Get Rich Quick Scams
All the latest Scams Revealed!
|
Want to learn about legitimate ways to make extra
money? Get the facts in the free guide to
|
|
Work at Home Scam Alert: Burned by a Franchise Scheme
By Shelley Lockwood
Let me tell you a story about a naive Mommy
who was tricked into spending some of her hard earned money
She believed Andre's guarantee
so she paid him the fee
Only to find out soon later
all he really did was bait her
I'm not proud of this story but I'll tell it in the hopes that it will help you avoid falling into the same trap.
While still trying to get a grasp on this whole online business thing. I stumbled across an advertisement for a franchise. Not just one but two for the price of one!
I thought maybe this was the direction to go in. Rather than having to invest time into developing an actual business of my own, I could invest time into marketing something that was already set up for me.
Blah Blah Blah Franchises are GUARANTEED to earn you $10,000/month within the next 6 months
If it doesn't X XXX will give you the franchise for Free!
This is Your opportunity to own two Franchises for one low price.
Our unique- TEST BEFORE PURCHASE- approach, allows XXXX to offer a selected and limited number of
Franchises for an initial Investment of only $135.00 and NOT the normal $2,995.00 upfront fee.
Remember there are a limited number available...get yours TODAY.
We believe in our ability to Help and Support your Franchise. Don't forget our very simple GUARANTEE.
Invest in Your future today!
By now I knew enough to not believe the $10,000.00/month. In fact, I figured heck I can buy these franchises, I probably won't be making the minimum so I'll get to keep them at no extra cost.
I figured if they were guaranteeing $10,000/month, then maybe an initial goal for myself of $2,000.00/month wouldn't be impossible.
The price tag was low enough. I mean I wouldn't have tried it for $2995.00, but the risk seemed minimal for $135.00. I'd only have to pay the balance of the $2995.00 at the six month mark if I was generating $10,000.00/month. Not a bad deal at all.
So I bought into it.
At first things were going ok. One of the two franchises....was actually selling this package. So that's what I started with. I began to market this part first.
Within the first week I made a sale. It was an easy $20.00. I thought I was finally on the right track. I'd be making my initial investment back in no time.
Then came the first e-mail.....they were having problems with their host. But, they had found the perfect solution. Their Company was going to move all of our businesses over and host them in house. They would be doing this at cost...they wouldn't be making any profit at US$29.95 per month.
I stopped promoting it immediately.
I guess he got blasted by quite a few "franchisees" because the e-mails that came after that were quite nasty....not professional in the least. Like he was actually insulted because people were calling him a scammer. Basically he was ranting and raving like a child having a tantrum. I mean HELLO!!! he was sending this to all of his CUSTOMERS????
I sent an e-mail advising him that I had signed up because I was guaranteed 6 months with no further costs. That if after the six months I was satisfied with the performance I would be more than willing to pay the $29.95/month. But, until that time I expected him to honor the original terms of the sale and his guarantee. If that was not possible I would expect he issue a refund for the original purchase price and there would be no hard feelings. I pointed out that I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps he had not intentionally done this. None the less I was not interested in his new offer.
He never did reply.
Then he as he phrased it made yet another "Amendment to Terms and Conditions". Now he decided that each month his Company would receive "a management fee of 10% from Owners where the monthly income generated is above US$1,000.00 per month."
What a crook!
I knew I was out my money...and I wanted no part of this. At this point my only goal was to make sure my name was not associated with this crook at all.
He never responded to any of my e-mails...but at least I finally received a generic e-mail stating "Your account has been removed - final action".
So in the end I learned another valuable lesson and I was only out US$115.00. I feel terrible to this day about the person who purchased a franchise through my advertisement. If I had known who they were I would have given them back the money. But, of course dear old Andre kept that information to himself.
Take care,
Shelley
The Nasties Article List:
Home assembly scams revealed
The truth about medical billing scams.
Envelope stuffing scams revealed
Work at Home Scam Alert: Burned by a Franchise Scheme
My own personal story about how I was scammed into buying a franchise.
Avoid online and work from home scams
Beware scam artists posing as drop shippers
Misleading campaign and the $5 solution.
Work at home scam alert Fake suppliers exposed!
A chainletter by any other name is still a chainletter. Chain letter scams revealed
Beware this so called lawyer approved biz op
Avoid online and work from home scams.
Those e-mails you get promoting foreign lotteries are scams
Spam revealed how scams arriving by bulk e-mail hurt everyone.
The do not spam registry scam exposed
Some suggested techniques for dramatically reducing the amount of spam you receive from your website e-mail addresses.
The 12 scams most likely to arrive via spam e-mail
Beware ecards may be delivering more than you bargained for
Find out just some of the ways spammers harvest email addresses
email scam revealed beware ebay second chancers
Beware the cable descrambler spam scam.
Unless you are protected your digital products can easily be downloaded for free.
Beware domain registry scam artists
Our domain name and website were held hostage. Read all about it so you can make sure it doesn't happen to you.
2004 fraud trends FTC report
According to the FTC these were the top 10 consumer complaint categories in 2003
Some interesting numbers about e-consumer complaint trends from April 2001 to June 2002.
Do you know how well you are protected when using your credit card to make online payments?
Credit card scams explained
A brief outline of the consumer fraud complaint trends for 2001, 2002 & 2003
What is online phishing? Learn the warning signs
Beware when posting your resume online.
Spoofing or Phishing scams are on the rise. Read about them and learn how not to be scammed by them.
Article about an AOL e-mail hoax that floated around.
Self defense tips for seniors to avoid investment scams
Learn how to spot internet investment scams versus real investment opportunities
Links to all kinds of articles about scammers being busted
Are you a safe cyber surfer? Read these important pointers and make sure.
Attention to All Scamsters
This section is dedicated to spreading the awareness of computer viruses and how to stop them.
It's not bad enough we have to worry about viruses, we also have to try and figure out which ones are real viruses and which ones are only hoaxes.
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Feature
misleading marketing tactics exposed at last
Have you ever been mouse-trapped?
My SFI experience
A sneaky spamming method revealed.
Free Gifts that are promised after the sale are a thing to watch out for
Here's a dishonest marketing method.
An article explaining internet spam and how to escape it
ebay scam alert beware of fake escrow services
Telephone bill cramming scams explained
Look out for the "local singles" 800 cramming scam
Watch out for this order scam!
Look out for these prepaid subscription or free magazine scams.
Beware this misleading method called domain slamming commonly used by many domain registrars.
How a small rebate check in the mail turned out to be an ISP scam.
Ever entered a sweepstakes draw and ended up with a monthly bill?
Don't be "crammed" by this website trial scam.
MLM
The opinions on MLM ops vary. Here are just a few!
MLM opinions vary, some love it, some hate it, some think it's an outright scam. Check out some of our MLM poll results.
A person's views on MLM
Commentary: The Truth About MLM Programs
Checklist to use before joining an MLM op
How Ponzi Schemes and Pyramid Frauds Work
Editorial Reviews: Amway Motivational Organizations: Behind the Smoke and Mirrors
Discover the dirty little marketing tricks online home business opportunities are using to take your money!
Federal Trade Commission Consumer Alert
Discover the dirty little marketing tricks online home business opportunities are using to take your money!
Read William's personal struggle promoting Imagine 2020 only to never receive his commissions.
People share their Imagine2020 experiences
Robert L. Fitzpatrick discusses Multi-level marketing
|