Get rich quick offers are nothing new. They often recycle themselves under different names or with a new twist on an age-old scheme. Although the offer may vary, typically the telltale signs of a wealth making scheme are high earnings claims, little to no work, and some sort of fee or up-front payment to get you started. The ads make the opportunity sound perfect—which is the goal of the scammers. How else will you be willing to spend the amounts of up-front money that some of these schemes require? Over the years, countless families and individuals have taken the risk and ended up losing money on wealth making schemes.
One such scam has been around for over two decades and is still luring in hopeful individuals banking on their opportunity to strike it big. Patrick Scales operates KBM, only one of several company names he uses to entice new victims to send in cash for a chance to make large sums of money. A recent mailer received by Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) included offers to make $1,000 per book after completing registration as a “Used Book Finder”, FREE Visa Debit Cards pre-loaded with $1,000 every day just for taking three minutes to set up a FREE account for the program, and even a chance to share in 50 of the profits from the mailers the company sends. Does this sound too good to be true? That’s because it is.
All of the “free” offers require at least $149.98 to be mailed to an address, which turns out to be a mail receiving location or post office box. And you can’t even pay by credit or debit card, which allows some protections if you are defrauded or do not receive what you purchase. The offer requires payment by either cash or money order and you must also include at least eight books of forever stamps with your payment. Why forever stamps, you may ask. That is because these stamps appear to be used to send these solicitations.
For decades now, unsuspecting individuals have been fooled by these offers. Complaints allege that after sending in the required payments and stamps, nothing is ever sent. And if anything is provided, it doesn’t deliver the riches that are advertised. Oftentimes, offers of this sort result in more money being requested and sadly more and more money lost by people looking to cash in on these easy money schemes.
Although some consumers report complaints about the fraudulent offers (since 1995 our organization has received over 200 complaints), many suffer in silence. They are reluctant to file complaints or leave reviews for fear that they will be looked upon unfavorably for falling for such a ruse. But without speaking up, these types of scams continue to rake in more victims who lose valuable money, time, and resources chasing these schemes. And the culprits behind the scheme continue to profit. Take a look at how profitable the scheme has been for Mr. Scales, who by the way is a pastor of a Southern California church. In this video:
for his Money Order Monster program, you’ll see Pastor Scales opening up various mailings he has received in response to these fraudulent offers inside his $2 million home. In other videos you may notice that the amounts of cash and money orders are often the same $149.98 amount, a pretty clear indicator that these easy money opportunities are nothing more than a guise to scam desperate individuals.
Rarely is it ever so easy to make huge amounts of money in just days. Before responding to any offer, you should take the time to do your research. BCA is always a great place to start if you’re seeking information on a business or offer. Some other tips include:
- Be leery of any offer that touts huge profits for little or no work.
- Don’t give in to high-pressure tactics or claims that you have to make a decision right away.
- Ask for advice from someone you trust. Have them look over the offer and provide their input on whether it appears legitimate or not.
- Never provide your personal information or pay any money to unsolicited contacts. Only consider doing so after you have thoroughly researched the offer and the individuals backing the offer.
- File a complaint and share your experience with others if you are a victim of a scam.
If you receive a similar solicitation or offer you think may be a scam, report it to us so we can warn others. Keep updated on trending news, scam alerts, and valuable advice on a variety of topics by following BCA’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Don’t forget to share the information with others.
Before you pay, check BCA!
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