Topic 'Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam' in forum 'Scam and Phishbusters' - dslreports.com

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:53:04 EDT

Camelot One posted :

You want a scam? How about Apple selling graphics cards "upgrades" at twice the MSRP that are two generations obsolete.

»store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s···ic_cards

That is not a scam. That is just Apple being Apple.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 07:57:23 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : You want a scam? How about Apple selling graphics cards "upgrades" at twice the MSRP that are two generations obsolete.

»store.apple.com/us/browse/home/s···ic_cards
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:54:14 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted :

said by garys_2k:

There's "legal" scam and "ethical" scam, sometimes there's a difference. I'd put this one in the ethical scam camp but it's likely a good lawyer could convince a judge of its legality.

Well said, which is why I "argued" that it wasn't a scam by "legal" definition, simply because they are offering a service, using tons of legal wranglings no doubt to remain legal and sound alarmist, though I will admit, I had placed "The" in front of the Local records office, which once more changes the wording from "A local office can provide it" to "We can provide it we are the local office"

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:12:46 EDT

AVD posted :

said by Snowy:

said by garys_2k:

Sorry for the confusion, I meant "ethics scam,"...

That's a good way of looking at it!
It defines a scam for what it is [b]regardless of legal standing[/b}.

yes... exactly.
--
* seek help if having trouble coping
--Standard disclaimers apply.--

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:47:21 EDT

Snowy posted :

said by garys_2k:

Sorry for the confusion, I meant "ethics scam,"...

That's a good way of looking at it!
It defines a scam for what it is regardless of legal standing.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:16:50 EDT

garys_2k posted : Sorry for the confusion, I meant "ethics scam," where you create it to be misleading, on purpose, you mean to confuse people, but yet you skate just on the good side of legality. You can pull on your halo and say "Hey, look, I didn't REALLY lie, it's all there in writing, see?" but it's still going to be misread by people who aren't that observant.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:28:33 EDT

Snowy posted : An ethical scam, hmm.
A litmus test for "what is a scam" would be a disregard for ethics so an "ethical scam" would be a contradiction in terms, IMO.
»en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contradic···in_terms

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:10:20 EDT

garys_2k posted : There's "legal" scam and "ethical" scam, sometimes there's a difference. I'd put this one in the ethical scam camp but it's likely a good lawyer could convince a judge of its legality.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:46:03 EDT

Snowy posted : I wouldn't group GroovyPhoenx with the morrison shills.
GroovyPhoenx uses one of the legit legit definitions of "scam" while there's nothing legit about the morrison shills.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 20:13:31 EDT

hoyleysox posted : Its surprising to read bbr members defend the practices of this national Local Records Office company by posting, "Sure its a waste of money, but its not a scam," like the anonymous posters in the Anthony Morrison thread.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:43:18 EDT

Snowy posted : Whoa!
It's not that serious a debate.
I only asked if the thread were appropriate for the forum to set you up for a kill shot ;) by pointing out the forum title is
"Scam & Phishbusters"
once you agreed the thread is appropriate.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:57:37 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted :

said by Snowy:

That's cool.
Can we agree that the thread is appropriate for the forum?

I never said it was not! I just don't see it as a scam that's all I was saying. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying its all on the up and up and perfectly clear and honest, the message is deceptive but not a lie, its a "read between the lines" type of mail which does confused people.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:50:59 EDT

Snowy posted : That's cool.
Can we agree that the thread is appropriate for the forum?

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:51:39 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted : I still don't view it as an outright "scam" though I guess when reading things I added "The" in front which would completely change the reading, I will agree that the letter is miss-leading somewhat, but it still makes no false claims, it offers a service, and even the disclaimer is in bold/big letters, so while they are skirting the "scam/legal" line, its unfortunately in that line that good crooks will go.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:49:34 EDT

Snowy posted :

said by GroovyPhoenx:

What is there to explain? The letter says "Local records office provide this document etc.." it makes no pretense that they and only they can secure this document it says it outright, "Local offices provide this document" so if I'm willing to shell out 89$ for some schmuck to go get something that I can get with five minutes of researching which office would I get this from, ...

OK, what's happened is that their letter did what it's designed to do to you.
It confused you.
When the letter refers to "Local records office" it's referring to the name of the company that mailed the letter.
The scammers named their company "Local Records Office" to appear to be a local records office to someone not paying attention.
Still not a scam?

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:02:23 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted : I don't define this as a scam for the plain simple reason that it makes no claim that only THEY can secure it, that it is "threathening your home" to not have this document etc. It simply offers a service (albeit expensive) to perform for you. I say underhanded because I find overcharging a crooked thing to do, however I also know that if I want something I can get it myself and simplify matters.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:00:17 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted : What is there to explain? The letter says "Local records office provide this document etc.." it makes no pretense that they and only they can secure this document it says it outright, "Local offices provide this document" so if I'm willing to shell out 89$ for some schmuck to go get something that I can get with five minutes of researching which office would I get this from, then, you deserve to get taken for 89$ instead of making your own way to the office and pay 5$ for the same thing.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 20:15:57 EDT

nwrickert posted :

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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Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 19:20:12 EDT

Snowy posted :

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?

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 11:47:18 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted :

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.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 21:27:22 EDT

Snowy posted :

said by Blogger:

Why, why as a personal consumer...

You consume personals? :)

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 21:22:13 EDT

Snowy posted :

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. ;)

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:22:43 EDT

Blogger posted :

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

;)

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 20:08:32 EDT

Camelot One posted :

said by Snowy:

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.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:29:53 EDT

Snowy posted :

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?

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 14:15:11 EDT

Blogger posted :

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?"

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 01:54:54 EDT

Snowy posted :

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! :)

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 22:10:58 EDT

hoyleysox posted : 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.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 20:48:52 EDT

Camelot One posted : 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.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 20:34:59 EDT

Popster27 posted : This post created a lot more response than I expected. I should have included the offer, but I destroyed the letter before scanning it. Just this week I received another solicitation from the same source, which I have scanned and attached (personal info has been removed).

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.

Envelope
Letter

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:17:49 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted : 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.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 01:55:42 EDT

Snowy posted :

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.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:33:17 EDT

Blogger posted : 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.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 20:10:45 EDT

hoyleysox posted :

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.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:49:28 EDT

GroovyPhoenx posted :

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

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 08:21:12 EDT

nwrickert posted :

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.
--
AT&T Uverse; Zyxel NBG334W router (behind the 2wire gateway); openSuSE 12.2; firefox 15.0

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 19:58:05 EDT

Snowy posted :

said by Krisnatharok:

No idea. Why do people buy half the unnecessary shit they do?

That's a good point, well taken.

said by Krisnatharok:

Don't forget to opt for the Maintenance II package next time you take your car to the dealer.

hehe, you make a strong argument using car dealerships & Best Buy as scam comparisons, but dig deep enough & you can find some sense of potential benefit in their offerings albeit not very good values.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 19:12:35 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : No idea. Why do people buy half the unnecessary shit they do?

Don't forget to opt for the Maintenance II package next time you take your car to the dealer.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 18:44:46 EDT

Snowy posted :

said by Krisnatharok:

Maybe someone works five days a week and can't get down there.

Can't get down there to get the documentation?
1. Why would someone need to have a local copy of publicly available mortgage documents?
2. What adverse consequence would a person face for not having it?
3. What benefit would be realized by maintaining that copy?
Answers:
1. There isn't any need.
2. None.
3. Same as #2
That's why it's a scam.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 17:28:28 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : Maybe someone works five days a week and can't get down there. Maybe they have to submit all their annual leave a year in advance and are just that inflexible. Maybe $90 is a steal if they need their documents for some reason.

And a BB warranty IS a scam.
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 17:01:53 EDT

Snowy posted :

said by Krisnatharok:

Anyone who doesn't understand that salespeople exist to offer convenience for money. Nothing else. The "scam" in the OP falls under this, oil changes at the dealership fall under this, and warranties at Best Buy fall under this.

You could call any of these "scams." It's merely convenience.

I wouldn't call a dealership oil change or a Best Buy warranty scams.
I do call the
"offering to get the documentation about my home mortgage from the local courthouse. They are willing to provide this "service" for only $89,"
a scam.
Why is that?
Any point of contention re a dealership oil change or a Best Buy warranty would be about the cost vs relative value which is subjective whereas the value of retaining a local copy of documentation about a home mortgage is non-existent.
short story: the mortgage documentation doesn't have any value so it's relative worth is not subjective.
There's a difference between selling something at a hyper inflated price & selling snake oil at any price.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 16:08:50 EDT

hoyleysox posted : While those letters don't fit the complete definition of "scam", they are scammy and deceptively written to look like municipal correspondence with an urgent "respond now" tone. I almost fell for it, but then noticed fine print on the bottom with disclaimer language that indicated that it wasn't from the city.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 14:56:17 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : Anyone who doesn't understand that salespeople exist to offer convenience for money. Nothing else. The "scam" in the OP falls under this, oil changes at the dealership fall under this, and warranties at Best Buy fall under this.

You could call any of these "scams." It's merely convenience.
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 13:46:07 EDT

Snowy posted : The difference is that not all salespeople peddle snake oil.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 11:35:46 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : You mean you actually take salesmen at their word??

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 02:24:30 EDT

Snowy posted :

said by Krisnatharok:

That's a stretch. It's not scamming you out of anything.

Yeah, you're right.
It's not scamming me out of anything.
;)

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 18:23:43 EDT

Krisnatharok posted : That's a stretch. It's not scamming you out of anything.

Re: [Scam] Perfectly legal scam

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 15:16:51 EDT

Snowy posted : 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