Scams Everywhere

Tony Nathanson

Well-known member
I was just watching a small-claims court trial. A woman has a website that asks for donations to cover costs of care & reuniting lost pets with their owners. She posted a photo of a cat & the information claimed the cat was found by the road & was lost, which was a lie because the judge's questioning forced the owner to reveal that the cat was owned by the woman's parents. The plaintiff --an animal lover--donated $800.00 & sued the woman to recover the money when she discovered the scam. Of course she won. And the judge said, "You claimed the cat was lost, which was a lie." The thief has likely collected lots of money from other unsuspecting people.

Another gem: I'm waiting at a red light & a couple of people walk through traffic, holding up signs with a photo of a young child with the caption: "Please Help." My child has cancer," or "My child needs Surgery, Anything Helps."
Or, "Need donations to pay for my Mother's Funeral, God Bless." Of course, none of it is true. Sometimes, these thieves will stand in front of a car, blocking it, thinking the driver will be forced to donate. When they do that to me, I lay on the horn & inch forward; they always get the message & move.
Or the people who sit at the bottom of freeway off ramps, with signs about needing money for food or rent. They work in shifts & often collect more money than working people; no taxes. They'll often have a well-groomed dog with them or young children, who they trade off with each other (which I've witnessed). Sometimes they'll be on their cell phone. Amazing to me that people don't use their brain & think: "They can afford a dog or phone, but not food?"

And this one:

My (now former) dentist did a partial lower bridge for $2,600.00. The fit was terrible & it caused a gum infection & pain for three weeks. When I returned the bridge, she wanted to keep $1,250.00 for the lab fee. I know there was no lab fee because she's likely using a dental college, which costs her nothing. I disputed the charge with the bank & they're currently investigating. I went to her for the bridge because a year ago she did a perfect upper partial bridge with a professional lab. Today, you can't trust who you've trusted in the past.

The "Wounded Warrior Project" is another scam that plays on people's emotions & the warm & fuzzy feeling people get from helping wounded veterans. Since they're still airing TV ads, I assume they're still getting donations from suckers. Where the donations were really going was revealed years ago: "Lavish Spending: Reports highlighted exorbitant spending on employee conferences, including a $3 million staff retreat at a luxury resort in Colorado Springs, and lavish travel expenses." What really chafes my hide is that those who donate are rewarding thieves who belong in prison.

Anyone who donates any other way except in person is being scammed. You have no way of knowing where your money is going once it leaves your hands. And most or all of it is going into the pockets of the people who run the "Charity." When I donate, it's in person or not at all. When I lost weight years ago, I donated several expensive shirts & a $300.00 jacket to a guy I've seen sitting in front of a church every morning. He was in tears - especially when he tried on the coat on a 40-degree morning.
 
There are signs a couple of counties over (where the state capitol is) saying that pan handling at the intersections is against the law, and it gives a number for them to call for assistance. The worse thing about this stuff is that it erodes trust and stops us from helping those who need it.

I was treasurer for an affiliate of a nationwide non-profit. When we got a new CEO, I tried to find out how much she made. That's when I discovered that a chunk of the HQ administrative salaries were listed as "going to those in need," because the office folks supported the filed operations. That accounting trick gave them a high score on Charity Navigator. I only deciphered it because of my inside knowledge and the specific search I did.

The ASPCA takes your money to save dogs and cats, but then euthanize them because they won't spend money to feed them after they are rescued. That only came to light because someone discovered a freezer full of bodies.

Don't get me started on all the Federal taxpayer-funded programs that are created with fraud in mind from Day One. It's quite disillusioning. I give money, but only to the local boots on the ground, never to HQ of these outfits.
 
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