Internet scam targets students
Oct. 7, 2004
By Phil Lineburg
Staff Writer
If you regularly look at the bulletin boards on campus, you have likely seen one of two advertisements that make the claim that you can make up to $938.00 per week, with weekly paychecks, by stuffing and mailing envelopes. No selling!
It is a scam. Operators like this one, based in Gilbert, AZ, are trying to hook people in with the promise of making really big money. When you go to one of their two websites, you are asked to pay them $29.95 with a check or credit card. If you actually progress to the order stage, you are asked to pay $34.95, instead of $29.95.
The website operator uses a third-party billing service called ClickBank. It is very similar to PayPal, where the service processes the payments, and the “merchant” is given their cut of the sale, but never gets the actual credit card or banking information.
Quoting from the website at www.studentpay.com, “Please note, if you do not have a checking account, or a credit/ATM card, simply have a friend or relative order for you.”
The Federal Trade Commission recommends reporting fraudulent and deceptive money making schemes to the attorney general's office in the state you live, as well as where the business practices. To report fraud directly to the Federal Trade Commission, call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or go to www.ftc.gov.The Buzz On Campus is a bimonthly newspaper produced by the students of
St. Ambrose University. For more information, contact them at 563/333-6101 or thebuzz@sau.edu
Copyright © 2005
Updated: March 23, 2005 10:32 PM