Con artists troll for patriotic consumers

[Devildogg4ever]

I know some have seen this, but I still think people need to take notice! It never ceases to amaze me what people will do or use to make the "almighty dollar"!

Con artists troll for patriotic consumers

When U.S. troops shipped out to Iraq, con artists headed for Americans' wallets, using patriotism to make a profit.

Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon. "Fraud perpetrators pick newsworthy events to trigger interest in their marketing ploys," says Ken Hunter, president and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

The latest batch of con artists are profiting off the war effort in a number ways -- from hawking deals on unnecessary survival gear to collecting for bogus charities.

Fake refund fools military families

Another scam targeting military families are callers posing as Internal Revenue Service representatives. A person claiming to be from the IRS calls military family members and says they are entitled to a $4,000 tax refund because their family member is serving in the military. The caller asks for a credit card number to cover a $42 postage fee and gives an IRS toll-free number as a call-back number. While the family member waits for a refund, the scammer is busy making purchases with the credit card. In a variation of this scam, potential victims receive an e-mail that links them to a fake IRS Web site where they are asked to enter their personal and financial information.

Donating to the wrong cause

Some con artists are taking advantage of Americans' compassion by posing as war-related charities or promising their proceeds to war-related charities -- but never delivering.

[ivalis]

President Bush is the ultimate con artist. He's using "patriotism" to get himself reelected.

[USMC0311]

Originally posted by ivalis
President Bush is the ultimate con artist. He's using "patriotism" to get himself reelected.

on the Contrary IV.....Bush has instilled Patriotism in our Country, therefore he will be re-elected.. ole "W" iz grasping an opportunity.

good to see ya still got the anti-attitude Marine...and Never Trust a Bureaucrat.

[greensideout]

Originally posted by ivalis
President Bush is the ultimate con artist. He's using "patriotism" to get himself reelected.

President Bush is not "using" patriotism, but instead is the catalyst for rejuvenating it.

[ivalis]

I tip my hat to the president's marketing department. He managed to take my mind (not really) off of the economy, the enviroment, and absurd tax policies for a little while. We'll see how long he can keep this charade up.

The press has gone AWOL during this administration, which is fitting considering the prez's own history.

I'm gonna miss Ari Fleischer, he's really talented. Imagine he'll go to work selling Bud.

[wrbones]

IV, if yer gonna be a subversive, ya gotta be a little more discreet! LMAO. How ya doin' Marine!

[greensideout]

Originally posted by ivalis


I'm gonna miss Ari Fleischer, he's really talented. Imagine he'll go to work selling Bud.

I think we'll all miss him. He was a fine example of the quality of people that Bush put to work in his administration.

If Ari Fleischer begins to sell Buds, I'll buy and we can tip a few to celebrate Bush's re-election.

[ivalis]

Bones, still kind of a free country (wait till Patriot Act II). Where else can ya call the prez a butt head.

We still got a couple of years before the thought police become a part of the Homeland Security Dept. This administration has become so Orwelian that I just can't believe it.

The most recent example of "newspeak" is the Forestry Protection Bill that just passed in Congress. I calls for the logging of the National Forests, go figure.

I can believe that the neo-cons are getting away with it as the populace, with notable exceptions, has become illiterate as well as decadent.

[arzach]

Originally posted by ivalis
Bones, still kind of a free country (wait till Patriot Act II). Where else can ya call the prez a butt head.

We still got a couple of years before the thought police become a part of the Homeland Security Dept. This administration has become so Orwelian that I just can't believe it.

The most recent example of "newspeak" is the Forestry Protection Bill that just passed in Congress. I calls for the logging of the National Forests, go figure.

I can believe that the neo-cons are getting away with it as the populace, with notable exceptions, has become illiterate as well as decadent.

Don't be worried about the 'Thought Police' botherin' you ivalis, BS don't count. Suppose you'd feel more bettah with no protective apparatus in place...mebbe we'll just have islamic jihad or al-qaeda blow your house up instead of say, a nuclear power facility.

Guess it's your right to dissent, seems tho, that if the Patriot Act or Homeland Security Dept. wasn't in place...you'd be bi**hin' because no body was doin' enough to protect your rusty can...

And you are the sole surviving 'literate' in the general population? Get down off yer lefty soapbox...

[wrbones]

IV's smart enough and educated, too.. Ya just gotta call him on stuff is all! LOL. The thought police been comin' fer awhile now. Neo-Cons had nuthin' to do with any of it. Democrats got took over by the far left and gave up bein' liberals. What else were good American Democrats to do? Now they're derisively referred to as neo-cons by the leftys. Left wing forestry policies didn't work. The Black Hills alone nearly burned to the ground last year over their use of the legal system to shut down dozens of local logging contractors and mills. Hundreds of people put out of work. The economy of half a state put in the ****ter. It took more than two decades for the area to even begin to recover. It'll be a couple of decades more before it does...maybe. The lefties never thought about all of the hungry kids or Dad's and Moms havin' to work in minimum wage jobs and losing their homes when the best payin' jobs for hundreds of miles were taken away beause of Greenpeace and the Sierra Club and like outfits. For the Past hundred years the Black Hills has had more timber than it has ever had in geological history. This was not due to environmental concerns or legislation, but due to proper use and care of the timber. 400,000 acres burnt in less than three years kinda affects the habitat don't you think? Something that could have been avoided without all of the courts and yuppies who've decided who gets to work and who gets to decide how to manage tens of millions of acres of land and habitat they've never seen.

Decadence goes to lefty's side of the ledger. Who else would take it upon himself, privately, to to ruin human lives and hundreds of thousands of acres of habitat... and that's just in one small part of one state.

The Patriot Act is kinda scary when ya look at it a bit. It does seem strange that both the far left and the far right are raisin' hell about it. Myself, I've seen it comin' since I was a kid. Everyone wants what they want and to hell with everyone else. What's left for the government to do about such a situation. More friggin' laws is all the government has left. Now we have to live with it or stage a revolution.

The government was more Orwellian to me under the Democrats, though.

Just an opinion.

Bones

[Barndog]

If dubya gets re-elected, my ass is movin to Canada, or Outer Mongolia.

End of Statement.

[Barndog]

That aint Right or Left. Thats FACT.

[arzach]

Don't know BarnDog, if ya don't care fer Dubya...who comes to the front? I didn't care for him at first, wasn't till after 9/11 that he impressed me at all. Thinkin' tho, if Gore had been elected, we'd be in far worse shape...there'd have been more 9/11's, not to say something of that magnatude can't happen again...The US is far too large and it's wide open, there are, in my opinion, many 'terror' cells operating here. They need to be rooted out, and destroyed...Best way to acomplish this? Other than by the means provided by the Patriot Act, I don't know.

We have, as a population, been giving up personal freedoms for so long I can't remember. Anytime someone gets 'offende', a law is enacted, poof, there goes another freedom...only thing we're really free to, is work till we drop and pay taxes...and the left winger dummycratz don't want either one to stop.

[lakers]

Bush is the Man, He's doing a Fine job, and I hope he gets elected for another term. He can set this Country stright. My opinion.
Lisa

[firstsgtmike]

I am NOT stepping into a political argument, but I will make three predictions.

1. Bush will be reelected in 2004. The democrats don't have anyone strong enugh to beat him.

2. Cheney has said he wil be on the ticket as VP. Unless the Republicans get on the stick and start grooming and pushing someone forward, the Democrats will win the White House in 2008.

3. Barndog will opt for Canada and not Outer Mongolia for two reasons. (a.) Outer Mongolia has limited Internet access. (b) It will be easier tp move back from Canada in 2008.

ALSO: IF Davis is impeached in California, Schwarznegger will be the next Governor.