Clearance Fee/Tax and other miscellaneous charges. The Clearance Fee/Tax amount is US $2,700.00."
So what you're supposed to do is deposit the $3,500 in your account and send them a check for the $2,700 Clearance Fee/Tax. You can keep the change for your trouble.
Of course, the check is worthless and by the time you realize it, you're out the $2,700.
So if you think you've won a lottery for which you never bought a ticket, or have been mistakenly overpaid by someone buying an item from an online classified, shred the stuff and throw it away.
Hillary, Hillary
Interestingly, as Hillary Clinton during her campaign for the White House continues to rail on the W administration for all its fraud and corruption, she gives former Billary hack Sandy Berger the hookup as an "unofficial adviser."
Also interesting is how she chose to characterize that quite questionable decision afterwards.
A USA Today reporter asked her about it.
It went like this:
"He has no official role in my campaign. He's been a friend for more than 30 years. But he doesn't have any official role," Clinton said.
But he's an unofficial adviser, the reporter asked in a follow-up.
"I have thousands of unofficial advisers," said Clinton, "and, you know, I appreciate all of that. But he has no official role in my campaign."
The "all of that" Hill is referring to is the fact that Berger was busted in 2005 for stealing classified documents from the National Archives, destroying them, and then lying to investigators.
The documents were stolen in advance of the 9/11 Commission hearings in 2003. Written by White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke, the papers were highly critical of the Clinton administration and pointed out shortcomings in dealing with terrorism.
He actually stuffed them in his pants and socks to spirit them away from the National Archives.
At first, the Justice Department said Berger stole only copies of classified documents. The Government Reform Committee told investigators that Berger had been given access to classified files of original, uncopied, uninventoried documents on terrorism.
Archives officials say Berger could have stolen any number of items and they "would never know what, if any, original documents were missing."
Nice.
At his sentencing in 2005, Berger was fined $50,000, placed on probation for two years and lost his security clearance for three years.
(Hmmmm. As a side note, remember Dick Cheney's buddy Scooter Libby? He got 30 months in prison and a $250,000 fine for lying about something wasn't even a crime. Interesting.)
When the scandal broke in 2004, Berger was an adviser for John Kerry's presidential campaign. Kerry dropped him like a hot rock.
But not Hillary.
She brings him on board.
At first it seems stunningly ignorant of her, but when you think about for a moment, it's not that surprising.
It's hubris.
She's just that arrogant.[[In-content Ad]]
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092