Sandy springs, ga. — A tip from a Sandy Springs woman who complained she was the victim of a door-to-door scam may have uncovered a scam that has been duping people across the country.
Beth McCluskey said she felt ashamed when she found out she was conned by a man who came to her door July 11. But when she found out he was part of a much bigger organized scam, her shame turned to anger. It changed her mind about any stranger who rings her door bell in the future.
"I will not allow anyone in my home, " she said.
She said the man, in his 20's, earned her trust because he said he was from the neighborhood. He told her he knew some of her neighbors, even showed her checks they had paid him. He told her he was trying to make money for his baseball team. "He said his dad was an orthopedic surgeon and had funded the entire team and he wanted to pay his dad back something, " McCluskey said.
She wrote him check for $330 to coach her step-son. When she talked to a neighbor about the incident the neighbor told her it was a scam. The check was made out to "M.F.A." It was endorsed by a company called Marquis Fulfillment Agency.
According to the Georgia Secretary of State's website, Marquis Fulfillment Agency has the same address as United Family Circulation in Buford. It's in an office building that is up for sale. UFC was the only company occupying the building, but it appeared they might be in the process of moving out. File boxes, some with U.F.C. Labeled on them, were piled up outside Suite 100, the company's address.
On the Better Business Bureau's website, UFC and MFA had "F" ratings for numerous complaints against the company. The BBB provided us with over 260 pages of complaints filed from all across the country. Many of those complaints were unresolved.
The consumer website rip off report has over 100 complaints filed against both MFA and UFC. The complaints from rip off report and Better Business Bureau are all similar door-to-door scenarios, either selling services or magazine subscriptions.
"I don't want it to happen to anyone else and I want the company to get caught, " McCluskey said. Her advice: "If someone comes to your door and asks you to make out a check to MFA or UFC, don't do it."
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