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Scam reporter

 A website where you can report companies that send you bogus offers, etc.
  (+4)
(+4) 		  [vote for,
against]

I don't know how many times a week I get a mail offer for some bogus credit card insurance scam or a "unsecured" credit card that requires a $500 upfront fee, or those that promise me a free cruise or tell me I've won any number of things, and that all I have to do to claim them is call some 1-900 number. Now I consider myself pretty smart about these scams, but someone, somewhere must be wondering "Is this on the up and up?" and falling for these things, or the companies would quit doing them. I propose creating a website that lists the companies that deal in these bogus offers, their addresses and other specific information. This would be an educational resource for comsumers and alert those who get these offers that these are scams. It might even serve as a tool for law enforcement to bust some of the more unscrupulous ones.
—shawnndan, Apr 18 2001

Better Business Bureau http://www.bbb.org/
Something like this? [wiml, Apr 18 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Virus Hoax List http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp?
A sample list. [Aristotle, Apr 18 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Quackwatch http://www.quackwatch.com
Medical scams, obviously [Dog Ed, Apr 18 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

(?) PIAdams http://www.bogusope...on.com/piadams.html
Bogus Operators exposed. One of many similar web sites. [DrBob, Apr 18 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]

The little scam that could http://www.uspto.go...s/bak2006fapr20.htm
Then check them out today... Or google for "court halts bogus" then look up any of them today... :-( [pashute, Sep 11 2011]


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Annotation:







       This would be similiar to hoax viruses lists that can be found on anti-virus web sites. The only thing is that the list would be so large it would almost be impossible to navigate. However these challenges should rule such an idea out.
—Aristotle, Apr 18 2001
   

       great idea, but who's gonna do it? jutta? not me.
—tkeyser, Apr 18 2001
   

       Very baked. Just do a Google search for the scam they offer you and you'll probably come across several such sites.
—bookworm, Apr 18 2001
   

       Anyone daft enough to even open the envelope that these things come in is unlikely to check up on a web site. It's baked anyway, of course.
—DrBob, Apr 18 2001
   

       ItsMan: Will you send me a free [beer/car/trip to Disney Land] if I forward this info to all my friends?
—wasraw, Apr 19 2001
   

       You know those blank checks the credit cards send you? Well, I have a recycling program that takes care of them. Just mail them to me. Please don't tear them in half or write "VOID" on them, ok?
—melanerpes, Apr 19 2001
   

       I know of that PIAdams site... they use some icons from my website in their design. How cool that someone here would link to them... it's like a six degrees of separation kind of thing...
—PotatoStew, Apr 19 2001
   


 

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