My Parents Were Scammed
By CatsandDogs
@CatsandDogs (13963)
United States
January 12, 2009 3:00pm CST
big time!! And AGAIN!! ARG!! The elderly are so easy to fall prey to these low life scammers and my mom, who is a good judge of charactor when it comes to strangers but apparently only in person, got a phone call from this company called IXE Accelerated Financial Center, LLC about working for her for a fee of $800. to get her credit card companies to lower her interest rates so she could pay them off quicker (3 - 5 years). She agreed to it and paid the fee with her credit card. She got a packet in the mail telling her to call them for an in person interview to go over the results. She's called them and called them, left them messages to call her back and they never did. So she continues to call them and finds out that their number was disconnected! When I saw the package, I couldn't get the whole understanding of how they have everything broken up but I got most of it but some of it didn't make any sense so I told her I'd call them and see if I could get anywhere. I called them today and all I got was a ring or two and then nothing because it stopped ringing and then there was dead silence. So I check it out on the internet and lo and behold! There's a site where people have written about being scammed!! And how they can't get through with the number that was given to them and there's one guy who said he was an employee of this company and had no idea what they were doing until it was too late and not to listen to them if they call!! Here's the web page on that so you can check it out for yourself.
http://www.callferret.com/ixe-accelerated-financial-center.html
The reason I'm putting this up is to warn all of you, please please please!! If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is!! Do not ever ever ever give your credit card or any other important and private numbers to anybody who calls YOU!! Now if you call the company yourself then it'll most likely be ok but NOT when they call YOU!! Never ever ever!! You don't know who exactly is on the other end of the line, such as in this case.
Have you ever been scammed? Were you able to get your money back? Do you know of anything my parents can do about it besides reporting it to the BBB? I want to help but I'm not knowledgeable in this field so I don't know where to turn.
3 people like this
16 responses
@mercuryman3a (2477)
• India
13 Jan 09
Man is a thinking animal and some think in the positive direction whiloe soem think in the negative. Innovation, research, logical thinking are all used by some in the negative direction with aim to defraud others and gain quick benifits for themselves. There are as many negative thinking people as there are positive. There is a constant battle between the Antivirus software manufacturers and the hackers, the armed forces and the terrorists. Who better to defraud than the innocent? One has to be constantly on the look out and very careful to stay out of the clutches of such fraudsters. I have personally bee a victim many a time and each time by innovative people.
2 people like this
@Frederick42 (2024)
• Canada
13 Jan 09
This is horrible, but of course, you are right. I am sure that there are many such fraud companies that cheat innocent people. However careful you are, it is of no use. One has to check these companies to the fullest.
I have never been scammed so far. I try my best to be beware of such thugs. I think it is difficult to expose these thugs. My understanding tells me they cheat people of a certain location and then they go to another location and cheat the people of that locality.
2 people like this
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
13 Jan 09
Actually there are businesses that call out such as telemarketers & collection agencies....but we have to be wondering about the situation. Why am I to pay 800 USD when I can call my credit card companies myself to request lower interest rate? Moreover if the charge happened recently (within 30 days) so can file a dispute on the charge. DO IT NOW! Do not wait as if she waits too long she won't be able to dispute it. She can explain the situation that she thought she was getting "X" but they did not provide their service(s) & she believes that they are scamming people. And then what they will do is a "charge back"...charge the merchant the money back so they can take the charge off your mom's card.
I've done it serveral times with the credit card (mines a mastercard too)...they luckily were able to help me with the dispute & they didn't have to charge it back to the merchant...but it seeming to me that they did NOT provide 800 USD worth of services. A copied booklet & a phone number to call (that's unattended) is NOT worth 800 USD, sorry Charlie. 
Cheers & let us know what happens.
Pablo
Cheers & let us know what happens.
Pablo1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
I agree with you there but my mom has her absent minded moments and unfortunetly, this was one of them. 
Lucky for me, I'm the one who does her best to clean up after her... if I can. I did call the credit card company and they're sending her a copy of the orginal statement and she's to fill it out explaining why the dispute over the charge and they're going to investigate it.
Lucky for me, I'm the one who does her best to clean up after her... if I can. I did call the credit card company and they're sending her a copy of the orginal statement and she's to fill it out explaining why the dispute over the charge and they're going to investigate it.
@nixxi76 (3191)
• Canada
13 Jan 09
I just took a look at your link and I can't believe how many people have been scammed by these losers! I'm also wondering how a person can sleep at night knowing that they have cheated so many innocent people?
I'm so very sorry that your parents were victims of these preditors
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
It is incredible, isn't it? Some don't have a conscience at all or they wouldn't be doing these terrible things. Makes us wonder how they were raised. I did report it to the credit card company and they're sending a copy of the statement so it can be filled out on what happened and they're going to investigate it. I pray she gets her money back.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
I did call it in to the credit card company yesterday. Thanks!
@deemazing (395)
• United States
13 Jan 09
There's another company out there you need to careful with. They are Accet Acceptance. They buy old debts and help you to pay them off. The only thing is once you committ to a payment plan, you better stick to it or pay at least some of it because once you get recorded saying it's okay, they can take it. I work with them and so far they've been good to me but I'm just waiting for me to fall behind because I am out of work right now and see what happens to my life after that...
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
Never heard of them and thank you for telling me!! There's so many FREE credit counseling services out there that one can go to and not be harrassed in such a way as this. I wish you luck in your situation! Talk to them and explain your situation, maybe they'll be helpful with you in some way.
@Polly1 (12645)
• United States
12 Jan 09
Call the credit card company right away. Explain what happened to them, alot of the time they can do a charge back against the company, specially if a Visa was used. You might have to be right there with your mom when you call, they might have to hear from your mom that she gives permission to talk to them. I have had to call a credit card company for my mom and get things straightened out. Thats the bast thing to do is call them, the are the ones that can help. Good luck, let us know what happens and thanks for the warning.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
12 Jan 09
Mom said she used her master card, do you think they'll be able to do anything? Mom will give me permission to call about her account, I know she will and I could have her on three way calling to get the approval but since it's MC, do you think they'd be willing to help? It is worth a try anyway and will call her again in a moment.
BTW, you are very welcome!
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
13 Jan 09
This link will give you all the information you need on scams and how to report them:
http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/reporting.php
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
Thank you so much whiteheather!! 
Just what I needed too! I did report them but I'm not sure what good it'll do for my mom but as long as someone is saved from being scammed by this company, then it'll be worth it. But I am working through the credit card company in hopes to get her money back. Thanks so much for that information!!
Just what I needed too! I did report them but I'm not sure what good it'll do for my mom but as long as someone is saved from being scammed by this company, then it'll be worth it. But I am working through the credit card company in hopes to get her money back. Thanks so much for that information!! @unusualsuspect (2602)
• United States
12 Jan 09
I'm sorry your mother got scammed, but I don't see what her age has to do with it. Plenty of young people fall for that kind of thing, and there are plenty of seniors who never get scammed. It's good to pass on the warning, though, because it seems that there are always new suckers who never hear about the scammers, and wind up losing their money.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
You are right, there are a lot of people of different ages who are being scammed however, the elderly are the most prone to the scamming. Some seniors are smarter than others and know how to say no but some aren't so smart or so wise and are very trusting and my parents are one of them. I hope the word gets out because I hate to see any body lose their hard earned money.
@moumitamazumder (817)
• India
13 Jan 09
This is very sad and disappointing. I have heard of many such scams, and I am always alert before using my credit card. You now have nothing much to do. Just be aware and console your parents. I have once been scammed but in a different way. I tried to encash some fair amount of egold through a local company, and they took the egold, but never deposited the money in my bank. I wrote them for several months, but they didn't respond.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
Yes it is very sad and disappointing. How in the world can anyone live with themselves knowing they didn't earn that money but took it, stole it? Especially when one is in so much debt that they're seeking a way to get out. I'm sorry you got scammed too. Have you considered going to the BBB and reporting them?
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
12 Jan 09
That's the route I'm taking first and if I don't get resolution from them then I'll go the media route. Look at my response to #3, I'm to aggravated to explain it again. Mom and her negativity.... nothing new but it grates on my damned nerves! ARG!!
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
13 Jan 09
Hey cats! Isn't there anyway to stop the credit card payment
or have it reversed? Or can you find out anything from the
credit card company that your mother has the credit card with?
Maybe somehow they can trace the transaction? I once got
scammed by something like this and I fought the company until
I got my money back! It wasn't easy, but I wasn't going to
let them get away with it! I threatened them with going to
the BBB, I called THEM and harrassed THEM! I yelled at THEM
and kept asking for their supervisors! I didn't stop until
I got them to return my money! They tried to get away with
a scam, but I turned the tables on them! I got my money back!
I don't remember exactly how I finally did it, but I did!
They tricked me into something and I am usually pretty smart
and careful so they were pretty good because they did fool
me at first. I learned my lesson but good! You have to keep
digging up dirt and trying to find as much information about
how they got the money off the credit card. That's the first
step and maybe the BBB can help. But, what I also found out
is that the BBB is not as clean as people think! No a very
good thing to hear!
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
No I can't stop the charge because it happened a year ago. I didn't know anything about it until just before mom had her stroke and then everything was so chaotic that it wasn't thought about until about a month later when I found the stuffed and sealed envelope but mom wasn't in her right mind to be able to tell us what it was about or she wasn't able to speak. Now a year later, she said she's called the company numerous times and one number is disconnected and the other has a recording to leave your name and number and someone would get back to her. Yeah right. What a joke. But I did call the credit card company and they're going to send her an orginal copy of that statement and mom is to write on the back, which I'll have to do for her since she can't write yet, explaining the situation and they will look into the matter. I don't know what that means exactly, if she'll get her money back or the company gets repremanded or what but we're going to find out.
I've checked the BBB site out and I can't believe it. Here's the link.
http://www.orlando.bbb.org/newsearch2.asp?ComID=073300014624978
@Autumnrose2008 (1478)
• United States
12 Jan 09
When I read or hear about this sort of thing it really makes me sick to my stomach. How could someone stoop so low as to scam the elderly. I know that its easy as it happens all the time but really people need to get a freaking life and stop doing this to the ones that dont have much in the first place.
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
12 Jan 09
Damn if you didn't hit the nail on it's head!! Exactly right!! I couldn't agree with you more!! But at the same time, I'm angry at my mom because she's been scammed before out of $500. in which I was right there beside her begging her to hang up the phone because of the saying "if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is" but she wouldn't listen to me and she got scammed. I thought she learned her lesson but apparently she hasn't. MAYBE just maybe, she's learned THIS time. ARG!!
Check this web site out with the BBB! It's amazing....
http://www.orlando.bbb.org/newsearch2.asp?ComID=073300014624978
@paoxav (1382)
• Philippines
13 Jan 09
inform your mom's bank on what happened and tell them that your mom was scammed. they will most likely decline the card and apply for a new one. tell your mom to refuse to pay those imbeciles and let the bank do their jobs. most of the credit card companies today has anti-fraud or anti-scam protections to protect their clients. goodluck..
1 person likes this
@CatsandDogs (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 09
I have done that today and they're going to send out the original statement so she could write on the back of it that there's a dispute over the charge and why and the credit card company will look into it and decide what to do. I hope mom gets her money back because her and dad need it badly. Thanks!
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
13 Jan 09
That really really stinks! I can't believe the idiots that would do this. I have had a lot of people tell me I'm way too paranoied, but the bottom line is I don't get scammed! People are beginning to figure this out when the warnings that I give them turn out to be 100% right!!! Thanks for the warning.
1 person likes this
