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10/29/2010
BBB has issued an F rating to Pulte Home Corporation due to a recent government action from the Arizona Attorney General. Alleging the companies engaged in deceptive trade practices, an Injunctive Relief was filed against Pulte Home Corporation and its nationwide lender, Pulte Mortgage, LLC, in August of 2010.
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09/01/2009
Effective today, the prerecorded telemarketing calls for expiring car warranties, lower credit card rates and other solicitations are officially prohibited by the Federal Trade Commission. This new requirement is one of several amendments to the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) that was originally announced last year. Unless the telemarketer has obtained permission in writing from consumers who want to receive the calls, they can face penalties of up to $16,000 per call.
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08/11/2009
Parents of high school students who are planning to take the upcoming SAT and ACT college admissions tests are being misled by one test preparation service, according to complaints to Better Business Bureau.
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05/18/2009
Better Business Bureau is warning the public to beware of letters supposedly from Publishers Clearing House which claim that they have won a grand prize drawing of $1 million. Despite how official the letters might look, the recipient is the target of a widespread scam that is seeing a sudden resurgence across the country.
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05/06/2009
BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas has been made aware of e-mails and phone calls accredited businesses have received from businesses stating or implying they are affiliated with BBB. However, those businesses are not affiliated with BBB.
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02/12/2009
People all over the country are complaining to BBB about an Austin-based company called Rerun Media, which does business as DVDPawn.com and GamePawn.com. The websites operate like online pawnshops where consumers can sell their used DVDs and video games for extra cash. Potential sellers register an account on the website and submit their list of game and movie titles for a quote. They then have 20 days to ship their items to Rerun Media's office located at 6805 Wood Hollow Drive #130R in Austin, Texas. The company's website says customers are paid by check or Pay Pal the same day their merchandise is received. The problem is - consumers say they're not getting paid what they were promised or they're not getting paid at all.
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01/07/2009
The current state of our economy is hitting consumers hard. Prices are increasing for everyday necessities and making it difficult for people to make ends meet. For some, loan opportunities seem to be the most logical and cost effective way to lessen the burden of overdue bills. BBB advises consumers to be cautious when deciding on a financial institution as this is a prime time for illegitimate loan businesses and scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers.
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12/15/2008
BBB is warning consumers to keep their guard up and their wits about them in order to fend off a new string of phishing emails making the rounds this holiday season.
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12/03/2008
The marketing masterminds behind an Amish-made electric fireplace and a rare coin and currency exchange are now targeting homeowners with a questionable mortgage savings package. Canton, Ohio-based Universal Syndications, Inc., which also does business as Universal Media Syndicate, Inc. has launched a new enterprise called Universal Mortgage Group. The company is taking out full page ads in newspapers, including the Austin American- Statesman, to promote a $198 Mortgage Savings Package that promises homeowners a minimum $20,000 in savings. Consumers are urged to call within 72 hours or they will miss the chance to take advantage of this offer, but BBB wants to urge everyone to be cautious. The company asks for personal financial information and requires a credit or debit card number to purchase the Mortgage Savings Package.
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11/20/2008
A record number of Americans want to be a part of history and attend the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, but unfortunately only 250,000 tickets are up for grabs. While many websites are claiming to sell tickets online, your Better Business Bureau is advising the public that purchasing scalped tickets could leave you out in the cold with empty pockets on Inauguration Day.
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11/19/2008
BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas has been swamped with phone calls from consumers asking about the legitimacy of notices they receive by mail and spam e-mail announcing they have won substantial sums of money in a Canadian or other foreign lottery or sweepstakes. A new batch of emails bearing Microsoft's name in connection with a prize- drawing in London has been hitting inboxes most recently. Consumers are usually given a telephone number to call and then are instructed to cash certified checks in amounts ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 in order to collect their "entire award package." They are then instructed to wire the money or send their own check back to the lottery company to cover fees and taxes.
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11/10/2008
Antonio Silliano made thousands of dollars by tricking job applicants into paying fees for background checks with promises of security guard positions that didn't exist. Now he's behind bars. Members of the Memphis Police Department's Economic Crimes Unit arrested Silliano on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 and charged him with identity theft.
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11/06/2008
Tom and Christi Jones say Sea Land Travel enticed them to attend a seminar at their Austin office last June with the promise of two “free” round-trip airline tickets plus $300 worth of “free” gas. At the sales presentation, the Jones’ say they were asked to join the Bon Voyage Travel Club, which would make available to them thousands of exclusive hotels and condos around the world at steeply discounted rates. Sea Land Travel books trips for the Bon Voyage Travel Club.
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10/24/2008
Better Business Bureau is alerting consumers and businesses about a phishing scheme that uses both email messages and blog posts directing recipients and viewers to register software with BBB. BBB wants the public to know that such messages and posts are not coming from any element of the BBB System. This attack has not affected BBB computer systems or networks, nor has any data been comprised.
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10/14/2008
Better Business Bureau is warning senior citizens to be aware of an emerging telephone scam that is preying on grandparents nationwide. BBB has recently received reports about grandparents from California to New Hampshire who thought they were aiding their grandchildren by providing money for an emergency situation but were in fact giving thousands of dollars to Canadian con artists.
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