A reader asked if a check she received in the mail was legitimate.
She knew of scams where people get an unexpected check for something they’ve “won.”
All they are told to do is cash the check and mail back some fees. Typically, the only thing they “win” is the right to lose money.
In this caller’s case, the check came referencing the “Foreign Currency Fee Litigation Settlement Fund” and listed a website, www.ccfsettlement.com. It appears this is part of a class-action lawsuit that originated six years ago.
In December 2007, I wrote about a class-action lawsuit against Visa, MasterCard and Diner’s Club regarding foreign card fees they charged in the previous 10 years on credit and debit cards. The lawsuit alleged the companies conspired to set and hide the price of foreign transactions, including fees, which were typically 1 to 3 percent, in violation of state and federal laws.
An accompanying lawsuit included many other major banks and credit-card issuers.
According to the settlement website, it appears some checks were disbursed in one of the lawsuits a few years ago. I wrote in December 2011 that some people were beginning to get their checks — many in about the $20 range.
This latest round of checks was the settlement that was approved in the second lawsuit, and the website confirms that checks would be issued between mid-May and mid-July.
The reader received a check for $47.86. She said her family had charged a large vacation overseas to Africa.
I received a check for $8.23. We haven’t traveled much internationally, and I’ve frankly been surprised that I’ve received what I have in the two checks.
There were more than 7.4 million checks issued and the administrator does warn that the checks will expire in 90 days.
In both cases, they were nice surprises — hers moreso than mine — but they only took six years!
Magazine renewals
An Akron woman, 84, called about what she believes are deceptive calls regarding magazine subscriptions.
Her 90-year-old husband thought the calls were to renew existing subscriptions. Instead, the callers were creating new subscriptions. Now he has been getting three copies of the same magazines and bills for nearly $700 a month in one instance.
“We certainly encourage people to be cautious before giving out any personal information on the phone or making an agreement on the phone,” said Ohio Attorney General Public Information Officer Kate Hanson. The attorney general’s office has received 557 complaints on magazine subscriptions from July 9, 2011, through July 9 of this year, she said.
Here is advice on telemarketing:
• Before agreeing to buy anything, tell the caller to send you written information. If the caller refuses, hang up.
• If you get a call about your magazine subscription (offering a deal or saying your subscription is about to expire), the call might be from a third-party company. Before giving out any information, check the status of your subscription with the magazine.
• Don’t give out personal information over the phone. Individuals can “spoof” or disguise the number that appears on your caller ID, so it can be difficult to determine who is calling and from where.
• Research a business with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau but remember that just because there are no complaints, that doesn’t mean the call is coming from a reputable company.
• Register (or verify your registration) with the national Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov or at 888-382-1222. Registration is permanent unless you remove your number. Most telemarketers must stop calling you once your number has been on the registry for 31 days. Even if you are registered, charities, political organizations and telephone surveyors may continue to call you. Companies with which you do business also may continue to call unless you tell them to add your number to their internal do not call list.
• If you receive unexpected charges from a telemarketing call, contact the business in writing. Explain that you never intended to receive the goods or services. Say you want to stop the service and get a refund for any previous charges. If there are problems, file a complaint with the Ohio attorney general at 800-282-0515 or online at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
• Dispute unauthorized charges with your credit-card provider. Under federal law, you generally can dispute unauthorized credit-card charges within 60 days (or two billing cycles) after the first bill containing the error was mailed. Other payment methods may not provide these protections.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com.