Cramming Scammers Apparently Spent All Their Money -- Paying Back 5% Of The Money Taken
from the that's-all-they-can-afford dept
We haven't heard much about cramming scams lately, but they still happen all the time. For those who don't know, cramming is when a third party company either illegally gets additional charges on your telephone bill or (more often) tricks you into agreeing to more charges on your phone bill. Four years ago, we wrote about some of the tricks used in cramming call centers, where they pretend they're just "verifying" information -- and then bundle a whole bunch of questions together, tricking people into saying yes to all of the questions, when they really mean to say yes to the last question. The companies later use those recordings (sometimes edited) to prove to people that they "approved" the charges and refuse to cancel the charges or refund the money. Various state governments and the FTC have tried cracking down on these companies for a while, and the FTC went after a bunch last summer -- which has resulted in a settlement. Unfortunately, while the companies took people for $24.7 million, they're only paying back $1.2 million (and not admitting any guilt). Apparently, the firms claim that the $1.2 million is all they can afford. Apparently lesson one if you're going to scam a bunch of people is to spend all that money before the authorities catch up with you.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Crime does pay
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Re: Crime does pay
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Re: Crime does pay
It's attitudes like yours that keep racism alive in this country. GROW UP!
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Re: Crime does pay
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Re: Crime does pay
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Re: Crime does pay
Race aside, it really does become a class issue. Kinda sad that people changed the laws so that the US has actually classes when everyone is supposed to be 'equal'.
Of course, the law makers all seem to be in the class that gets a tax break . . .
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Re: Re: Crime does pay
People are people regardless of what color they are. Some are good people and some are bad people. Equal as in people are people is one thing.
If I went to school to become a doctor or a lawyer and you finished high school and became and admin at your local construction company. I obviously make more because I've worked harder to get where I am.
You get what you choose in this life. Granted many people are just handed things in life they don't necessarily deserve like Rev. Runs (from Run's house on MTV) daughters and their High End Clothing Store & Fashion House when they obviously didn't work for it.
But their parents did well enough to give their children a chance to do something they couldn't. That's life... You want it, work for it...
That's AMERICA... sure you can bit#h about not having it too that's also okay in AMERICA.
But if you want to jump classes you have that option in AMERICA where as in places like India, the Middle East, & Parts of Asia, if you aren't born to a high class family you can't change your "fate".
Sacrifice is the name of the game... Why can immigrants come to AMERICA and in the short span of a few years be successful? Because they are used to less! People shun those who live 10 people to a 1 bedroom apartment. To thwm it's luxury...
At least they aren't crapping in the same hole, aren't getting wet from the rain, and have warm showers and plenty of food to eat while they save all of their money to invest in higher education or their very own business.
The point in all of this is... With true equality Doctors are paid the same as bakers and shoe shiners. Look it up... liberal dogma always leads to socialism and its always sold to the lower classes as "equality". I'm considered lower class and I'm a mixed race it's not easy in this world... some people are Dicks but with sacrifice and work anyone can accomplish what they want... It's just that simple...!!
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Refund check tiggers charges
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Re: Refund check tiggers charges
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re: crime does pay
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White collar crime pays, ohhh yeah!
Considering blue collar crime amounts to a small percentage of the money that is lost in white collar crime, it has always amazed me how easy we go on these guys that are literally costing our country an arm and a leg.
Perhaps since they follow the greed above everything mantra, our government goes easy on them. After all, they are just repeating the same stuff they see perpetrated by big business and government everyday.
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Sure, it's not nice, in fact immoral, to take advantage of stupid people but every time one of these scams come to light everyone jumps on the bandwagon to condemn the scammers. Don't get me wrong, I don't condone what they do, but where are the comments about the personal responsibility of the "poor people" who got scammed? Seems these days nobody has to assume any personal responsibility for what they do, everything is always somebody else's fault. I don't have much time for scammers, they're arseholes, sure, but I don't have much respect either for somebody who, through greed and stupidity, allows themselves to be scammed.
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Gee...I wish I could only get fines that I could afford when I get busted for something.
"Well gollee judge...I know I was doing 100 in that 25 zone and that I parked illegally but I can only afford 40 cents today...what? That's ok? Here ya go!"
Yeah...cracking down on crime alright.
Stuff like this makes me sick.
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Information hurts sometimes, doesn't it?
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No, what hurts is misinformation. That's why I like to point it out when I see someone spreading it.
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