Steve,

You’re not going to believe this.

I checked my mail today as I was walking into my apartment, and I got a letter in a plain envelope with no return address located on it. Curious, I opened it, thinking – no, knowing – it was junk mail of some sort. The handwriting was so neat it was ridiculous, and I immediately realized why there were advertisements for people with neat handwriting to write out addresses on envelopes all over Craigslist. I don’t know if it’s savvy or sad that I no longer trust my mailing system.

I cannot read the stamp from the postmark on the envelope. I can only tell you it was postmarked Feb 23, 2010. That being said, on the inside I found a “newspaper article” from Columbus, Ohio printed on real newspaper. The date on the newspaper is February 9, 2010. The newspaper has no name; in fact, in the center where the name of the paper would be, it just says “Special Report.” Count that as clue number 2 that something is wrong.

There’s a sticky note attached to the paper in very neat handwriting. It says “Kinya, you gotta see this…it sounds really cool! I thought you might be interested too. J.” Do I have to tell you I don’t know anyone that goes by that letter? Just in case you were wondering, I don’t. Nor do I know anyone who would mail me a piece of newspaper with no page numbers located on it anywhere.

Starting to see the picture?

Getting to the point, the newspaper article is about a company located at www.homejobplacement.net. They claim to be able to place you at a job at home where you can make a ridiculous amount of money a day. Yawn, bore. You know the drill. It’s a scam. But what got me is that they went through the effort of actually making this look legitimate – or at least trying to. First off, it’s printed to look like a real newspaper article. Quite impressive. Secondly, the article states testimony from a woman named Sally who warns “Watch out for those sites that promise you’ll make millions overnight. With Home Job Placement you’re NOT going to make millions. Who else is going to tell you that? But you are going to get certified fast, be offered a real position immediately, and make a great income with much less work. And you’ll never have to worry about getting laid off or looking for a job ever again.” By the way, the capitalization is theirs, not mine. Which brings me to my third point: what journalist would capitalize a word in the middle of a sentence for emphasis? That’s what italics is for. Even a student journalist knows this. Tacky much?

Attached are pictures of the paper. The quality is quite crappy, as my Blackberry Curve only pretends to be able to take good pictures, but rest assured that the evidence is solid. You can clearly see I am not making this up. Does anyone see a consistent problem here? If you do, you get a Scooby Snack.

[Steve edit: here are the attached pictures: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six.]

Please note that the article states the following, and I quote (grammatical errors are conveniently included for your amusement):

• “The placement company, Home Job Placement, is one of the most successful online job placement firms in the U.S. They have helped over 16,493 people find legitimate work-at-home jobs.” Really? They have? How come nobody’s ever heard of them?
• “Sally proudly showed us one of her most recent checks from the job she got through Home Job Placement.” (Picture is attached.) Why is the check dated back in August of 09? If that’s recent then the author of this article has a Delorean he needs to share with the rest of the world.
• “When we found out how how easy it was to become certified as Auction Listing Specialists, it took away all the stress and worry, and showed us exactly how to make tons of money every day just by posting simple listings on eBay for companies like Microsoft, Compaq, IZOD, Calvin Klein, and Apple.” If these companies are hiring and job placement is so easy then why is unemployment still at an all-time high?
• “The fact that you’re working with eBay means a lot. You can never get fired by such a big company. And this is something you can do part time, even if you only have a few hours to spend a day.” Raise your hand if you quit buying stuff off of eBay when the recession hit. Raise both hands if you stopped doing it before then. And if you think eBay is hiring anybody to list auctions on their site, you might as well be drunk on the couch laughing at reruns of Bud Light Superbowl commercials. Go grab a beer.
• “From our research, Home Job Placement is the best of the best. In just four steps anybody can secure a home job and start earning.” Thank you Staff Writer George Liechty Finance & Jobs. I know who you are through reputation, since you have written for dozens of other nameless newspapers throughout the nation. I trust you based on this one simple fact alone.
• “Since it takes only 3-4 minutes per posting and the provide everything you need, you can begin making up to $75 an hour immediately! And you get paid fast!” You’ve got to be either high or gullible to believe that statement. Or both. If making $75 a hour was that easy, everyone would be doing it, and there would be no recession.

My intelligence feels so insulted. It is literally banging its head against the walls of my skull, weeping for the fate of mankind. Or it would, if I weren’t laughing so hard. Seriously? You expect to sell me a scam through a newspaper article mailed to me by a person who’s only known by a letter? Last time I checked, Division 6 wasn’t supposed to exist. And speaking of not existing, I’m going to go flashy-thing myself. When I wake up, I’m going to be just as I was before: sleepy, happy, freelancing and counting the days until “Alice in Wonderland” comes out in theaters.

Just five more days.

Thanks Kinya for sharing.

By the way, how was Alice in Wonderland?

Every day, American consumers decide how and where to spend their money. Their decisions have far-reaching effects for both their financial well-being and our Nation’s economic stability. National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) gives all Americans an opportunity to become better-informed consumers.

This year, NCPW focuses on the importance of being a careful consumer at every stage of life, from grade school to retirement. To help our children grow into financially responsible adults and avoid frauds and scams, we must help them understand the marketplace. Parents and educators can play a role by teaching them about advertising and marketing, smart financial practices, and keeping personal information safe and secure.

So what exactly does the NCPW mean for you?

Well, the FTC has put together a rather nifty website breaking down several topics ranging from banking to health costs to mortgages and how you can protect yourself (and your wallet) from getting scammed.

There’s one particular section that I do insist you read over is the Scam Watch category. The FTC does a rather good job breaking down some of the most popular scams out there today. They cover topics like fake check scams, fake computer security warnings, job scams, and consumer scam prevention tips. I highly suggest you click here and read the scam watch page and forward this article along to your friends and family to help keep them protected as well.

The 2010 Consumer Action Handbook

In addition to NCPW, the Federal Citizen Information Center has issued the 2010 Consumer Action Handbook. The handbook is a lovely 172 page guide covering how to be a savvy consumer, to preventing identity theft, to filing a formal complaint. The guide is absolutely free for you to download and should answer all of your common consumer questions. Click here to look through the Consumer Action Handbook now.

Who is Steve?

I realized that despite having run this blog for almost three years now and talking to a few of you on a regular basis, most of you don’t even know who I am. Yes, I’m Steve from I’ve Tried That, but I haven’t really shared much beyond that point. I suppose it’s time to tell my story.

Let’s start with the basics. My name is Steve (that’s me on the right.) I’m 23 years old. I live in beautiful Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. I graduated with a BA in Information Sciences and Technology from Penn State, and I am a full time Internet Marketer. I play racquetball as often as I can and I love to travel. In the past year, I’ve been all over the US, the Caribbean, Taiwan and I have travel plans to visit Australia in the summer and Vancouver shortly after that.

It was during college when I first started making money for myself. I created a few websites, made a few dollars, and I was hooked. I loved the idea of making money strictly for me, but I never saw it as anything other than a hobby.

During my senior year of college, I spent a lot of time interviewing with companies, sending out resumes, and attending career fairs. I hated every single second of searching for a job. Nothing about finding a conventional job felt right to me. I couldn’t wrap my head around being miserable for 50-60 hours a week for the next 30 years of my life but I kept looking because I was told that I NEED a fancy high-paying job in order to SUCCEED in life.

After one particular day of stressful phone interviews and cover letters, I was ready to relax and enjoy the company of two of my old roommates who had since graduated and started their careers. We ended up talking mostly about their jobs and these people actually started BRAGGING about how much UNPAID overtime they were working, as if it was a good thing and they were doing their company a favor! It was at this was the exact moment that I decided 9-to-5 job would never be for me and that I was going to start my own online career.

I spent a few days lamenting over how I was going to tell my parents that I was stopping my job hunt and going in business for myself. Ultimately, they were not happy. (“You’re throwing away your education FOR THE INTERNET?! You NEED a job with BENEFITS.”) But there was little they could do to stop me from at least trying first. I graduated, jobless, but determined to make an online career work.

At this point in the story, I’ve Tried That was just getting started. The website was making some money, but not nearly enough to live off of. I had to find another way to bring in money and embarked on one of the scariest (and possibly stupidest) decisions of my life. No, I didn’t start selling drugs. I turned to Craigslist and started offering computer repair services. Now, most of my clients were normal, sane folk but there were quite a few times where I found myself alone with a stranger in his or her cold, dark, damp basement, working on an ancient Windows 95 machine, all the while plotting my escape if said stranger tried anything funny. There were honestly a few times where I found myself scanning the room looking for an object to use in case I needed it for self-defense.

I continued to do freelance computer work while trying to make it online for about 6 months. My online efforts were beginning to sink and my computer repair business was quickly taking over my life. This was NOT the direction I wanted to go. I wanted a way to make a living online from home, but my efforts were being diverted elsewhere. I needed to cut back on the computer repair business and focus my efforts on my online business. That’s when I decided to stop trying to figure this out on my own and seek out help.

How Wealthy Affiliate Changed My Life

During this time, we had conducted a review of the Wealthy Affiliate University here at I’ve Tried That. My old partner, Joe, had done most of the work on the review and I had briefly glanced around the site to make sure everything was up to scratch but that was it. I let my account sit dormant for quite awhile. One day, I was talking with a friend who was also a member at Wealthy Affiliate and he linked me to a discussion going on in the Wealthy Affiliate forums and thought I could benefit from the conversation and use some of the practices being discussed on my blog.

I logged in, read through the topic, finished it, and kept on reading. I read post after post and training article after training article until I thought my head would explode. Here I had access to one of the greatest online training programs in the world and I was just letting my account go to waste.

The key thing I took away from my first real in-depth look through Wealthy Affiliate was a scope for my new career. Before I was simply looking to make a money online, but now I had a title and goal: I wanted to become a full-time Internet Marketer and I turned to the training at Wealthy Affiliate to make this possible.

Wealthy Affiliate has a feature called the 8-Week Action Plan and I would have been completely lost without it. They break down the basics of Internet Marketing in a step-by-step system and they show you exactly what you need to do to make money online. I can attribute most of my success to the 8-Week Action Plan as it’s the same system I used to get where I am today. Prior to completing the plan, I only had a vague idea of what Internet Marketing actually was and here I am, less than one year later, and Internet Marketing is my full-time job.

My Trip to Vegas

I started this post talking about spending the past week in Las Vegas and I think it’s time to get back on track.

I was invited to go out to Vegas by Kyle and Carson, the two owners of Wealthy Affiliate, for a four-day all inclusive trip to talk Internet Marketing. I was one of ten people from the entire Wealthy Affiliate community invited out to Vegas. It was easily one of the greatest experiences of my life. Here I am, still a beginner and a Wealthy Affiliate member for only 8 months, and I’m getting flown out to Vegas to discuss Internet Marketing with some of the top marketing minds in the world. It was surreal.

The trip started off with a meet and greet Sunday night. Monday followed up with a full-day group discussion on the topic of Internet Marketing followed by free tickets to the new Viva Elvis Cirque du Soliel show. Tuesday, I got to sit down with Kyle and Carson and discuss MY future in Internet Marketing one-on-one (well, one-on-two.) They personally offered feedback and advice to help me build my online business. Tuesday night we had a farewell party and I left Vegas on Wednesday morning.

Looking back, I still find it hard to believe that I even attended this conference. It was a great honor to be invited and an even better learning experience.

I Need to Make a Few Things Clear

I’m not some sort of Internet Marketing genius and I don’t have millions of dollars. I still live in the same small two bedroom apartment and I drive the same 1997 Honda Civic I bought out-of-pocket in high school. What I do have is a comfortable lifestyle and a growing career in Internet Marketing.

So, how did I go from a complete beginner to being invited to a personal conference in Vegas less than a year later? Proper training and a will to succeed. I knew that if I couldn’t make it, I’d have to go back to either searching for a real full-time job or back to stranger’s basements to fix their computers. I wanted no parts of either.

How Wealthy Affiliate Can Help You

My story is not all that uncommon. Everyday new posts fill the success section of the Wealthy Affiliate forums. You can see people talk about the thrill of making their first commission online and later see the same people talk about quitting their full-time to pursue a full-time Internet Marketing career. The point is that anyone can get started with Internet Marketing. You don’t need prior experience; you just need help and I truly believe Wealthy Affiliate is the answer you’re looking for.

My suggestion to you: click here, read more about what Wealthy Affiliate offers, and join today. If you’re hesitant about joining and have a few questions, then click here and read the most frequently asked questions I receive about Wealthy Affiliate. If your question isn’t answered there, I’ll be more than happy to answer every single question you may have via email.

I’m very much an active member of Wealthy Affiliate today and you can find me on the site under the username: IveTriedThat. You can add me as a friend once you’ve joined and contact me directly on Wealthy Affiliate.

As an added bonus, I’ve been working on a beginner’s guide to Wealthy Affiliate. The biggest flaw of Wealthy Affiliate is that they offer TOO much and it can be overwhelming for beginners. I’ve been working on a guide that will show you the ropes and how you can quickly make the most out of your Wealthy Affiliate membership. Just send me an email after you’ve signed up and I’ll send along the guide.

What You Need to Know

• There is NO SECRET to making money online. You need three things: a good work ethic, a good training program, and a good support group.
• You need a good work ethic. Most people who set out to build an online career quit because they expect to use the Internet and get rich quick. This is not possible! Just like any other job, this is hard work and if you stick with it you CAN SUCCEED.
• You need a good training program. You can’t reasonably expect to sit down at a computer and make a full-time living without some sort of guidance. Now, good training doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars. The cost to join Wealthy Affiliate is only $39/month and they will teach you how to make over 6-figures a year. Good training is such a worthwhile investment.
• You need support. A good community makes a world of difference. If I didn’t have a group of people I could pitch ideas or ask questions to, I would have never made it this far. The Wealthy Affiliate community if filled with both new and old members and you can even contact the owners Kyle and Carson for support directly.
• I NEVER make a recommendation just to make a quick buck. I’m recommending you join Wealthy Affiliate because I honestly believe that what they have to offer can HELP YOU better your life.
• I do want to help you succeed. I’m here to help answer any questions you might have. All you need to do is email me.

Do you still have questions?

I’ve compiled a list of the top five most frequent questions I get regarding Wealthy Affiliate. If you have a question or just want to learn more, click here and read the questions and their answers now.

Finally, there’s one last thing I want you to take away from this post.

The big difference between Wealthy Affiliate and every other product out there is that when you join Wealthy Affiliate, you’re joining a community. You aren’t being sent an ebook and left to figure things out on your own. You’re given full access to tons of Internet Marketing training programs and a thriving support forum that every member of Wealthy Affiliate is a part of. You can even ask questions to the owners Kyle & Carson directly and they will personally help you. The point is that you have real live people to turn to when you have problems. These people were all once in your shoes, know exactly what you are feeling and are now there to help you.

Wealthy Affiliate costs $39 per month to join and there are no hidden fees or upsells. $39 will give you full access to all of the training and support at Wealthy Affiliate.

Now, I know exactly what you’re thinking. Why do I have to PAY to join!? Believe me, I was entirely against paying money to join at first too. But, when I broke down the cost of a membership and saw it was only about $1 per day, I figured I could find a way to make this work. To be honest, when I first joined Wealthy Affiliate, I cut back on the amount of takeout food I ordered to help cover the costs. I saved a ton of money on food and was able to have access to the top Internet Marketing program in the world. And to think, I almost let $39 stand in the way of who I am today. Don’t make that mistake.

Well, this just about wraps up the longest post I’ve ever written here. It’s been long overdue though. I hope I was able to shed some light for you on my personal life as well as how you can get started with a career in Internet Marketing as well.

Again, if you’re interested in getting started with Wealthy Affiliate, click here and read more about the program. I do hope to see you around the site. Remember to add me (my username is IveTriedThat) as a friend once you join!

I wanted to keep sharing deals I found and decided to create an extension for Google Chrome to do just that. (If you’re unfamiliar with Chrome, it’s another free Internet browser like Internet Explorer or Firefox, except it’s much faster and more secure. You can click here to learn more about Chrome and download it now for free.) My extension for Chrome is a plugin that displays an instantly updated list of deals right in your browser.

If you’re interested in receiving Amazon deals and you use Google Chrome or want to try it, click here to download my Amazon extension for Chrome. There are a few screenshots there and more detailed information.

So, with that said, here is the final list of deals.

The deals are formatted as such: Item Sale price $Off + extra details

Amazon Deals for 2/25/10

Deal of the Day
Rocky: The Undisputed Collection [Blu-ray] $37.99 $61.99 off

TVs & Equipment
Viore LED24VF60 24-Inch LED 1080p HDTV $291 $108 off
Samsung LN32B460 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV + Roku HD Player $346 $353 off
Panasonic VIERA G1 Series TC-L32G1 32-Inch 720p 120Hz LCD HDTV $469 $280 off
LG 42SL80 42-Inch Seamless 240Hz 1080p LCD HDTV $948 $651 off
Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote $178 $71 off
LG BD570 Network Blu-Ray Disc Player $249 $30 off

Movies & Video Games
The Mel Brooks Collection [Blu-ray] $55 $84 off
The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy [Blu-ray] $63 $35 off
Metro 2033 (XBOX 360) $49 $10 off

Netbooks
MSI U135-204US 10-Inch Black Netbook $309 $24 off
HP Mini 210-1010NR 10.1-Inch Black Netbook $299 $96 off
ASUS Eee PC Seashell 1005HA-MU17-BU 10.1-Inch Netbook $294 $54 off

Everything Else
KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixers $218 $131 off
AAA 77 Piece Warrior Road Assistance Kit $55 $44 off
Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum) $249 $40 off
Samsung HMX-U10 Ultra-Compact Full-HD Camcorder $97 $81 off
Pentax Optio W80 Waterproof 12.1MP Digital Camera $174 $75 off
Garmin nüvi 260W 4.3-Inch Widescreen GPS $119 $110 off

What is Niche Blitzkrieg?

The Niche Blitzkrieg system was developed by Michael Brown as a way to teach others how to make money online. The focal point behind Niche Blitzkrieg is that you will be researching popular trends and niches in the world today and then building a website to cater to this trend or niche. In doing so, you will attract visitors from search engines and then make money through advertisements placed on your website.

Did the idea of creating a website scare you? I know you’re probably thinking this is a bit out of your reach and expertise, but you’re entirely wrong. The truth is that running a website these days is very, very easy. In fact, with the Niche Blitzkrieg system, all of the hard work will automatically be generated for you. If you can manage to type on a keyboard, you’re more than capable of starting your own website. Honest.

With Niche Blitzkrieg, you’ll be able to quickly create a bunch of minisites that will continually generate income for you long after you’ve created them. This allows you to build multiple streams of income quickly and efficiently. Here are a few more reasons Niche Blitzkrieg is highly recommended…

• Success is easily repeated. Once you create your first profitable website, you’ll be able to take the techniques used and repeat them as many times as you possibly can. You’ll find yourself with multiple websites that are working 24/7 to make you money.
• Support comes free. If you ever need any help or assistance, you can talk to Michael Brown directly for support. There is no extra fee to do so either. There are also support forums where you can collaborate with other members of Niche Blitzkrieg for help or to share ideas and success stories. The quality of customer service offered at Niche Blitzkrieg is among the best I’ve ever seen online.
• Work done online from home. This is an opportunity for you to make some extra money from home. It’s a great way to make some supplemental cash on the side.
• No previous skills required. Niche Blitzkrieg was designed with the beginner in mind and assumes you have no prior marketing skills. Every lesson has detailed step-by-step instructions with images and videos to help you along the way.

Now for the good stuff…

Niche Blitzkrieg has been one of my most recommended programs for about a year now. It really is one of the easiest ways for beginners to get started with making money online.

I’ve since asked Michael Brown to lower the price for my readers and he agreed to do so! Usually, the system costs $77 to buy, but he took 25% off of the usual cost meaning, you can join Niche Blitzkrieg today for just $57. This is a special discount exclusive to I’ve Tried That readers only.

If you’re trying to make money online, then I highly suggest you take advantage of this special pricing and join Niche Blitzkrieg today.

The CBC writes…

Robert Kiyosaki, best-selling finance author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, has spun-off his book into a self-help empire of TV shows, board games and investment seminars — a string of which are scheduled across Canada. But rumblings are being heard from the hundreds of hotel ballrooms across North America where Kiyoaski’s Rich Dad seminars are staged. The complaints? That initial Rich Dad sessions focus less on education and more on marketing and upselling further sessions that cost up to $45,000.

Marketplace investigates these concerns using hidden camera and reveals the aggressive sales tactics used, where participants are urged to increase their credit card limits after being pressured to spend tens of thousands of dollars on advanced courses.

Erica Johnson asks Kiyosaki directly: what’s really going on? Are Canadians being lured by the Rich Dad name to spend money on weekend workshops that seem really designed to sell them more workshops?

I highly suggest you watch the full 22-minute Robert Kiyosaki undercover piece online at the CBC Marketplace now. It’s quite revealing and could save you or someone you know $500 or even more.

Have any of you been taken in by a Rich Dad, Poor Dad seminar or even book? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

My name is Mona Valbrun. I’m manager in company FSC Global.
About FSC Global. Inc. was found in November, 2001. Our company’s goal
is to assist people around the world to be a part of an Internet
trading community. FSC Global works as an online retailer and product
shipper. FSC Global owns and is responsible for the goods purchased or
sold, and is thereby, the legal title holder of the product during the
purchase order process.

Our company acts as the guarantor both for the Internet shop and for
the buyer. We guarantee to the customer that he will receive the goods
of high quality. On the other hand, we guarantee to the seller that he
will receive money for the sold goods. We solve the problems of buyers
and sellers just for the small percent of the goods price. For the
right work of the selling and buying services, that our company
offers, we hire the employees on the position of “independent
guarantee-manager”.

We received your CV from Careerbuilder.com so now we offer you
opportunity to work for our company. It’s not Spam and it’s sent only
to you as you were chosen among so many candidates.

Our company offers absolutely legal work. We do not demand from you
any investments into our company, also it is not required to pay a
curriculum.

We will train you free of charge and we guarantee timely payment of
the salary. You will be convinced.

The work is part time. It is not required any special knowledge. This
work is intended to people who want to have a stable extra income and
not spoiled by a big salary.. You will spend from 6 to 10 hours a week
for this work. Your salary will be $4000 USD a month.

If you are interested in this job, you can write to me on corporate
e-mail Mona.Valbrun@fsc-company.us after that i will send you detailed
information

Sincerely,Mona Valbrun

After you finished reading this email you should have asked yourself the following questions:

• Why don’t they ever specify exactly what I would be doing?
• How is it possible to make $48,000/yr working only 6 hours a week?
• Why do they have to specify their email isn’t spam?
• Why do they have to explicitly state that the work I would be doing is legal?
• What is this line about: “You will be convinced?”

So many questions. See how easy that was? All you had to do was read!

This scam looks like a typical reshipping scam. You accept packages purchased with a stolen credit card and identity and ship them overseas to the scammer. Unfortunately for you, this is highly illegal and could land you a criminal record.

Avoid scams like these at all costs! I know the promise of a high salary is tempting, but don’t let yourself become a victim.

There are real companies that do pay people to wrap their car, but they have very specific requirements that you probably don’t meet. They most certainly do not blindly send out emails to millions of people either. If someone contacts you telling you they want to wrap your car, they’re most likely trying to sell you a list of companies that will be of no use to you.

I’ve Tried That reader Deborah sent the following email in this morning…

From: holmes&sellers@works.com
Reply-to: brownad111@aol.com
Sent: 2/22/2010 2:36:05 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: MAKE MONEY BY SIMPLY DRIVING YOUR CAR

MAKE MONEY BY SIMPLY DRIVING YOUR CAR
ADVERTISER WANTED FOR HOLMES&SELLERS
EARN NO LESS THAN $150 WEEKLY TO ADVERTISE ON YOUR CAR.
It is Very Easy and Simple
No Application fees required

How it works Here’s the basic premise of the “paid to drive” concept: HOLMES&Sellers seeks people — regular citizens, not professional drivers — to go about their normal routine as they usually do, only with a big advert for “HOLMES&SELLERS” plastered on your car.The ads are typically vinyl decals, also known as “auto wraps,” that almost seem to be painted on the vehicle, and which will cover any portion of your car’s exterior surface.

What does the company get out of this type of ad strategy? Lots of exposure and awareness.The auto wraps tend to be colorful and eye-catching and attract lots of attention. Plus, it’s a form of advertising with a captive audience,meaning people who are stuck in traffic and can’t avoid seeing the wrapped car alongside them. This program will last for 3 months and the minimum period you can participate is 1 month.

You will be compensated with a $200 (Two hundred dollars per Week),which is essentially a “rental” payment for letting our company use the space.HOLMES&SELLERS shall provide experts that would handle the advert placing on your car.You will receive an up front payment of $400 (Four hundred dollars) inform of check for accepting to carry this advert on your car and other weekly payments will also come in the form of checks and delivered at your address weekly.

What you need to do is to contact the email below adamkvn@aol.com

The following information below will be needed
Full Name:
Age:
Occupation:
Make of car/ year:
Address:
city:
State:
Zip code:
Phone Number(s) mobile/home :
Email Address:

We shall be contacting you as soon as we receive these information, HOLMES&SELLERS looks forward to working with you.

Dave Brown

The biggest red flag from this email is company Holmes & Sellers. Yes, they do exist, but they are a real estate company based out of the UK. Why would a UK real estate agency be paying us yanks to drive around cars with their advertisement on it? Spoiler alert! They aren’t. Dave Brown is just using their namesake to lure you into sending him money. It’s incredible how much you can learn with just one Google search.

I wanted to have some fun with this guy and waste his time a bit, but it was impossible to get in contact with him, despite there being 3 contact email addresses listed. I sent out emails to holmes&sellers@works.com, adamkvn@aol.com and brownad111@aol.com but haven’t heard anything yet. He’s not exactly the world’s most efficient scammer.

Don’t bother with paid to drive offers. It’s not worth your time or money.

My mother keeps getting these phone calls on her cell phone from a company that says they have important information to share with her about her credit card and she needs to call them back. Two things are wrong with this picture: First, mom doesn’t have a credit card. She got rid of all of them. And second, the company refuses to leave its name. It just says “This is your credit card company calling with important information on your account. This is not an attempt to collect a debt. We only wish to convey important information to you. This message is urgent and time sensitive. Please call us back at…” She actually won’t give me the number, otherwise I’d post it here.

She’s upset, naturally. She said she knows it’s a scam just because she doesn’t have a credit card. Also, another tell-tale sign: usually when your credit card company calls you, they tell you “This is Chase/Bank of America/American Express/etc. calling in regards to your account.” And, more importantly, most credit card companies communicate with you through mail first, using the phone as a last resort.

It’s important to listen carefully to the messages you receive on your answering machines. Scams are running rampant like never before, so we need to be extra cautious.

I know it seems unbelievable that someone would fall for this scam, but I imagine these scams are specifically targeting the older generation. You know, the less-savvy, “MY VCR WONT STOP BLINKING” group. So this post might seem basic to you, but you should forward along this information to anyone who might be targeted by this scam.

They write…

Before you spend money responding to placement firms or completing placement contracts:

• Reject any company that promises to get you a job.
• Be skeptical of any employment-service firm that charges first, even if it guarantees refunds.
• Get a copy of the firm’s contract and read it carefully before you pay any money. Understand the terms and conditions of the firm’s refund policy. Make sure you understand what services the firm will provide and what you’ll be responsible for doing. If oral promises are made, but don’t appear in the contract, think twice about doing business with the firm.
• Take your time reading the contract. Don’t be caught up in a rush to pay for services. Stay away from high-pressure sales pitches that require you to pay now or risk losing out on an opportunity.
• Be cautious about purchasing services or products from a firm that’s reluctant to answer your questions.
• Be aware that some listing services and “consultants” write their ads to sound like they are jobs when they’re selling general information about getting a job.
• Follow up with the offices of any company or organization mentioned in an ad or an interview by an employment service to find out if the company is really hiring.
• Be wary of firms promoting “previously undisclosed” federal government jobs. All federal positions are announced to the public on www.usajobs.gov.
• Check with your local consumer protection agency, state Attorney General’s Office, and the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed about a company with which you intend to do business. You also may contact these organizations if you have a problem with an employment-service firm.

A video was created to accompany the article as well.

They have also written an article on how to protect yourself from a work at home scam. The information really isn’t anything new, but it’s worth reading over for a quick refresh.

The key point of this article and video is that if you’ve been scammed while looking for a job, you need to file a complaint. The FTC DOES look into complaints and the best way to get a scam shut down is to report it to the FTC. You can file a complaint online at http://www.ftc.gov/complaint or you can call the FTC directly at 1-877-382-4357.