Magazine subscription fraud using children as pawns in scam door-to-door sales. Never deliver product. Identified and widely reported as an ongoing scam nation-wide:
I'm a resident of Port Townsend, Washington, a small town located on the Olympic Peninsula. I was recently scammed by a kid, Brian Hoherbach, who, along with a well coached and organized group of teenagers, canvased my rural neighborhood selling bogus magazine subscriptions to raise money for an equally bogus trip to Europe. Their handlers pocket the money, pay the kids a stipend, and never deliver the magazines. No doubt many of these kids are victims themselves. That said, this particular teenager seemed a little too polished to be in the dark, so I've included his name.
Making the scam more difficult to identify and expose, the salesmen encourage their marks to donate the paid subscriptions to various charitable organizations. No doubt they would happily take cash instead of a check to further cover their tracks.
York, Pennsylvania based American Circulation Inc. (ACI) is behind the scam. Reports of this crime began surfacing in 2008 and concerned ACI activity in Southern states, where the warm climate allowed for a longer selling season. ACI's reach has now extended nationwide.
I've actually authored a book about a con man and his Ponzi scheme, "Virtual Vice", so typically have the street smarts and experiential background not to fall prey to such fraud. This one blindsided me, however, as it involved children executing the actual scam. Truly a new low.
Important note: there are cancellation instructions that appear on the back of each ACI receipt. I believe the only purpose for their inclusion is to delay or deter stop payments on checks proffered. There are several reports of victims following those instructions and never receiving a refund, only to realize it is then too late to initiate a stop payment through their bank.
Jason
Port Townsend, Washington
U.S.A.
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