 nwrickertsand groperPremium,MVM
join:2004-09-04
Geneva, IL
kudos:7
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to Krisnatharok
Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam said by Krisnatharok:Anyone who doesn't understand that salespeople exist to offer convenience for money.
It is not the sales people that are the problem. It is the marketing people. And when they are the same people, watch out.
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AT&T Uverse; Zyxel NBG334W router (behind the 2wire gateway); openSuSE 12.2; firefox 15.0 |
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Reviews:
 ·Rogers Hi-Speed
| reply to Snowy
said by Snowy:Definition for scammer:
Web definitions:
swindler: a person who swindles you by means of deception or fraud.
»www.google.com/search?q=define%3···irefox-a
Implying that a mortgage is at risk for the lack of having a local copy of publicly available mortgage documents is deceitful.
It must be deceitful because it is not true.
de·ceit·ful/diˈsētfəl/
Adjective:
(of a person) Deceiving or misleading others, typically on a habitual basis.
Intended to deceive or mislead.
Synonyms:
deceptive - false - fraudulent - delusive - lying
»www.google.com/search?q=define%3···&bih=309
Agreed, if the wording is saying something along the lines of YOU ARE AT RISK OF LOSING YOUR HOME" etc, then yes it's a scam however, once more it depends entirely upon the wording of the letter, these idiots hire laywers to make sure they can get away with it and stay just within a hairline of the laws on false or misrepresentation. |
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| said by GroovyPhoenx:Agreed, if the wording is saying something along the lines of YOU ARE AT RISK OF LOSING YOUR HOME" etc, then yes it's a scam however, once more it depends entirely upon the wording of the letter, these idiots hire laywers to make sure they can get away with it and stay just within a hairline of the laws on false or misrepresentation.
I would agree that the letter is slightly legal, due to the fine print, but its still worthy of posting in this Scam forum because it is deceptive and worthless.
It would be helpful to post the current names of the companies that send the letters. I regret shredding mine. |
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 BloggerJedi PosterPremium
join:2012-10-18
·Champion Broadba..
1 edit | Slightly legal? An act is either legal or it is not. Black and white. However, your advice is well taken.
Strictly from my personal perspective I consider the OP described situation more the act of a shyster than a scammer, because as you alluded to legality is an issue. To me a scam means to me a willful illegal dishonest act. |
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 SnowymIRC unix.ro UnderNetPremium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
kudos:6
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·Clearwire Wireless
| said by Blogger:Strictly from my personal perspective I consider the OP described situation more the act of a shyster than a scammer, because as you alluded to legality is an issue. To me a scam means to me a willful illegal dishonest act.
Welcome to the site Blogger  !
Shyster, scammer, sleaze, etc...
Take your pick, they all work. |
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Reviews:
·Rogers Hi-Speed
| reply to hoyleysox
The letter is legal, they are offeringa service to provide you with documents.
The point of this is that YES if you KNOW your stuff you can get these documents for very little to no money at the courthouse/city hall etc. I believe most charge the nominal 5$ fee or something, point being, YES you can get this stuff yourself.
They use scare tactics that have almost no chance at occurring to get you to buy it, that to me is not right, it's not illegal unfortunately. |
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| reply to Popster27
Envelope | 
Letter |
The sender has done everything they can to make this look official, short of saying it is. It is designed to prey on the gullible. In my mind, that makes it a scam. |
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| It says in big bold print, THREE TIMES, that it is not from the government, and clearly states TWICE that you can get the same records directly from the county recorder.
I still stand by my original comment. This is a company selling a completely legal service to people who are either stupid, or just too lazy to do it on their own, and I am perfectly ok with that. I see no scam at all. |
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| reply to Popster27
I recognize that letter.
To the letter's credit the box at top and the last paragraph in the letter is unambiguous. This forums readers know the letter is "scammy" since OP described it as such, but the targeted nature of that direct mail campaign makes it effective, at least to first time home buyer me. I am embarrassed to admit I wrote out the check before rereading the letter and tearing both up. Then I got similar letters from other companies...
IMO, that "business" is all about the timing: whichever company delivers the letter first is most likely to get a customer or victim. |
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SnowymIRC unix.ro UnderNetPremium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
kudos:6 Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
·Clearwire Wireless
| reply to Camelot One
said by Camelot One:It says in big bold print, THREE TIMES, that it is not from the government, and clearly states TWICE that you can get the same records directly from the county recorder.
I still stand by my original comment. This is a company selling a completely legal service to people who are either stupid, or just too lazy to do it on their own, and I am perfectly ok with that. I see no scam at all.
"Warning: $2,000 Fine, 5 Years Imprisonment, or both for any person interfering or obstructing with delivery of this letter U.S. Mail TTT.18 U.S. Code."
This warning printed on the address side of the envelope doesn't seem misleading to you?
Here's a self test that can be taken at home/office to assess scam identification proficiency.
Why is that warning there?
1. A public service mesage educating the general public about the consequences of mail theft.
2. The USPS bought advertising space on the envelope to discourage mail theft.
3. To give the impression that the envelope is related to U.S. government business where such notices are common.
Why is "This is not a government approved or authorized document" printed below the warning?
1. It's a voluntary statement made by the advertiser.
2. It's mandated by the USPS to offset the misleading nature of the warning.
Why does the mailing indicia say "Local Records Office"?
1. To mislead the addressee into believing it's from their "Local Records Office".
2. To mislead the addressee into believing it's from someone elses "Local Records Office".
3. It isn't misleading because it is from "Local Records Office".
Why does the letter refer to itself as originating from "Local Records Office"
see above
Here's a pop quiz:
What is a "Local Records Office"
1. It's the office of a dude named Local Records
2. A town or counties records bureau
3. A carefully chosen business name used to fool people into believing the business is something they are not.
Optional for extra credit:
Why are there so many legal disclaimers?
1. They are opt-in disclosures that responsible advertisers adhere to
2. They are Federal requirements put in place to mitigate false & misleading advertisements.
DISCLAIMER: Anyone self administering this self test does so AT THEIR OWN RISK!  |
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BloggerJedi PosterPremium
join:2012-10-18 Reviews:
·Champion Broadba..
| reply to Popster27
said by Popster27:IMO, if I convince you that you need to spend money on something you don't need, and most of that money ends up in my pocket, I am a scammer.
Didn't you just give the job description for the occupation of "salesperson?" |
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SnowymIRC unix.ro UnderNetPremium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
kudos:6 Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
·Clearwire Wireless
| said by Blogger:said by Popster27:IMO, if I convince you that you need to spend money on something you don't need, and most of that money ends up in my pocket, I am a scammer.
Didn't you just give the job description for the occupation of "salesperson?" I hope that was meant as humor rather than a fact? |
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| reply to Snowy
said by Snowy:"Warning: $2,000 Fine, 5 Years Imprisonment, or both for any person interfering or obstructing with delivery of this letter U.S. Mail TTT.18 U.S. Code."
This warning printed on the address side of the envelope doesn't seem misleading to you?
I find it no more misleading than Best Buy or Walmart posting those "Shoplifting is a crime punishable by.....etc" posters. The letter is quoting the penalty for tampering with mail. Sure, it would apply to any piece of mail, not just this one, but there is nothing fraudulent about quoting the law.
Do you NEED their service, no. Could you spend your own time getting the documents, absolutely. But hocking a product you don't have to have and could get elsewhere for less is just how sales works. And if anything, I find the disclosures on this letter paint a far more honest picture than most of the crap being marketed by major corporations. |
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BloggerJedi PosterPremium
join:2012-10-18 Reviews:
·Champion Broadba..
| reply to Snowy
said by Snowy:said by Blogger:said by Popster27:IMO, if I convince you that you need to spend money on something you don't need, and most of that money ends up in my pocket, I am a scammer.
Didn't you just give the job description for the occupation of "salesperson?" I hope that was meant as humor rather than a fact? Why, why as a personal consumer...I love professional full-time salespeople! I can't even begin to talk about the products that until I encountered the salesperson that I learned how much I needed the product, a product that I often hadn't even heard about before the salesperson told me about it. Thanks to their sales info I found out I desperately needed the product. The product would "change my life" and for the better big time. It would add years to my life and and improve the quality of it too! I would also look better feel better and be more successful in life. And the preceding just scratches the surface. It doesn't even begin to cover the spectrum of their contributions along the lines I mention. Plus most, not all had great credentials and appeared if not in person on reputable large successful commercial TV and radio stations.
Oh, sure there are some that are not so reputable but no occupation is perfect.
»www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUs1HZIrMMQ
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SnowymIRC unix.ro UnderNetPremium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
kudos:6 Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
·Clearwire Wireless
| reply to Camelot One
said by Camelot One:I find it no more misleading than ...
2 differing opinions, one just happens to be a better opinion, IMO
I'll agree that for all the ways a person can be taken advantage of this particular scam hustle is not going to set the victim customer back too much.
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SnowymIRC unix.ro UnderNetPremium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
kudos:6 Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
·Clearwire Wireless
| reply to Blogger
said by Blogger:Why, why as a personal consumer...
You consume personals? |
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 statestress magnetPremium,Mod
join:2002-02-08
Purgatory
kudos:6 | reply to Popster27
(topic move) [Scam] Perfectly legal scam Moderator Action
The post that was here (and all 6 followups to it), have been moved offline. |
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Reviews:
·Rogers Hi-Speed
1 edit | reply to Popster27
Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam said by Popster27
The sender has done everything they can to make this look official, short of saying it is. It is designed to prey on the gullible. In my mind, that makes it a scam.
Ok, hate to tell you but there is NO SCAM in this, is it underhanded? Yes, but perfectly LEGAL!
1) They make NO false claims in your scanned letter.
2) The offer a Highly overpriced SERVICE to get you what you can on your own. YES!
3) You CAN get it on your own and they also make this clear in the letter! "LOCAL RECORDS OFFICE PROVIDE THE DOCUMENT ETC."
4) They offer you a service to get it for you. Is it overpriced? Hell yes! It's not worth 89$ But is it illegal? NO!
Therefore this is NOT a scam, it is exploitative, but NOT scam. |
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SnowymIRC unix.ro UnderNetPremium
join:2003-04-05
Kailua, HI
kudos:6 Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
·Clearwire Wireless
| said by GroovyPhoenx:3) You CAN get it on your own and they also make this clear in the letter! "LOCAL RECORDS OFFICE PROVIDE THE DOCUMENT ETC."
Would you explain that in more detail? |
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nwrickertsand groperPremium,MVM
join:2004-09-04
Geneva, IL
kudos:7 Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to GroovyPhoenx
said by GroovyPhoenx:Ok, hate to tell you but there is NO SCAM in this, is it underhanded? Yes, but perfectly LEGAL!
As far as I know, the word "scam" is not restricted to what is illegal. The essence of scam is that it uses trickery (what you call "underhanded").
Usage varies. Some people might only use the word where law breaking is involved, while others will use it more broadly. Dictionary definitions vary, too.
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AT&T Uverse; Zyxel NBG334W router (behind the 2wire gateway); openSuSE 12.2; firefox 16.0.2 |
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