| Most members of our tech-savvy society are | | | | telemarketers attempt to get victims to sign up |
| familiar with the idea of fraudulent internet | | | | for credit cards over the phone, tell them that |
| practices. However, as our dependency on home | | | | they can be approved for loans and credit cards |
| phone lines decreases and we increasingly rely on | | | | despite bad credit, or convince them that the |
| the internet and on personal cell phones, people | | | | fraudulent service can remove bankruptcies or |
| today may not be too familiar with the | | | | other indicators of poor credit from the person's |
| forerunner to internet scams: telemarketing | | | | credit report. The fraudulent organization either |
| schemes. A telemarketing scheme is a type of | | | | takes money from the victim or collects |
| fraudulent behavior in which a caller contacts | | | | important personal information. |
| victims and attempts to get them to send | | | | - Business-opportunity schemes: victims are |
| money to a cause or subscribe to some purpose. | | | | convinced to invest large amounts of money in |
| Instead of using these funds in the way they | | | | fraudulent business practices. |
| were intended, the participants in the scheme | | | | - Lottery schemes: telemarketers convince |
| take the victim's money and use it for fraudulent | | | | victims to buy foreign lottery tickets, which are |
| purposes or in another illegal way. | | | | invalid in the United States. |
| Types of Telemarketing Schemes | | | | - Office supply schemes: a telemarketer contacts |
| In order to try to make their schemes seem | | | | an office under a false identity and tells the |
| legitimate, fraudulent telemarketers may use a | | | | company about a price increase in a particular |
| variety of different techniques in an attempt to | | | | service. |
| convince victims to give up money or important | | | | - Prize-promotion schemes: a victim is contacted |
| personal information. The types of schemes vary | | | | and told that he or she has won a large prize, but |
| widely, and it is important to be familiar with the | | | | must purchase particular products or services in |
| most common types to avoid being a victim of | | | | order to claim it. |
| telemarketing fraud. Examples of telemarketing | | | | - Cross-border schemes: fall into a wide variety of |
| schemes include: | | | | categories, but all involve solicitors from outside |
| - Charity schemes: a telemarketer appeals to a | | | | the country. Doing business overseas makes the |
| person's desire to help others by calling on the | | | | fraudulent behavior more difficult to track. If you |
| behalf of a false charity, or by stating the name | | | | have been a victim of a telemarketing scheme or |
| of a well-known charity in order to gain the | | | | another kind of financial fraud, you may want to |
| victim's trust. The donation is then used in part or | | | | pursue legal assistance. For more information, visit |
| in full for fraudulent purposes. | | | | the website of the Milwaukee bankruptcy lawyers |
| - Credit card, credit repair, and loan schemes: | | | | of the DeLadurantey Law Office. |