Wisconsin Senior Medicare Patrol

In Detroit, officials set up a task force to investigate fraudulent home sales online.

Some enthusiastic buyers put down cash on homes for sale online, but say they never received a deed. Turns out, it was all a scam – and many are out thousands. Some of the homes were available on sites like eBay, according to The Detroit News.

If you want to buy homes online to get a deep discount, check out these tips to avoid scams:

• Call the county assessor’s office in the county the home is for sale in. Ask to confirm who the homeowner is, and verify with them that the home is, indeed, for sale.
• Get a title company to check the deed first.
• Look at home(s) in person before you buy.
• Ask about water and mineral rights. If you don’t have water rights, you won’t be able to build on the property. Also, find out from the city or county how the property is zoned.
• If there are buildings on the property, find out from city officials if there are problems, complaints or fines associated with those buildings.
• On sites like eBay or Craigslist, some users have complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau. Do a search for that particular user name to see if they, as individuals, have a history of complaints.
• If it sounds like its too good to be true, it probably is.

Other posts of interest:

Big eBay Scam (Scambusters.org)

eBay Real Estate Rental Scam (eBay user thread)

Voter fraud is on the minds of many Wisconsinites as the election approaches and some in Milwaukee faces charges of fraud at the ballot box.

Today, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said the state and U.S. Justice Department will team up with a task force in Brown County to snuff out voter fraud at the polls this year.

In the last two years, more than two dozen people were prosecuted at the state and federal level for election fraud. Van Hollen says he wants to step up efforts in Brown, Dane, Kenosha, La Crosse, Outagamie, Racine, Washington, Waukesha, and other counties, The Green Bay Gazette reports.

Got questions about your time share properties – or purchasing one – but cannot find unbiased answers. One organization wants to help.

The National Timeshare Owners Association will hold it’s first-ever conference in Milwaukee in September. Topics include finding ethical exchange companies and how to avoid scams.

It will cost $100 to attend the conference and become a member of the association.

For more details, click here.

After summer storms ravaged portions of Wisconsin last week, scammers are on the move, trying to pressure some into fraudulent construction contracts.

What to watch out for:

• Check the license. Be sure the business has a license and check with the Better Business Bureau to see if complaints have been filed against the business.
• Pressure tactics. If someone wants you to sign up NOW for services, run. Legitimate business people will give you time to decide.
• Cash up front. Don’t pay The entire fee up front. Some contractors might want a deposit, but never hand out more than 1/3 of the total cost.
• Get estimates in writing. Don’t trust a verbal estimate. Also, get estimates from at least three companies before you hire.
• In Wisconsin, you get three days to cancel a contract. This only applies if you did not contact the business directly, according to the Kenosha News.

The Wisconsin BBB has more details on avoiding scams by storm chasers.

Volunteers:

A new time sheet is available for your SMP activities. Download by clicking here.

Buy lots of stuff on Amazon? Then beware a new scam that arrives via email.

Fraudsters send emails similar to Amazon’s Thank You For Your Order missives. Officials believe the scammers want Amazon customers to enter their personal info so they can steal their identities.

Read more at the Business Courier.

More seniors are getting hoodwinked by scammers than every before, according to a new story from Bloomberg.

One in five Americans over 65 has been the victim of a scam. And it’s not always young people who try to scam their elderly counterparts; more and more, seniors are participating in the scams, the story adds.

Some seniors are able to arm themselves to avoid scams, but others – like those with dementia – are unable to make good choices when it comes to the pressure from crooks who want to steal away their money.

Scams that typically target seniors:

• Grandparent scam. Someone calls, claiming to be a grandchild in need of cash fast. Sometimes seniors are too embarrassed to admit that they don’t recognize the voice on the phone and send cash.
• Sweepstakes scams. Seniors get mailers or calls, claiming they’ve won big. All they need to do is send some cash to claim their prize – which doesn’t exist.
• Charity scams. Phony charities ask for donations to help with natural disasters, local problems and more.

Need to hire an excavation company, but not sure what to look for in the bids? The Better Business Bureau offers this video to help.

Some car buyers are turning to the Internet to find good deals – but sometimes, they get scammed.

WHIO.tv reports that the Better Business Bureau has received numerous complaints from people who either paid for a car that was less than described, or didn’t receive an automobile at all.

This report also talks about a BBB investigation into one Craigslist ad.

If you plan to buy a vehicle online, take precautions.

• Never send cash to people you don’t know.
• Look at the vehicle before you buy. Don’t just trust the ad.
• If the ad and correspondence has a lot of errors, be wary.
• Check seller feedback and ratings, or find out if the BBB has complaints against the person on record.
• If your gut tells you it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

Got a complaint about a lemon you bought? Visit the Better Business Bureau’s site on Lemon Laws.

Since the Gulf oil spill hit the news, scammers were out there, trying to get cash for fake charities or other entities claiming to help with clean up

Now, fraudsters are targeting desperate job seekers with tantalizing offers that simply aren’t true. These “offers” are a way to steal identities, as some unsuspecting Washington residents found out after responding to a Help Wanted ad.

Though there are no complaints of this scam in Wisconsin so far, officials say be warned, be wary and be watchful, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.