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Naturally this is another case where being skeptical, realizing "when it sounds too good to be true, it usually is", and a simple google search helps.
So I got letter in the mail from a Toyota dealer yesterday. One of those contest thingies that they say they got from your credit rating. It's a Loan offer for a new Toyota, but a contest thing is attached to it. Scratch off numbers, if they match up, you win a prize. Grand prize was 25k, and other prizes included a flatscreen TV, a $500 Visa gift card, and a 3 day 2 night vacation. Reading the fine print in the paper, however, already pointed out an oddity to me. The Grand Prize was the lowest odds to win, obviously, the flatscreen after that, and the gift card after that. But after all those odds came the vacation, which stated "while supplies last".
So immediately, this sets alarms off in my head. A vacation, with flight and hotel, should easily cost more than a flatscreen or $500. So one, I'm expecting that since it's "while supplies last", that's the one I'm gonna "win", and two, that there's probably going to be a catch. And that really, probably all the numbers are "winners" for only the trip, and it's just a promotion to get people to the dealership.
But I figure, hey, it's Toyota, a big company. Surely someone at Toyota isn't going to risk their reputation on something that isn't legit. So I figure I'd just stop by and see what I won. The only thing I'm risking is time and 7.6 miles of gas money.
So I get there, and of course the first thing they ask me about is if I want a new car. I promptly inform them that I am seeking work at the moment and would be unable to make the payments. After that, he tried to get friendly with me, and asked which Prize I wish I would win. I naturally told him the 25 Grand, and he tried to have a rapport with me, asking if I wanted cash, check, or gold bars, and I said Gold Bars because those would probably go up in value.
And lo and behold, numbers for the "prize" I "won" was the trip. I was disappointed, and the salesperson asked why, I had just won a trip. Well, I didn't tell him this, but I would remain skeptical until I could see the terms of this trip.
Naturally, the only phone number on the brochure he gives me is to actually make reservations. And reading the fine print on the brochure, I first had to send a $50 deposit to make a reservation in the first place. So this is where I just drop the thing, because the biggest tell of a scam is when you have to send in money to claim a prize. Not only that, but it said that the trip was funded by selling timeshares and I had to sit through a meeting or something.
The brochure was by a company called "Trips Incentives". A very simple google search on them should have told whoever was the manager at the dealership that these guys were not legit. Here, see for yourself:
https://www.google.com/search?q="trips incentives" review
When your FIRST result is review from a site called ripoffreport.com , that should have immediately set alarms off to the manager. The guy in charge of Trips Incentives has a history of ripping people off. This shows a degree of incompetence from the manager of the Toyota Dealership in accepting this "promotion". Interestingly enough, another result is from the "Better Business Bureau", saying they have an A- rating. Which means bullcrap, since the BBB is known for being corrupt and having absolutely no credibility.
So, being unemployed and having some time on my hands, I guess this will be a blog on the steps I am taking as a result. I may have managed to avoid this scam by doing a SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH, but it was still a complete failure on the part of the dealership to have accepted the scam and brought me there. I will go to management at the dealership and ask him/her 1. for a written apology for accepting what's clearly a scam promotion and wasting my time, and 2. to stop this promotion, suggesting that he also apologize to the people who come as a result of the promotion who also win a "free trip", informing them that it is a scam, or at the very least, the catches involved and that it IS suspect. In writing, of course. If he/she does not comply, I will go to the regional management and inform them of that the dealership did accept this promotion. And regardless of what he does, I will post a negative rating on whatever online rating sites there are, posting about my experience and explaining that the manager was incompetent enough to fall for it. I will also do my best in reporting the company to the proper authorities.
  
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United States68 Posts
I got something extremely similar if not the same in the mail, I just threw it out man lol glad you didn't hand over any money or info though.
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Back when I was younger, I'd show up to car dealerships just to eat free hamburgers and drive some new cars. Fake ids ftw.
What would be do without google these days?
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toyota ads load here lol.
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The biggest tell of a scam imo is the sender being an African prince haha
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I was scammed for $15 once. I don't believe anyone now, even my friends. I always ask for proof to anything they say, otherwise its a lie.
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I am very sorry that some malicious men wanted to rob you of your well earned money. I know that the economic times must be hard for everyone. But I would have you listen to my story. I am an Algerian Prince, Ahmed Allouache of Béchar, and my noble family have been royal to the Ancient dynasties of Algeria for over 200 years. In recent civil turmoil however, I was forcibly removed from my home city and am in political asylum in the United Arab Emirates. With your support of $500, I will take back my rightful place as a royal Prince, and I will handsomely reward you from the royal treasury of Béchar. Please help me gain my rightful position as a Prince of Algeria. Make all our payments to 57002 4th Street Los Angeles 90024 CA, suite #26 Corporate trust funds. Thank you my friend.
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On June 27 2013 13:07 saddaromma wrote:
I was scammed for $15 once. I don't believe anyone now, even my friends. I always ask for proof to anything they say, otherwise its a lie.
Funny enough, I was scammed for the same amount, which led me to always seeking the terms and never paying before getting something. Was it also for "shipping" for sending you your prize of $1000, only to find it out that the certificate was only good for useless items that were not only overpriced, but also you still had to pay cash for shipping that cost more than the good itself?
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I was once scammed out of 12 bronze bars on Runescape when I was 14. I have never trusted anyone ever again.
Seriously though... I remember one time when I got my MasterCard the person who activated said NEVER give out the 3 digits on the back of the card. He told me even if it was someone from MasterCard. Anyway about a year later I got a call from some woman claiming to be from MasterCard and she told me that there was an issue with my card and she needed to confirm my mastercard number. I gave it to her without really thinking but then she asked for the 3 digits on the back. I refused to give them to her and I asked for MasterCard to mail me information pertaining to my "issue" with my card. After arguing with her a bit over the 3 digits she said that I should receive the mail in 3-5 business days.
Nothing ever came in the mail and no one from "MasterCard" ever phoned me again about this issue with my card and it remained good until it expired.
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On June 27 2013 12:58 B.I.G. wrote:
The biggest tell of a scam imo is the sender being an African prince haha
xD yeah
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On June 27 2013 18:22 Krohm wrote:
I was once scammed out of 12 bronze bars on Runescape when I was 14. I have never trusted anyone ever again.
Seriously though... I remember one time when I got my MasterCard the person who activated said NEVER give out the 3 digits on the back of the card. He told me even if it was someone from MasterCard. Anyway about a year later I got a call from some woman claiming to be from MasterCard and she told me that there was an issue with my card and she needed to confirm my mastercard number. I gave it to her without really thinking but then she asked for the 3 digits on the back. I refused to give them to her and I asked for MasterCard to mail me information pertaining to my "issue" with my card. After arguing with her a bit over the 3 digits she said that I should receive the mail in 3-5 business days.
Nothing ever came in the mail and no one from "MasterCard" ever phoned me again about this issue with my card and it remained good until it expired.
Anyway, your bank will never ask your card number by mail or by telephone, they know it goddammit.
And if you think it might not be a scam and you really have a problem, just hang out and call your bank.
The thing to always remember is that legit compagny will never ever ask your passwords/card number in plain text/phone (maybe over a page in https), except maybe if you call them (and in this case you know it's legit).
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My dad got a call from people wanting his windows ID or whatever, claiming his computer was full of viruses and they would remove them for him via remote access. Glad all the lectures i´ve given him about computers and the internet has stuck and he told them to drop dead.
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Dude, if you end up going at the regional thing and tell them about the story and how you managed to uncover that, they might offer you a job :-D
That would be an interesting development of what started as a scam bait...
Good job anyway !
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On June 28 2013 01:24 unkkz wrote:
My dad got a call from people wanting his windows ID or whatever, claiming his computer was full of viruses and they would remove them for him via remote access. Glad all the lectures I´ve given him about computers and the internet has stuck and he told them to drop dead.
I got this as well, they claimed to be from windows support. I've also gotten a billion mails from various princes in Africa that wants me to help them transfer money.
The most hilarious scam was someone who called me on my cell phone and said that I had fees which were overdue and if I did not pay them by the end of the week the police would come and put me in jail. They refused to explain who they were or even what I'd bought to cause the fees in the first place so I got tired of it and said "Bring it!" then I hung up. It's been 3 years now and the cops have yet to put me in jail nor have I heard from the person again.
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good catch, its always in fine print.
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in germany we have a funny scam going on from eastern europeans using free migration from the EU:
They will park their car at highway entrances and act as if out of gas, looking really desperate.
Then they wait for someone to come and ask if they need help and they would try to convince the helper that they needed euros to buy gas. They will offer fake gold clocks and stuff like that in exchange, hiding the fake part.
Well, i find it kinda funny and a better criminal activity than what they countrymen are doing, roaming the land and stealing railwaytracks that are on active tracks, which is basically attempted murder in 200 counts.
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Oddly I haven't received any emails claiming to be African princes, though I think I saw a couple viagra ad.
+ Show Spoiler +On June 28 2013 02:44 LaNague wrote:
in germany we have a funny scam going on from eastern europeans using free migration from the EU:
They will park their car at highway entrances and act as if out of gas, looking really desperate.
Then they wait for someone to come and ask if they need help and they would try to convince the helper that they needed euros to buy gas. They will offer fake gold clocks and stuff like that in exchange, hiding the fake part.
Well, i find it kinda funny and a better criminal activity than what they countrymen are doing, roaming the land and stealing railwaytracks that are on active tracks, which is basically attempted murder in 200 counts.
That does sound pretty bad. I've only seen news reports of people stealing manhole covers and fire hydrant/hose material to sell as scrap metal in Korea.
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I am mostly annoyed by calls form my cable company trying to sell 'great packages' for phone and tv, and responding that I am locked into 12 years of Direct TV, and 5 years of Verizon&AT&T usually stops the calls for a good 6 months.
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EPT
