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7/3/09

Door to Door Magazine sales is a dangerous scam



The summertime is mostly associated with great childhood memories; that unbelievable baseball game, that awesome vacation, hanging out with friends. Though ear marked for fun summertime for some is sadly known for fraud, scam, and tragedy. Every year reports about fraudulent door to door sales raise. The companies that perpetrate this scam aren't only trying to scam consumers, they scam their field associates as well. These companies are not concerned about their field associates safety or for that matter the safety of anyone. The only thing these companies care about is how much money can they get out of everyone. Often times these companies will drop their field associates off in a high crime area and expect them to go door to door selling putting their own field agents at risk.

These door to door magazine sales companies hire a variety of people. Young teens looking to work for the summer, young adults wanting to travel, older adults looking to start a new life, criminals on the run, convicted criminals looking to not get caught again. These companies put everyone together on a sales team, whisk them away to another state, place them in a hotel with 2 or more people in a room, drop them off in an unknown neighborhood and attempt to sale magazines. Now I have to ask would any parent in their right mind want their 18 year old son or daughter hanging out with a 20 or 30 something convicted criminal or someone on the run from the law? If you allow them to take a job like this that is exactly who they will be hanging out with on a daily basis.

The door to door magazine companies ply young teens and young adults with the easy money lines. "Make great cash and we pay you for it!" "Travel the country on our dime and make money doing it!" "Sale magazines for us and win a trip or $5,000 dollars." Sound Familiar? To a teen easy money for the summer, to a young adult easy money and sales experience, to a criminal easy access to a variety of unsuspecting victims who kindly answer their door to them.

For example:

Liberator Sales Inc. (also known as Imperial Sales both companies owned by Pacific Coast Clearing Services Inc.) in 2004 when Kristina Moore one of their young field associates was murdered the magazine sales team didn't stick around or care about what happened to her. The team supervisor called her in as not showing up and when she was found murdered moved the sales crew out of the state. Liberator Sales hired Walter W. Collier the traveling sales job as their magazine field associate gave him roaming access to rape a 9 year old girl. Liberator Sales Inc., routinely hire people who have outstanding warrants and in addition this company violates local city and town laws by not getting solicitation permits. In 2005 Liberator Sales was banned from the state of Maine, but in Maine they probably operate under Imperial Sales.

Charles Crawford committed a home invasion while selling magazines door to door hired by American Community Services, Inc.

Renard Amos committed burglary, sexual battery and rape while selling magazines door to door for Paragon Dynasty.

Of course these are not the only door to door magazine sales companies but most of these companies have numerous things in common. The companies don't do background checks which is why it is so easy for someone with outstanding warrants to work for them, thus putting anyone who answers the door to their field agent at risk, as well as other field agents. These are the people companies like Liberator Sales Inc., hire to represent them. Is it any wonder why this industry is plagued with crime and fraud?

Is this the type of company you would want to hand over your hard earned money to, one that violates local laws and puts their customer at risk? Of course these aren't the only complaints there are also non-delivery complaints, stolen payments complaints. The number one complaint over charging for the magazines. The magazine prices of these companies are outrageous, the subscription prices can be marked up as much as 300 percent! The sales pitch to justify the prices, it's for charity, it's for a scholarship, it's for a contest to win a trip.

Door to Door sales company don't stop by scamming customers they also do it to their field agents as well. These companies take their sales teams all over the country to different states far away from home. If the sales associate performs poorly, they may have to sleep on the floor of the hotel room, can be denied the daily money the company promises them for expenses like food, can be verbally or physically abused. If they continue to under perform well then they can be abandoned in any state or town, causing their family expense in getting them home or worse they never arrive home.

The commission and prizes are a scam too. The company usually takes advantage of their field teams by charging them the expense of the hotel room and maybe other things. If the field agent no longer wants to sell magazines and asks to go home the company claims the field agent owes them for expenses incurred for supporting them and withholds any earnings. The prizes may vary but obtaining them is next to impossible. For example the wonderful $5,000 prize LSI advertises, is only offered once a year to sales agents and if they happen to live through the hell of working for this company for that year and they can be disqualified for something as minor as the lack of a sale for one day out of that year. Also, many of these door to door sales companies are constantly being investigated for breaking child labor laws.

So, these companies get a huge profit off the back of unsuspecting young people and the communities they scam. Not only that but they teach their field associates to lie. For instance Liberator Sales Inc., their door to door sales people don't give the companies full name; if asked they only give the companies initials. They tell their field agents not to say they are making money that they are only trying to win a contest. The field agents are also told to lie about having a solicitors permit and to lie to the customer about why the magazine prices are so high.

Of course the crowning fraud of all this, if someone happens to buy magazines and give up some of their hard earned cash, the magazines may never arrive. The receipt are usually generic with no company information on it. By the time the consumer figures it out the traveling sales team is gone from the area and the check has already cleared their bank or worse; fraud has been committed on their bank account because the check contained their banks routing number and their account number.

These traveling companies change their names or start a new door to door magazine sells company all the time which makes it hard to track them because of the multiple offenses in soo many different states.




Some tips to avoid such door to door scams:

1. The best way to not get caught by this scam don't answer the door. If you aren't expecting anyone ask who it is through the closed door. If it's a door to door sales person tell them to leave.

2. Putting a "No Solicitors" sign is one way to go but it doesn't stop them. At least if they do knock on your door, you have every right to tell them in a not so nice tone to get off your property.

3. If you answer the door, don't open it wide and don't invite them in. Even if they say "Can I use your phone to contact my sales manager", "Can I get a glass of water", "Can I use your bathroom" or "It's really hot out here can we go inside and talk where it's cool?" Once inside this stranger can steal, hurt, or do worse to you.


4. If you do open the door and they won't leave or they try to stick their foot in the door, scream. Yell at them, anything that will get the attention of your neighbor(s). Cause a big enough scene that they leave.

5. If you live in an apartment complex with a security door remember don't buzz in someone you don't know use the intercom find out who it is. Door to Door sales people are known for buzzing everyone in the building to see if anyone will let them in without checking to see who it is.

6. If you see a neighbor being harassed by a door to door sales person call the cops.

7. If you happen to talk to a door to door sales person and don't feel comfortable, call the cops chances are they don't have a solicitors permit and are breaking the the law by just knocking on your door.

8. Don't buy anything! Don't give them a check or credit card information. A check has your bank account and your routing number on it, if you don't use gel ink on the check, the check can be washed in an acid wash making it a blank check with your signature on it, how scary is that!

9. Don't take the door to door sales person word that they have a permit or that the company they name is reputable.

10. If you do call the police try to give a good description like identifying marks, tattoos, scars, hair color, type of clothes the door to door scammer is wearing.

Want to find out more?
Related research links:

http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/door%20to%20door%20sales%20profiles.html


http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/index.html



http://edumacation.com/PacificCoastClearingServices


http://edumacation.com/MagazineSalesScams

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/17/AR2005081700684.html


http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2009/jun/16/sheriffs-office-warns-against-door--door-sales-fra/



List of key words:

Pacific Coast Clearing Services Inc
aka Classic Sales aka Creator Sales aka Elite Sales aka Explorer Sales Inc aka Family Reading Program aka Imperial Sales aka Infinite Enterprises Inc aka Island Sales aka Jaguar Sales aka K T S Inc aka Liberator Sales Inc aka Magazine Rewards aka North American Clearing Corporation aka North American Subscription Services aka Northwest Clearing Corporation aka NCS aka Pacific Northwest Clearing Corporation aka Pacific NW Clearing Corp aka Pacific Sales aka Platinum Sales aka Prince Sales Inc aka Road Runner Sales aka Roadrunner Sales aka Signature Sales Inc aka South Pacific Sales aka Starfleet Subscription Services Inc aka Storm Enterprises aka Success Express Sales Inc aka Superior Sales aka Super Star Sales Inc aka Superstar Sales Inc aka Superstars Sales Inc aka Tnt Sales aka Tornado Sales aka Travel USA aka Universal Sales aka Unlimited Sales aka Untouchable Sales


AHP – Always Helping People Alliance Service Company AllStar Promotions American Cash Awards American Circulation American Circulation Enterprises, Inc. American Circulation Services American Community Services, Inc. American Global Services Aristocrat Sales ATM Sales Atlantic Circulation, Inc Atlantic Periodical Sales Inc
Beyond Our Dreams Chapel Sales Circulation 1 Circulation I, Inc Circulation II Inc
Circulation II LLC Circulation 2 Inc Classic Sales Coast to Coast Circulations, Inc
Colvin Sales Condella Sales Divine World-Wide Ministries Double Douce Subscription Inc DP Sales Dynasty Sale Dynasty Technologies, Inc Editorials International, Inc
Elite Circulation Inc Elite Sales Empire Sales, Inc Entrepreneurs Across America, Inc
Explorer Sales Inc Extreme Marketing Face to Face Technologies, Inc Family Reading Program Farmers Publications Inc Fidelity Readers Service, Inc First Class Sales FLLRD FNT Force Foster Sales Free X Press Freedom Sales Inc Fresh Start Opportunities Fun Sales, Inc Furman Future Gemini Sales Gemini Subscriptions Global American Solutions Go For More Inc GoDoers Enterprise, Inc Gold Coast Circulation, Inc Gold Key Company Greater Image, Inc Great Lakes Circulation, Inc Heartline Foundation, Inc Hoosier Magazines Subscription Service Ice Publications Imperial Sales Infinite Enterprises Inc Infinity Sales Integrity Sales Intercontinental Subscription Service, Inc Intergity Program International Clearance Exchange Interstate Subscription Service IP Marketing Island Sales Jaguar Sales Jamison Sales K & S Enterprises K T S Inc Lamb Sales Inc Liberator Sales Inc Love Technologies, Inc Lrumar Publacations LLC

M.O.S.E.S. Inc. Magazine Fulfillment Corporation Magazine Fulfillment Services Magazine Rewards Magazines, Inc Mag Fun LLC Mags R Us Marketing Associated Group Inc.McLemore Sales Midwest Clearing Inc Momentum Sales Money Train Express Mountain Subscriptions MSI MTX My Travel Job National Circulation Services LLC Nation Wide Travelling National Community Clearing National Community Clearing, Inc National Magazine Exchange National Publishers Exchange NCS New Beginning Association, Inc New Direction New Edition New Generation New Generation Reader Service New Image Sales, Inc New River Subscription Service New Vision No Limit Sales North American Clearing Corporation North American Subscription Services Northwest Clearing Corporation NPE – National Publishers Exchange NRSS Offbeat Services Oh New Generations Old World Elegance Omega Sales Inc. Omni-Droppers Omni-Horizons Inc Otis Sales Overachievers Overachievers Enterprises

P.C.C. - Publishers Consulting Corporation Pacific Coast Clearing Service Pacific Coast Clearing Services Inc Pacific Northwest Clearing Corporation Pacific NW Clearing Corp Pacific Sales Palmetto Marketing Paragon Dynasty Paragon Management Paragon Marketing Group Paragon Sales Paramount Sales Payne Sales PCCS Performance Clearing Services, Inc Phoenix Imagery, Inc Pitts Sales Platinum Plus Platinum Sales PMA Sales PMA, Inc. Points Across America Powerhouse Sales Precision Sales Prestige Sales Prestige Sales, LLC Prince Sales Inc Proformance Clearing Services, Inc Prolific Marketing, LLC Pubco Printing Public Marketing Association Publishers Certified Service Publishers Consulting Corporation Publishers Entry Service Pure Platinum Raiders Rainbow Sales, Inc Red Hot Sales Regulator Sales RLA, INC. Roadrunner Sales Robinson Sales Rollout Promotions, Inc Ron Szitas Sales Roussaw Enterprise SB Magazines Inc Schaefer Sales Schaefer Sales Scoropions Second To None Inc Seedtime Publications Senner Sales Services Unlimited Plus Shirley's Globetrotters Shumate Sales Sierra Solutions Signature Sales Inc SKS Services South Pacific Sales Southcoast Circulation Inc Southern Marketing Group, LLC Southwestern Company Starfleet Subscription Services Inc Storm Enterprises Strictly Business Inc Stubbs Sales Subscriptions Plus, Inc Success Express Sales Inc Success Unlimited Associates Inc Summit Publishers Service Summit Sales Sun Circulation Sunshine Subscription Agency Superstars Sales T&B Sales Team USA Team Xtreme Teamsterz Sales The Experience Company The Real Deal Threedom Sales, Inc Ticoa Corp Titan Sales, Inc - 046 TKO Sales Tnt Sales Tomohawk Sales Tork & Associates, Inc Tornado Sales Torque Power Sales Total Dedication Inc Tower of Power Sales Travel USA Trinity Public Relations True Vision Inc. Tsunami Sales

Ultimate Empire Sales, Inc Ultimate Power Sales, Inc Ultra Kleen Unified Unified Family Circulation Unified Gold Key Inc Unified Producers Unified Stars Union Circulation Co United Entrepreneurs United Family Circulation United Reader Services United Subscription Agency United Subscription Service Corp United Subscriptions Bureau, Inc Unity Management Universal Sales Universal Subscription Agency Unlimited Sales Unlimited Sales Inc Untouchable Sales Urban Development Solutions, Inc Urban Nation Vadar Sales White Sales Wilson Sales Wood Sales Inc World Media Inc World Media International, Inc World Wide Circulation World Wide Readers Service World Wide Reader's Service World Wide Reader's Services WorldWide Circulation Worldwise Subscriptions Corp WOW Industries Xtreme Marketing, Inc Y & S Magazine Y.E.S. Yingst Sales Yoli and Associates, Inc Youth Employment Service Youth Incentive Marketing, Inc Youth Incentive Promotions Youth Incentive Promotions of America Youth of America Program Inc

168 comments:

  1. Thank you for the info. LSI looks like it is run by a bunch of thugs. I gave the kid a check because he gave a good line about working for college and touring the area for colleges, etc. He was a charming fast-talker and I didn't like the fact that he could provide ABSOLUTELY NO MATERIAL on the contest or the company that was sponsoring him. It looked shady but my husband said "Aw help the kid out." So I wrote a check and now am wondering if tomorrow I should go to the bank and put a stop on it or close my account and start a new one. We all were relaxing on the porch, had had a few drinks. My brother was the one who kept saying it was a scam, but he also felt something for the teens that were so eager to make some money and get ahead, with their stories of going to college and starting businesses. Wow. Learn something every day. Should have followed my instincts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You can do a stop payment but do expect the bank to charge you a fee and also the stop payment is only good for a certain amount of time. The good thing is if they try to cash the check it will be reported and the check gets stamped as having stop payment issued so they can't try to re deposit it. But they will have your routing number and checking account number where they can try various things.

    You try and keep an eagle eye on your account or close it and start another one but remember if you do that you will also have to cancel any automatic payments coming out of that account.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This just happened to me. THey used my check's routing # to pay their cable bill. Had close my bank account, as they had my routing number and already used it once. What a pain. If you tell the bank that you suspect fraud, they will probably waive the stop payment fee...although, to be safe, I would close the account. I will never, ever participate in a door-to-door sales again! live and learn....

    ReplyDelete
  4. I used to work for LSI, I could NOT BELIEVE WHAT I GOT MYSELF INTO! I can tell you alot of additional info about the company if you want to contact me.

    itsmattgilliland@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the information. I had one of these guys talk to me on my front step yesterday for 20 minutes. He admitted to being having served jail time for two felonies. When I declined to buy magazines, he re-explained that he wasn't selling magazines, but rather, hopes and dreams. I made it clear that those were magazines and I did not need any. He looked at me like he wanted to do me harm. I bid him good day 2 or 3 times and as he would not budge, I went inside and closed the door. He stood there for a minute or two before leaving. I hope he never comes back.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Matt,

    I would be interested in posting your story on my site. You should also consider the site listed below.

    http://www.travelingsalescrews.info/index.html

    It is dedicated specifically to door to door sales and what happens to all who are effected by it. It is very informative and I believe the webmaster there would be very interested in your story.

    If you want your story to be published on my site feel free to write it up in an email and send it on over. I'll publish it with your permission under a new post. Or if you want you can respond to this post as a comment and it can be published that way.

    --
    Best Regards,

    Barrudaki

    ReplyDelete
  7. Someone from UBDS came by our house selling magazine subscriptions. I was saved by several facts including the highly unprofessional presentation, the long, dirty nails, terrible English, and the sales pitch which was very difficult to understand. I figured out as we were talking that this was not a legit operation so I just said no. Thanks for the article. Consumer awareness is essential.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Just had one came by last night claiming to be working in some kind vocation rehab. type of program. To earn his way out of poverty or something. Smooth talking & all. Gave him a check and gotten online to see what it is based on the address on the reciept 8557 W US Hwy 20; Michigan City, IN and learned a whole lot. Got on the bank website and put a stop payment right away and then go to the bank the next day to cancel the account and move my funds over to a new account. Better safe than sorry. Thanks to all for sharing and making us all aware of this scam.

    Certainly, I wan't aware and on the surface seemed reasonable.

    ReplyDelete
  9. MIDWEST CIRCULATION LLC: Just had a "Corey Ward" slick-talk us into this now-known scam. The company was at least 'trying' to look legit by providing info on the receipt: Midwest Circulation LLC, 506 Northland Drive, Cameron, MO, 64429 ... 816-632-2919 and a second phone and fax #. But a quick web search on the phone number revealed several recent posts of people trying to contact it regarding an "American Cash Awards" program with a similar M.O.
    (see http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/american-cash-awards-c254995.html )
    A Google Map of the address reveals a vague address, possibly of a strip mall.

    ReplyDelete
  10. using peoples full names is slander i hope you contacted the office to settle your issue. im sorry you feel the way you do about the company, but you cannot run around slandering people it is illegal:



    MIDWEST CIRCULATION LLC: Just had a "Corey Ward" slick-talk us into this now-known scam. The company was at least 'trying' to look legit by providing info on the receipt: Midwest Circulation LLC, 506 Northland Drive, Cameron, MO, 64429 ... 816-632-2919 and a second phone and fax #. But a quick web search on the phone number revealed several recent posts of people trying to contact it regarding an "American Cash Awards" program with a similar M.O.
    (see http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/american-cash-awards-c254995.html )
    A Google Map of the address reveals a vague address, possibly of a strip mall.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know what else is illegal? Stealing people's money without offering a refund- even if they contact you within your 3 day policy.

      Never sending a majority of your clients the magazine subscriptions they rightfully paid you for? Illegal.

      Leaving your salesforce stranded or leaving them for dead? Also illegal.

      Failing to feed or pay your employees because they are under-performing? Illegal- and also human trafficking.

      Posing as a charity? Illegal.

      Sending people with a criminal or sex offender record or existing warrants for their arrest to my neighborhood without a permit? Illegal.

      You want to press charges for slander? How about we get the FBI involved.

      Delete
    2. I was one of those teens ! Straight out of high school. I went through for 4 years ! Its pier pressure like no other. Walking in fear ! If you dont do what the manager or crew does they will all turn on you like a gang! Iwas top seller! I worked sneaking adound colleges, malls, stopping people in parking lots, mostly young girls! Thats what I was taught! I came from a Christian background, got into a argument with my parents and left after answering the ad. Even told the hiring agent why i was leaving. Resorted to drugs that were plentyfull. When i went to tell them i talked to my parents and wanted to go home I was beat up, cracked rib and i was told i couldn't get the money off my books and was beat up severely. Ive seen alot of stuff and thought I would be a some day. They would have us take other agents to greyhound and just drop them off and them a ticket is waiting at the counter. We thought that as well til about a week before i wanted to quit we had drop somebody off at the Greyhound station, the person happen to be 1 of my good friends. he called me about 3 o'clock in the morning so that there was a ticket. he said he was stranded hungry and he was standing in the rain. the kitchen not a greyhound the place is that I rest him because he was homeless with no money. I snuck in back into the hotel room so he stay there for a couple of days. We used our daily draws for two days and that's when i contacted my parents. remember what goes into the mind comes out in your soul !
      do not let your children do this!
      if someone comes to your door, remember there being abused, they have no clue they're too young, magazine sales ruined my life.
      I could go on and on and on. what is funny the guy has a Facebook account whenever I told him that I found who he was he denied everything. they would even line go around say that they were with the band UB 40. his license plate even said you be 40. I wished I could sue someone and get money in restoration things I've done in my lifeDue to this!

      Delete
  11. Let's take a look at the definition of slander.

    slander
    1. defamation; calumny: rumors full of slander.
    2. a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report: a slander against his good name.
    3. Law. defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc.
    –verb (used with object)
    4. to utter slander against; defame.
    –verb (used without object)
    5. to utter or circulate slander.

    Nope doesn't say using someone's full name is slander. Also slander is verbal not written which the people who participate on this blog in case you didn't notice WRITE OUT their experiences the comment section. By the way since you are soooooooo smart about the law do you know it is illegal to try and intimidate someone into keeping quite about illegal activity and to present yourself as a representative of a company by using the company name in an illegal manor such as making false legal claims in the companies name. It is also illegal to present yourself as a company representative you know like the fake cable guys who come to the door claiming to be with the cable company in order to gain access to a house so they can rob it or do worse to the unfortunate person who answers the door.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, my name is Quiana and in October of 2013 my husband and I were hired over the phone to work for a company called Universal Global Stars. I was 25 and he was 34. We are from St. Louis Mo and have 3 kids and a host of family there. We took the job because we were homeless without work and wanted to do better for out family. We also figures it would be fun to travel and see different stuff as we work. They had a ticket for us to Albuquerque New Mexico the next evening. After two weeks we seen that the company was a big fat scam. When we brought it to the owners attention they fired us on the spot. They took us to the greyhound station and left us there with no money even though they owed us. Told us to find our own way home. That was Oct 2013 and now its July 2015 . 2 years later and we still here.

      Delete
    2. Get out they are human trafficking....

      Delete
  12. I recently had a sales person from Midwest Circulation LLC stop by to sell me some magazines so they could win a trip to Europe. They seemed believable at first but over the course of the conversation they had asked me, where I worked, how many people lived here, if I made good money, what I like to do in my spare time, etc. Needless to say this raised some red flags and as soon as they left I informed the Sheriffs office with a description.

    ReplyDelete
  13. A college-aged kid came to my door last night with a similar story! He said he was chosen to be part of a group that gets to study abroad in England. He said the past students abused this and partied and got drunk, so this group of kids had to prove they were serious in going and they had to raise money for a charity. They chose the Oakland's Children's Hospital. He said he was a UCSF student. I wrote him a check for $42. As soon as he left, I had this horrible gut feeling. I personally know people who had to do something similar for a study abroad program, so I thought he was legit. The check was written to World Wide Circulation. I Googled it and this site, plus many more came up. Of course this had to happen on New Years Eve. Banks are closed today and tomorrow. Can I stop payment online or do I need to do it in person on Monday? I'm going to change my bank account because they do have my account number and routing number. I have a reciept from him and on the back it says I can sign and date and cancel my transaction within 3 business days. Should I send it or just cancel my check? I don't consider myself gullible or a pushover at all and I feel so embarassed that I fell for this! Any tips on what I should do from here would be greatly appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Same anon from above. One of the sites I found was a UCSF advisory alert about this scam and said to call the UCSF police department if this happened. I did, spoke with some dispatcher who had an officer call me back about 30 minutes later to take down my story and description of the man. She highly suggested closing the account, which I will do in the morning since I found out I cannot do it online. I stopped payment on the check online. I will not do anything with the receipt he gave me since it's probably just a piece of garbage. I left a message with our leasing office and if they don't put up warning signs in our laundry room or in our monthly newsletter, I will personally post signs. Thanks for having this site to educate people!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you for your comments. Due to the amount of responses to this post I created another post with more tips and information. I hope they help.

    http://listofscams.blogspot.com/2010/01/door-to-door-magazine-sales-scams-tips.html

    ReplyDelete
  16. Also, I would suggest canceling the check first and then trying to cancel with the company. Considering some of the stories out there it would be best to contact the company via mail and not by phone because you will probably just get a recording and never get a hold of an actual person.

    ReplyDelete
  17. We (here in Phoenix, AZ) had a young guy solicit us for magazine subscriptions "they send over seas for the soldiers to read". The company was Youth Incentive Marketing/PCS,LLC. with a p.o. box in Kittredge CO. I fell for it and wrote a check. It went against my gut instinct, so I immediately did a web search. It's a shame and an insult to all the fine men and women who serve to use them as "bait". Now I feel like no good deed goes unpunished! I stopped payment on the check and froze my account within 20 minutes. Wells Fargo says I should go to a branch on Tues. and finish closing out the account. Lesson learned. These scumbags richly deserve all the bad karma I hope they have coming to them. In this life or the next--it catches up you! Thanks for the website.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Barrudaki-Thunderchick,

    I just fell into this scam a few days ago. I have stopped payment on the checks and have followed through with the company's seemingly fake cancellation process by mail.

    I have read up on Face to Face Technologies and they apparently send collection agencies after you if they don't get your money.

    I am going to try and close my account this week and see what happens later on down the road. Is there anything else I can do?

    ReplyDelete
  19. The best thing you can is take a look at my post http://listofscams.blogspot.com/2010/01/door-to-door-magazine-sales-scams-tips.html

    It helps to outline what you can do, if they send you to a collections agency then you can fight it through the collection agency because if they aren't sending the magazines then you don't owe them ANYTHING.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I use to work for team extreme sales ran by James Scribner. When I very first saw the add for the job i jumped on it and met up with them that week. my first night there, was a Friday night. It was basically a party. Walking from room to room Kids, well not legally kids every one was at least 18 but i would go from room to room each one having alcahol or weed some even had a few other things that i just did not care to touch. It was great .....at frist..... I made a lot of friends in my first 2 days every one was awesome and alot of people there i could relate to. Became really close with a few of them. Any who it was now Sat. my first day of work. About 8 of us piled into a van along with our car handler aka Cock handler. (just a nick name, not serious) the day went great! My frist day I had 3 double slapps and 5 singles. that was a lot of money. over 600 actually. after getting back we turned out money in to our managers and then where paid. This was the really party day!! We went to the mall went shoping then it was time to hit the clubs/bars. would get drugs, get laid. Being a gay man it was pretty easy considering 98% of the crew where guys and half of them where closet cases. (all hott as well) They would not hire ugly ppl ugly ppl get no money! any ways sorry for taking so long about this just wanted to let you guys know a typical day in mag sales. Long story short it was a blast but later on tuned for the worse ppl where getting arested all the time for breaking and entering rape murder and these where the ppl i was hangin with every day! yeah...not so much i had to get outta there

    ReplyDelete
  21. My brother just took a job for Midwestern Circulations, Inc and is now missing. I haven't heard from him in over 12 hours, and the last i heard was that he was stranded over 500 miles away from home. I tried talking to the boss, and a co-worker but their boss wasn't having it, and the co-worker had quit earlier that morning because he was arrested for illegally soliciting magazines, and didn't even know it was illegal. Don't get caught up in this scam. They've made these boys go out in 30 degree weather in boxers and wash vans...they abusive, and down right grotesque. Don't be sitting at home and wondering where your kids are either..don't let them take a job with ANY magazine circulation company.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I was doing some searchng on the web when I came across this blog. Let me just add these few statements..first..I am an ex door to door sales woman. I was 19 years old when I started. I worked for American Community Services from 1990 til 1995. I made over 75,000 per year. Every magazine that I sold was recieved by the customers. We initiated follow up sales calls. I have my BA in Business MGMT and will be attending Law School next year. I turned out great, I'm educated, I have no criminal record. I want this to be testimony of the good that this company did for me and others like me.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hello Q.Dixon I am glad your story worked out for the best however that is no reason to dismiss what is happening to other door to door sales people or the victims of less than honorable door to door sales company. This site is not the only one reporting what is happening. I suggest you look at the other websites which are listed in this blog post too. Your story is different it is not the only one out there.

    Rachel I hope to here a favorable update on your brother. I hope he finds his way home alive and well. The one thing I would like to stress to you would be to file a missing persons report in the city or town you know he was last in. Let the police know what he was doing and what company he worked for. I really do hope for the best.

    ReplyDelete
  24. i worked for a company like that for 6 yrs i knocked on strangers doors and had to say a sales pitch that couldnt be any further from the truth. i was in a "contest" to earn a cash award which nobody won. i did this for 2yrs then i made it to the office manager position in which i was only paid 200 per week and i never recived it in cash thay just gave me 20 a day and fifty on saturdays the rest was saved on an expense account which existed only on their company laptop. i kept track of it because i was the office manager eventhough when it came to a sales agent taking money off of his acct. it was always some type of obsticle even for me and my money was in the thousands, if i wanted to spend any of MY money ihad better had a good reason. i had that position for 3 yrs then i was the general manager the only difference was i had a different title and actually recived a check every month which was 10% of the companies earnings which was only 2000 at the most and that was rare i think it was only once and the boss found a reason to deduct money from that, still i was loyal to the company and stuck around really because they make you believe you have a slim chance of making somthing of yourself without them. sometimes while working for the company a couple may fall in love and they will make every effort to sabotage the relationship. my fiance whom i met in that business was given the hardest time of all because the bosses didnt want her to open my eyes to the truth. the only reason i moved up in the company is because i am a smart and trustworthy person but the other people who worked for the company longer than i had were jealous and did everything in there power to hurt my position that way they would have a shot to move up. the way i look at it if you have been on the job for 12 yrs and still havent made it to the managment positions then you need a new profession or need to change something about themselves but anyway it turned out to be 6yrs wasted out of my like because insted of leaving the company with the money i earned. i left with 182 dollars and most of that was spent at the greyhound station on my bus ticket i came to that company with a clean record no tickets not even a citation but now i have warrants in 7 states for soliciting without a permit and other fines associated with that job i have to pay over 2500 to clear my name and get my drivers license back. when i called to get the money i saved, i was denied and told i owed them. i felt so bad about all the people who came to the company looking for work and to make a change in their finances and found out what the job was really about then since they didnt work with the company for at least 2 wks they had to come up with their own way home no matter where they come from. i had to carry out those duties because of my position. i watched people cry because they didnt have the money to get home and their families didnt have the funds either so they were stuck. all i could do was pull off. im not that type of person but i had no choice i needed my job.now that i am free from the curse which was Yoli & Associates Inc. all i can do is start all over. i could have been in school or something or on a path to a legitimate career. but i gave them my time and loyalty and ended up back at square one they owe me $1434 and i know i will never get it because they probably need it that company and many others like it are going down the drain im just upset because it left my life in shambles. My name is Cedric Sims from rockford IL and i am a victim of the magazine business. someone needs to put a stop to this madness and deceit

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    1. Myself and my brother also worked for a company back in 1974 it was run by SBLT of Fairfax Va. in manager Richard Dixon we traveled up and down the east coast the went the Midwest we each got $2.00 a day to eat on there was plenty of booze and drugs every night we traveled on Sundays. I would get the routes where there would be a mile or more between houses I could not make my quota would get back and get in trouble I even got knocked around by there driver Gerry out in the field thought he was going to kill me when he started chocking me . we wound up quiting in Minn. when Richard gave us a nickel to eat on for the day we snuck out that night and hid by a bus station and watched Gerry driving around looking for us. We the hitch hiked and panhandled back to upstate NY . what job I just chock it up to a life experence.

      Delete
  25. I am a concerned mother. My son is missing. He left iowa on a bus paid by the company which I am not sure what the companys name is I can not get any straight answers Someone mention MSI magazine. I know he is somewhere in tulsa,ok . I was told by the hotel he was arrest,than told he was picked up by the magazine manager & given a bus ticket home which does not leave till 7pm tonight I hope he gets on thats bus,but have spoken to him once today and he seems disoriented like his on some kind of high or drug. scared for him what can i do 9 hrs away but pray he gets on that bus. any ideas email me ladymudrunner@hotmail.com

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  26. I live in a town in central Florida and one of my neighbors has a 14 year old girl. The girl was inside her home after school and the parents were still at work. A man and woman pounded furiously on her front door, and on the window. When this didn't work, the male went to the back of the house and began banging on the back door. Apparently he saw the girl inside and began pounding on all of the windows trying to get her to come to the door. By the time the cops came, they could only find the female, who denied that she was present with a male. The female said she was from Montgomery Alabama and was selling magazines door to door for "Off Beat Services". One of the other neighbors related that the same female also came to their house and was banging on the door and front window like she was frantic and/or mentally disturbed. I wasn't home at the time, but next time one of these crack heads comes to my door I'm going to make them wish they never did. No one has a right to invade someones space like that.

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  27. I just got a visit from "K. Dailey" and said he worked for Midwestern Circulation LLC. He said he was trying to earn points from magazine sales to help fund a trip to Europe. The guy was all tatooed up and seemed high, but he was such a fast talker my instincts were not allowed to kick in until after he left with my $25 check. As soon as he left, I googled the company address and found that it was located in the middle of a street. So, I left the house and pursued the young man and asked him for my check back. He told me he did not want any trouble and he was still racking up points. I noticed he had just completed a sale up the street from my place and went back and warned the young female. Also, before I pursued the young man, I called the number on the receipt and told them their address was located in the middle of a street. The female correspodent told the address once more and I said I am going to come by there and check out things. She insisted the place was closing for the day and asked why I might come by there. I told her to just check things out and make sure their business is legit. She seemed worried even though I am over 400 miles from the "business". She believe I was nearby in Cameron, MO.

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  28. This is so scary because a salesman came to my door looking like a non threatening kid...very easy and smooth talking. In my gut I knew something wasn't right and quickly handed over a check for a magazine subscription just to get rid of him. I then Googled the company to confirm it was a fraud. I stopped payment on that check and am in the process of changing my account number to be extra safe.

    I honestly thought it was the repairman since we were expecting one today. I let my guard down and could have been murdered, raped, or killed as I were home alone. I will now have a peephole installed as well as be extra cautious. It only takes one second to let you guard down! Everyone beware...saying no may not be enough if they are carrying a gun or intend on sexually assaulting a home alone female.

    I have read reports of more violent acts happening with these people.

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  29. Thanks for the info! Just had a kid stop by from "Unlimited Sales, Inc." I knew from the start I wouldn't buy anything, but somehow she got me to change my mind. I was thisclose to signing the check when she asked to use my phone, which set off a warning. I searched for the company online and found this information. Thanks for saving me $65 - and probably more than that!

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  30. I just had a guy come by my house a few hours ago saying that he wanted to earn points to go to paris or something, selling magazines so i guess i ended up writing him a check for 57$ anyways even tho i never got to subscribe to any magazines, and he said "oh its ok if you dont have the money it takes 2 weeks to clear and theyll call you in 2 days and you can cancel, ill still get my points" but when i read the recite copy he gave me it said that if i cancel they wont get thier points. I wrote the check for SYN INC.

    well i called my bank after realizing it was a scam and i asked if i could cancel my check that i got scammed and they agreed but for a 20$ fee. so i'll do that, i think i should also cancel my acct and maybe open a new one too.

    at least i realized this early on, i just hope its not too late and i can stop this before any real damage is done. god i feel stupid :(

    ReplyDelete
  31. I had a knock on the door on Dec 5, 2009 by a young lady that stated she was trying to earn money to pay for a trip to Europe. She seemed legit and I invited her in to talk about her magazine sales. I ordered a magazine called "Taste of Home" and for 6 issues I wrote a check to Midwest Circulation, LLC for $48.00. Pretty pricey I thought for only 6 issues but decided that I was helping a young lady out. I have yet to receive a magazine or to have someone answer the phone at the number given on the receipt. It's too late to cancel a check but feel it is important to voice the concern that this company appears to be ripping me off. We even have a do not solicit sign in our community.

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  32. I got a knock on my door a couple of days ago from a magazine salesman, seemed like a pretty cool dude, and was "racking up points for a trip to Europe" and he said he didn't need any money now, so I was going to give in, He filled out his little paper and I signed it, thinking nothing of it, and then he said he needed a check or a debit card number (I don't write checks, and my debt card has been screwed up) so I told him the "sad" news that I couldn't help him, He kept his papers and said he needed to turn them into his boss, now I'm scared now that I'll get a "bill" or something like that in the mail :(

    ReplyDelete
  33. A young boy from a major city about 1,000 miles away came to our house selling magazines for Ultimate Unity Inc. He had been dropped off in our neighborhood, which is a moderately successful area, and would be picked up in the parking lot of our local food store. I knew that it was a scam and I knew that the company was taking advantage of the boy so I bought a low cost magazine. Before I wrote out the check he told me that he forgot to add the $15 processing fee. That was more than 50% of the magazine cost. When he got the sale his eyes lit up and he seemed to happy in the good sense of the word. I knew that he was being treated poorly by Ultimate Unity and maybe I helped to buy him a day of respite. I do not care about the cost of the magazine but the should be some type of protection for the employees of these organizations.

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    1. I appreciate your comment as I gave cash to a kid who was selling through Ultimate Unity as well. He was a nice guy, not professional by any means. He said he was from Florida, worked for a company in Illinois, and was selling to me in Utah. The only reason I gave him cash was so that he might just take it and use it for himself and not get it back to the company. I saw the van's licence plate that the group was in and the tags said Illinois so I felt comfortable enough to give him some money. However, it turned my stomach to rot thinking about it afterwards, and still does. I wouldn't wish a pressured sales interaction like that on anyone. Its outdated and inconsiderate. I hope he bought something good with my money and none of it got back to "corporate"

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  34. Midwest Circulations LLC
    506 Northland Dr.
    Cameron, Mo 64429

    Look at what pops up! (copy and paste)

    http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Platte+City&1s=MO&1z=64079&1y=US&1l=39.3556&1g=-94.774&1v=ZIP&2c=Cameron&2s=MO&2z=64429&2y=US&2l=39.7362&2g=-94.2383&2v=ZIP#b/maps/m:map:7:39.544537:-94.500826::::::1:1:::::::::/l:::Platte+City:MO:64079:US:39.3556:-94.774:zip::1:::/l::506+Northland+Dr:Cameron:MO:64429-1348:US:39.750433:-94.232118:address:Dekalb+County:1:::/io:1:::::f:en_US:M:/bl:/e

    If it isn't on Aerial View, zoom on the street, click Aerial View, and zoom out till you can see this. There is no building at this address. Even had a friend drive on Northland Drive and only 1 building was there.

    A fellow named Jeremy came to my door and my lil brother answered it. I didn't know who he was but he asked him if our parents were home and he said no, then he asked if there was anyone who was able to vote (18+) in the house, he said yes. Well i put on a shirt and went outside to talk to him. He seemed cool, he talked about how his job allowed him to travel. HE asked me if I wanted to purchase some magazines and i told him firmly, no, unless you have mud truck mags and stuff like this. Well after that he asked me if I had a job and i told him no. He said that his company was hiring and that it was a fun job. He opened his pocket thing he had and showed me some money he got and told me that it was from 4 people and he earned 60 bucks! He said it was the easiest f*cking job ever but fun. It sounded too good to be true, he gave me a business card and i decided to check it out. I'm glad to find out that this is a scam and that i didn't buy any mags or that my lil brother wasn't home alone. I think he was shocked when a big guy walked out... Don't think he wanted to cause harm then ;) Anyways.... I'm debating on calling the cop i know and reporting it, or follow him and voice my freedom of speech and at every house he stops at yell, "SCAM!!!! SCAM!!! SCAMMER! SCAMMY!" So if any one of these d-bags stop at your house don't waste your time or money on these losers. If your lookin to buy mags go to the store or a legit company, or go through the local schools!
    -Matt-

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  35. I USED TO WORK FOR LSI.
    GUESS WHAT?
    I WON TWO CONTESTS.
    The first contest I came in forth so I didn't get the trip, but I did get the promised cash award. The second contest I placed first and went to the Virgin Islands for my trip. Besides the contest awards I made over $60,000 that year. I received every penny that I earned. Yes, you are expected to reimburse the company a SMALL amount for your room and supplies.
    I don't know ANYONE that was ever stranded anywhere. There were kids left at bus stations with $10 in their pockets, but those were the ones that made no effort to learn the job. They were given a place to sleep every night at LEAST $20 daily for food. After giving these kids hundreds of dollars over the course of a couple weeks as well as paying for their hotel room and bus ticket, would you be super excited to throw some more money at them?
    When I was with LSI people were fired for saying that they were in college or the subscriptions funded a charity. Each receipt clearly stated that we were NOT affiliated with any school, government organization, or charity.
    Any misrepresentation resulted in a warning, fine, or termination.
    Also, each new employee was given a background check. I remember one guy some how slipping through the cracks and being fired as soon as the error was discovered. A few of us did have minor records; nothing violent or related to theft. Certainly no one with felonies. The hiring process may have been a little more lenient than some; a big goal of the managers was helping troubled youth and getting them out of bad situations.
    I'm not saying that everyone that had a bad experience is lying. There is corruption in every business. However, I don't think it's fair to judge everyone that sells magazines door to door. There are reputable companies and sales people out there.
    "Mag crew" took me from being a spoiled, drug addicted 18-year-old girl to becoming a hard working, healthy young women. I'm proud to say it saved my life. I'm now married, raising two children, and loving my career as an extremely successful accountant.

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    Replies
    1. Liar
      you get a draw each night from 10 to 15 dollars.
      . on the weekends you might get 30 or 25 dollars because there's 2 days Saturday and Sunday. if you made such good money and was so legit then why put in your ads return trip guaranteed. I can tell you been with the company for a long time you're probably still with the company giving out the company name trying to make them look good. you we all were scammers in swindlers we were taught by the best it sounds like you're going still.

      Delete
  36. To anonymous who worked for LSI. Good for you but please remember this is not the only site reporting the horrible things that happen with magazine door to door sales people and the companies who employ them. I had two runs in with an LSI sales person in July of last year. The first girl was a local girl who I knew and I really hope got out quick. The other girl I called the cops on because of her behavior and the fact she would not leave after being told we had already declined another person from her group.

    I also called the number on the LSI website to report her. They claimed up and down she had a permit to go selling door to door however when I called the cops they claimed they already received reports and she did NOT have a permit.

    LSI has been listed on more websites which report how their sales people act and how the company treats their sales people.

    I am glad you got something out of it and I am glad you out of that business, but your story is a rarity. There are plenty of people who have been scammed by LSI and other magazine door to door sales companies not just customers but sales people as well.

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  37. Just got through with two "boys" on the front porch. They were both about 18 years old, maybe more, and claimed to be from USA, Inc. They had this whole story about doing a project on public speaking and how one lost a bet and had to ask questions while doing jumping jacks. I answered their fairly benign questions and thought this was it. (normally I don't even answer the door) So I gave them credit, praised them, and thought it was over. But then the magazine sale started and my cat escaped through the front door. Had to go get the cat and now they had a captive audience. They talked about selling magazines for the troops and Autistic kids...I said I didn't want any magazines for "earth friendly" reasons. They said they are all made from recycled materials. I said I didn't want any more "mail" we don't like unecessary mail coming to the house. They said oh, these magazines go to the troops and doctors offices that treat Autistic kids...so its like you're donating them. Should have clued me in.

    They were smooth talkers and were telling other stories in between all of this. One of them even said he considers himself a little bit of a gypsy (which didn't strike a cord then, but now does). They tried to tell me cash was better for purchasing magazines and that we could always go on an ATM run (they get extra points for that)...um, no I said. I was smart enough for that. I never have cash at home and as I had been stuck on the porch with these two and my cat for 15 minutes by then listening to their spiel, I decided to write them a small check for the cheapest magazine and be done with it. Luckily my dog was on the other side of the door barking, so I never felt unsafe. I wrote them a small check to get rid of them, not thinking of the account information available on the check. I think I will ask the bank to place a flag on my account for anything that sounds suspicious.

    Now looking back at all this I feel so silly. I consider myself a worldly savvy person, but I do get suckered in to these things every now and then. I can deal with the pride issue of being "suckered" I just don't want my safety being threatened and I hate the idea of my identity being stolen.

    Mental note...from now on...just don't answer the door. Ugh.

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  38. This all is a scam. I used to work for Midwest Circulations LLC. The only good thing I ever got out of this was I knocked on my now husbands door.
    They are full of lies, and will tell you anything to get you to work for them, and teach you to lie to the customers in any way possible to make them buy the stupid, way overpriced magazines. Its rediculous. State to state, ticket after ticket, and jail after jail. Almost everyone selling magazines is a runaway criminal, finding out the hard way. You'll work from 8/9am-until almost 10 every day, and if you havent sold anything, you dont eat that day because you are not getting paid. Then they fire you, sending you back to your state where now you have to sit and patiently wait until the police catch you and hope you don't go to jail that day. As a former door to door sales person for these companies, I would never recommend these to the most eager, willing person.

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  39. Well, I'm trying to come to terms with me being an absolute idiot and falling for this. I had a guy come to the door about 3 weeks ago. He had a story about trying to make something of himself and doing right by his young son, etc. I had the presence of mind to keep him outside but not the presence of mind to do a simple Google search before handing him a $76 dollar check. Considering I had my 2 month old baby in the house (Grandma was over too), I'm feeling fortunate that the only impact (so far) is $76. After seeing a number of reports today on a school listserv of a similar scam (supposedly local high school kid trying to raise money for a trip to London), I found this site. Considering I was scammed 3 weeks ago, I can't cancel the check - it's already been cashed. I'm now thinking I need to close the account since they have the routing and account number. Ugh. I'm an idiot.

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  40. To everyone who have reported being taken in by this scam. Do not call yourself stupid or an idiot. These scams are designed to catch you off guard and to make you feel foolish after being taken. The reason is the hopes that you will stay quite and not speak up about the scam because they want you to be embarrassed about it. Don't be embarrassed and don't come down on yourself.

    You are wiser from the experience and are now armed with better information to protect yourself.

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  41. Ultimate Unity...
    Though skeptical, I'm a sucker for this. But what tipped me off was that the young woman (unwed mother trying to better her life) wanted me to write a substitute check...because I had made a note that the magazines would go to the local women's shelter.

    She said they would not accept a check which had that notation nor one that indicated that it was a donation. Now, I've written thousands of checks, and I know that I can write anything I want on my check. When I refused to write another check, she brusquely picked up her papers and left.

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  42. I fell for this scam also. I pride myself for being aware of the scams and I normally don't answer my door for people I don't know, but this young fellow caught me off guard. He was with another guy, but he did all the talking. He said he lived in the neighbor, I asked where and he told me his street and dad name. I was skeptical, but then I thought it was for a good cause and I shouldn't be so skeptical about everyone. When he gave me the receipt, I went in the house and called the company, Midwest Circulation LLC, but since it was after hours I received a recording. I thought it was "okay" and turned over my check. But as soon as I saw this guy leaving, I got this sick feeling in my gut that something wasn't right. I went online and didn't find his dad or him. I hate I was so gullible. I immediately called the police to inquire if they had received any reports of recent magazine sell scams. The police said they had not heard but would check it out. The next day, I closed out my account and opened a new account. I also sent a signed cancellation to the Midwest; I want to see how they'll treat this. On the Midwest Circulation website, I did notice the name the young guy gave me. Do they have fake names that the "sale" people use? Never again will I fall for this or any other scam.

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  43. I too worked selling magazines and to all out there it is not just door to door. I was 18 when a childhood friend called and said she had just got a new job traveling and they would hire me too (without meeting me whatsoever) but that we had to leave in two hours. I had never traveled anywhere and was very intrigued so even though my parents were very against it, off I went. I could attest to all that has been said on here, including the positive comment. The only thing about the positive comment on winning the contest and making over 60,000...please prove this. Not believable.
    Since I was so innocent looking and a young girl (usually mostly male) they were stoked and had me train in a mall with one of their top sellers. she taught me the infamous line "You dropped something miss/mr." response would be huh? and you would say "your smile" and off into the speel of winning the points for a trip. most used college but I looking so young had to say I was in high school trying to win a scholarship to college. It was all lies and you even had to go to meetings at night with the "top seller" to learn their speel and practice, NO ONE is honest in this business.
    I was constantly teased by the car handler that if I didnt get my quoted sales for the day I would be "knocking" which meant door to door. this finally happened and had some scary experiences but nothing like the rapes, and car accidents I have read about. It is true with low sales you sleep on the floor, also have to sit in way back of van on floor where driver hits speed bumps at high speed etc. to mess with you. I also saw a guy who got arrested while working get hit across the knees with a baseball bat by the head guy. So much more I could tell........
    Oh, the major thing I didnt see on here was when you write a check for say 12 dollars for one mag, a salesman will "fix" it to look like its for 120 dollars and sign you up for more magazines that you most likely will not see. Also with the pressure, I am guilty of this myself, you will spend your own measly daily pay you get and buy them yourself to make sure and get your quota.....I could go on and on. I have always said it is a cult because you get sucked in and for me, it was very hard to leave. they bought me a ring, sent me to Hawaii after only two weeks ( at paytime for military guys telling us to use sexuality to get their cash, oh the sickness) Do Not buy from them and Do Not work for them or "cleaner" businesses. Oh one last thing, they are racist. the put all black people in one crew and call it the black crew. they are required to wear suits and use speel they are retired gang members trying to get a better life. I would be more than happy to share my experience with anyone that wants to know more

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  44. I think you have one to add to the list- New Reader Service, Inc. A guy approached me in a parking lot (started off with he had a few questions) and ended up later asking if I was a magazine reader. When I said no he asked if I would be interested in donating subscriptions to a children's hospital. He made it sound legit by saying it's tax deductible and I could include a note to make it more personal. I naively wrote a small check, went home, and googled immediately after getting a gut feeling. Same receipt setup (3 days to cancel via mail), company's site isn't affiliated with any charity or schools, and the guy had points he was earning towards a cash prize. Needless to say I canceled the check, opened a new account, transferred money over, and closed the old account just in case.

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  45. I just wanted to thank everyone for the heads up regarding Dynasty Sales. A very charming young lady by the name of Nadine came to my door in Westfield, IN (just north of Indy) selling children's books, religious stuff, etc. I was taken in by her charm and placed an order for $40 plus $15 shipping and handling. After she left I decided to check it out online. I don't know why I didn't do so while she was still here! Anyway, I read here that it was all a scam. I jumped in my car to see if I could track her down. I did, and then called the police. Meanwhile she was joined by her two 'co-workers'. They accused me of stalking Nadine and I explained to them that the police were on their way. They walked away, but the police came right then. The police officer talked to them and the result was that they did not have a permit to do soliciting in Westfield. He got my check back too!

    So thanks again everyone for posting! Saved me $55 (and some embarrasment of having to tell my wife!!! )

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  46. Just had a visit from two young ladies earning points for that trip to Paris and towards their education. They indicated that they were with Precision Sales, Inc. and I told them to leave the contact information and their names and Company ID numbers so I could make a purchase over the phone or via internet and they would get the credit... said the purchases had to be done at the door and I told them that wasn't going to fly, they left... feel sorry for them and their parents.

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  47. I just fell for this today, and feel like a total idiot. The name of the company is New Beginning Enterprises based in Youngstown, OH. I don't have proof that it's a scam, other than that the M.O. is the same as the others here, and their website says they've been in business for over 10 years, but the BBB has them listed as only being in business since 10/2009. The young man was very energetic and personable and his pitch was that I was not buying magazines so much as investing in his future and casting my vote for his success. Against my better judgment, in a fit of philanthropy, I fell for it. Then I Googled, found this site, checked the BBB and the company website, and decided it is better to be safe than sorry. I submitted the check cancellation with my bank, and I've already printed out the written cancellation I will send to them with their Notice of Cancellation form. Tomorrow AM I'll go in and change the account. Ugh. The form does have company contact info on it, and I did call (after hours) and got an answering machine. I will call as well to notify them of the cancellation. If it is a legit business, I will feel badly for jilting the young man, but I can't take the chance that my account might be drained.

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  48. actually midwest circulation is located at 506 northland drive in cameron mo, being from there and knowing people that work in the office, that is a road and there are lots of buisness's on that road across the road from them is red x motors, advanced auto parts,brown funeral home. they are located in an office building of four buisness's. so i find it odd to the person saying its located in the middle of the street and no building buisness exist on that street. you should better do your research if you claim you sent someone to that office and they say there is nothing there. i could take pictures if you would like? just a thought...

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  49. Ugh I just had two guys come from Ultimate unity inc.. I fell for the scam but I stopped payment on the check and I guess now I have to change my account. Stinks I feel bad for the guys because they were Hurricane Katrina victims... Not cool how these companies take advantage of the disadvantaged and rip off unsuspecting consumers.

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  50. To Anonymous who is claiming that midwest circulation is located in an office building and I should do research before I send some one there. I never sent ANYONE TO THAT OFFICE. The person who gave the google address link on Midwest's is a person who responded to this blog, it is not me. So please YOU do your research before you claim I sent someone to track down any business.

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  51. 6/25/10
    I was babysitting my grandson & a kid knocked @ the door, ok selling something then he said the magazines went to the troops. Well dumb me signed up well I stopped the check the next day. How dare they use our troops for this. They owe my $50.00 I gave them in cash!!!!

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  52. Ugh! Thank goodness for this site!!! I had a young man come to my door and told me he was trying to win a trip to Europe and after about 30 mins I had a mind to ask him what the company was called and as my boyfriend and 70lb pound bulldog waited with him at the front door I searched and found this site!! Went back told him I didn't have any checks on me, he proceeded to tell me that if I was a good neighbor I'd go down to the ATM and get the cash now for him. Needless to say I wrote down the time, what he was wearing, his tattoos and shut the door, got the phone, called the police watched him walk away and then called all of my neighbors! I was 2 seconds away from writing him a check!!!

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  53. PLEASE HELP!
    My 18 yr.-old daughter is planning to leave on the bus for an out-of-state job with Precision Sales, next Monday. I have known only a little about such companies as are posted here, but am trying to research 'Precision Sales', specifically, to provide her with definitive proof, one way or the other, of their legitimacy. Alarm bells are going off in my gut, and I'm a wreck over this, but she is concerned that I may be over-reacting, and is pretty intent on going. I haven't much time to convince her not to go, if this job is, indeed a dangerous scam, and must have more to go on than my "gut feeling' and a few testimonials from those who worked for other companies, (which I'm sure she will determine are totally different than Precision Sales). I have learned that they are associated with World Wide Circulation; probably a subsidiary company.
    If anyone has direct knowledge of Precision Sales and/or World Wide circulation, PLEASE help me by posting as much evidence as you can, as quickly as possible. Suggestions about how to find info about them would also be priceless. You have no idea how grateful I am that this forum is available for parents like me. My thanks, ahead of time, to all who post. I will share what info I find, and/or the results of her experience, if she goes.

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  54. We get a lot of this in our neighborhood. Some appear to be operating on their own. The other day a young man in a T-shirt and jeans came to the door with nothing but a very small notepad and a pencil! He claimed to represent our local paper. I told him that we already subscribed but thanks. He said that we never could have too many subscriptions because they make great gifts, and promised to send them to our friends for only five dollars cash. I said thank you no and closed the door. He kicked the screen door and said "F-You" or actually yelled it. The days of door to door are over!

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  55. I don't really open the door to people, but one of these magazines people approached me at my college back in 2002. I remember the guy because he tried to get my attention by doing strange poses. His story was that he was a struggling DJ, and that he was selling magazines to win a trip to Europe where a DJ contest was being held. He showed me the laminated paper for the DJ contest which was pretty worn out for being laminated.It looked like it was made with clip art or something. He smelled like booze and his jaw looked messed up like he chewed a too much tobacco or something.

    In 2004 I was at a local mall in a different city near the college. I saw that same magazine sales guy along with some other pushy sales people. They were harassing a bunch of people to buy magazines in the food court.

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  56. I am an consumer who did decide to make a door to door purchases from young, college age sales persons representing themselves as working for New Beginnings Enterprises. While I have no way of knowing how fairly or unfairly they were treated, in terms of the compensation and points they were to receiev, I can unequivocally state that I did, in fact, received the magazines that I had paid for. It took several months for the subscriptions to begin but they did eventually come. While I don't recall the prior years sales materials stating to allow 90-120 days for deliver, the 2010 material does clearly state this and the salesman made me aware as well. Even though this was done after I had written my check, I considered it savvy salesmanship. Maybe others have not had the experience I just described, but for me, it was a way to help young people who were, at least, trying to earn an honest dollar and not on the street succumbing to the wiles of the world. The price I paid, with their "handling fee" was likely more than I would pay if I ordered the magazines directly. I, however, did it not for the magazines, but to help show a young person that I supported their effort to do something positive and to work.

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  57. this just happened in Beaver County, PA. Two "high school" kids knocked at the door, very polite, very energetic, saying they are home schooled and they are in this contest with other home schooled kids and that working with SYN, Inc to win a trip to Italy. The premise was for the kids (due to being home schooled) to interact with the public and be able to speak to strangers. They were earning points but actually conversing asking questions, being polite, talking about how they are so excited about being able to be part of this...and the kids (they looked to be 16-18) were very enthusiastic and outgoing. Apparently I am a sucker for kids and their dreams because I too wrote them a check. Also have stopped payment on the check, in the process of writing the cancellation letter and will now go and close out the account and continue kicking myself. Where in the world was my head, I am normally better at stuff like this...

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  58. These guys are in PA.. Sharpsville area.. had one come to my door.. Im not gonna lie. He seemed legit so i wrote him a check for $71 for a car magazine. Walked in the house and had a bad feeling.. Jumped on google and seen all the posts about the scam. He said he was from SYN INC. collecting point to get a free trip to italy. Stuck a sticker on my door so he said noone else would bother me. Well i ran down the road after him and got my check back and called the cops. As soon as i told him i had called the cops he got on his cell phone and made a call.. 2 min later a new suburban with dark tinted windows pulled up and he jumped in and they were gone. The cops have his plate number and are looking for them. Im thinking about calling the state cops. They are traveling state to state. That is a federal case and needs to be taken care of... They used my neighbors cell phone so we have there cell phone number..

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  59. well i just recently got out of a magizine ssales company urban devlopment solutions at first it was fine untill my boss left us with a gm then thats when the bs began to roll in she would find ways to cancel an order if it was cash so that i dont get paid for it and if it was a gift order they would not get a refund now i understand waht a lot of you all are saying and there is alotta scams out there along with anything else but if you really want to help the person at your door give them the money not the company cuz the owners of the company is already rich not the sales agent but keep in mind there are bad sales agents out there choose wisely cuz there are good people really tryin to get away from the things they tell you at the door

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  60. and i know q dixion she now works for urban and what she says is true but she didnt make that with urban she made the with acs which was a good company

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  61. Ahh! The power of the internet...
    I was about to write a check to a "poor college kid" looking to win a trip to Europe for selling the most magazines (some contest between the boys and girls). I felt a little sorry for the kid so I agreed to buy one magazine. I became suspicious when he asked for cash but I told him I would give him a check instead. Once inside, I did an online search for "SYN INC" which is what he told me to make the check out to. Well this site came up as well as various police departments from around the country. Well if the police to Toledo say it's a scam that's good enough for me even though I'm in Providence. I returned to the door without a check and sent him packing. I just hope he's not being exploited also.

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  62. I just got suckered this afternoon and I'm kicking myself because of it. I had a young woman named Allie Barnett come to my door selling magazines. She said she could earn points, that she wanted to go to college, etc. I picked out a magazine and she told me for a 2-year subscription it would be $74. I said I couldn't spend that amount of money on magazines so I asked what I could get for no more than $30. I ended up giving her a check for $30 and now I feel like the stupidest person on earth. My gut told me something wasn't right after she left and I checked up online on the company. Midwest Circulation is a scam and now I have to call my bank in the morning and cancel the check and hopefully I can put a flag on the account and I won't have to close it and open another one, which is a complete pain. I have to mention that this young woman was very friendly, but she did appear to be high on something. Never ever again will I open my door and get taken by scammers. I've learned my lesson and hopefully no real damage will be done to me because of it.

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  63. I just had this happen to me yesterday. I felt something wasn't right with the girl that came to my house, but I didn't listen to my gut and ended up giving her a check. I cancelled the check this morning and my bank said they would put a flag on my account just in case these criminals tried to gain assess to my checking account. An employee at my bank said they can't do anything with the routing number and because the check was cancelled if they try and erase the original amount and write in something else, they won't be able to use the check. Cost me $25 to cancel it, but well worth the $$$. About an hour and a half after calling the bank, there's a knock on my door and it's another young person, this time a boy about 18-20 yrs old. I opened the door and he starts about this contest he's in and I told him straight up that I had someone try and scam me the day before and I cancelled the check. He didn't mention Midwest Circulation, that's where the girl was from, but some other name, NC something, I didn't really give him a chance to talk. The most ironic part about it is, my husband's marked police car is sitting in my driveway and he had the audacitiy to come to my door and try to scam me. When I pointed out the fact about my husband being a cop, he said he had a permit to solicit people. I told him to move on and warned him there are other cops that live in the neighborhood.

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  64. To Anonymous who posted on July 23, 2010 11:45 AM.

    I am glad you commented on the this post. Mainly because you have confirmed two things. The sales person doesn't tell you about the complete process until after you've handed over a check and they charge a handling fee for ordering through them. You may call this savvy salesmen ship, but most people call it dishonest.

    Any salesperson who does not fully disclose the complete terms of the sale prior to payment is a salesperson who does not have full confidence in the product or service they are selling. Plus it also means there are things they aren't telling you. Considering you can order a magazine subscription through the magazine company themselves like Life, Time, Newsweek, etc and not have to pay a handling fee for a salesperson to knock on your door why would you pay a handling fee?

    Also, the amount of time you get to cancel the sales (3 days) vs. the amount of time it takes for your order to process (90 to 120 days) is disproportionate. The cancellation time should be the same time frame seriously what do these companies have to hide that they only allow their customer 3 days to cancel but they can take their sweet time processing an order. Sounds suspicious to me like they hope their customer will forget about the order and not call them up 3 to 4 months later asking which means they just scammed someone out of money.

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  65. This company sent a young girl to my door to solicit monetary donations for magazines to be sent to our troops or to purchase a magazine subscription for one's own use. I explained I was not interested in purchasing a magazine but I'd be happy to donate a few dollars. I wrote out a check for $15.00. I should know better but I honestly thought she was just some little girl with a lousy sales job. The next day I checked my bank statement to find the check had been altered to $150.00 and instead of submitting the check it was electronically submitted. The bank put a hold, my lawyer has been contacted and I have a police report and officer working on the case. A quick google search will show several other people experiencing the same situation with this "company".

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  66. FYI--PLEASE READ---

    Here are a few new tactics that these door-to-door sales people are using as I just talked with my neighbor, a current police officer, who pretended to be interested in buying a magazine and got some good info. from one of these kids (all before letting them know that he was indeed a police officer).

    **They are doing a lot of local research before they canvass a neighborhood. They find out the name of the local high-school and say that they are selling magazines to raise money for an out of state tournament, uniforms, etc for a particular sport. The sales person says that the reason the magazines are over-priced is that all the "extra" money goes to support the local school. The sales person actually admitted to my neighbor that many people make cash donations and don't even buy magazines as they trust the kid!!

    2.) The other part to this scam is again, done through internet research. Many states have Public records available (mortgage info. etc.) and the "team leader" (person dropping these kids off) is in charge of finding out this info. for each neighborhood. In this kids case, the team leader had an Iphone and when they pulled up to a particular neighborhood, they did a search for people living on that street. Once they found the first and last name of at least one person, but often times 2 households in that neighborhood they told each person in that sales crew to draw up a fake subscription order using that persons name, address, phone, etc. Then each person is told to start knocking on every door EXCEPT the 2 that they have on their fake order form. Then when the sales person knocks on your door, they tell you that they are from the local high school, that they live "a few streets over" etc. and say that they were just at the "Anderson's house" and that "Bob and Jane Anderson" (who are the real names of the people that they had looked up) just bought 2 subscriptions and they proceed to show you the completed subscriptions with your neighbors name, address, etc.

    Now it looks legit right? If your neighbor just bought a subscription to support the school or kid, why shouldn't you? And how would they know your neighbors name if they had not just talked to them, right? And even if you have never seen this kid in the neighborhood, maybe your neighbor knows him and again, he did know the name of the local high school, right?

    These are just a few expamples that my HOA sent out in a notice recently after my police officer neighbor informed them. Unfortunately, this has caused many people to be wary when the local schools do indeed do fundraisers. The local schools advice was to ask for the students school ID card which all students are told to bring with them when soliciting or performing any type of charitable work. The local schools are also sending out notices to all of the local HOA's (where applicable) about upcoming campaigns and letters are being sent out ahead of time to many households notifying residents of an upcoming campaign.

    It is sad that it has come to this, but it is amazing what information the internet can provide to scam-artists and the lengths that some of these bogus companies will go to to peddle their scam...My advice, and the advice of my neighbor is to ask many questions such as what is the school mascot, principal's name, arch-rival, etc. (even if you do not know the answers, the individual should be able to know those without skipping a beat). If they do not know, then I would ask that person to leave and tell them that you are calling the police so that they can verify their information. If they are not legit, they will leave immediately, tell their counterparts, and move on. Hopefully you will have at least helped out a neighbor from falling victim to this scam. Sorry for the long post but this is important info that needs to be shared. Thanks! D.R. in AZ

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  67. I was scammed in March by a young black guy selling for New Beginnings Enterprises - $39 for a magazine subscription, which I never received. I was smart enough to give him cash instead of a check though, precisely because I was worried about giving out personal bank info. The receipt looked legit - said "New Beginnings Enterprises of Youngstown,OH" with phone# and website. I both called them (no one answered - message only) and emailed, and have heard nothing back. This is clearly a scam operation.

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  68. So yesterday my husband and I had a young black guy stop at our house selling magazines claiming that he was in a contest and he racked up enough points and won the contest he would get a scholarship to rutgers along with a trip to paris or acapulco. We talked to him for about and hour, very friendly. He said he had just moved down the street from us. Point is he sucked us in. My husband subscribed to two magazines and I subscribed to one. $110 dollars later in CASH he said he had to go. My husband offered to give him a ride back (it was only downthe street) he refused but my husband insisted. He dropped him of at his "House", and the guy pretended to walk up his driveway. My husband all sketched out drove around the block came back and followed the young salesperson to red van filled with a bunch of other young kids. Sadly my husband couldnt get a good look at their license plate so now we are out $110. Now im just really paranoid and pray that that was all the damage.

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  69. A magazine salesman named Sam Jung came to my door in January 2010 selling magazines. He was very friendly so I went ahead and bought a subscription to Elle for $44.00 to help him out. It's September now and I still haven't seen one issue. I called the customer service number on the receipt he gave me for New Generation Reader Service 877-487-2872. It says the number has been disconnected. It seems like a scam to me.

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  70. I am a police officer and recently dealt with Midwest Circulation LLC. They lied to their customers and then lied to me. This business does not seem legitimate whatsoever. Beware!

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  71. I fell for this back in March of 2010. (New Beginning Enterprises). They have a website and a customer service dept (or thats what they call it). Sounds more like a mom in an apartment with a couple screaming kids in the background. I've called them 4 times with someone on the other end saying I would get a refund. The 4th time I called they wanted me to sign the back of the receipt and mail it in. Never heard that the first 3 times I called. I refused and told them I would make it my mission to expose them by building a website dedicated to destroying them. And I meant it. They said they'd put my refund on the top of the pile and I should have it in a couple weeks. I'll be calling back in a couple weeks I'm certain.

    It's a shame when they send a black man with a sad story to your door and it ends up being a scam. Real nice for building race relations.

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  72. Columbia, Missouri
    Midwest Circulation LLC scammed me well. My roommate and I just got scammed out of $250 collectively tonight. Luckily we wrote checks even though we were heavily pushed to pay in cash. We were even told we would get a $100 giftcard to the mall if we did an ATM run. We were also told that by ordering 2 magazines we got a giftcard, once he told us this then I realized that something was wrong but at that point the checks had already been handed over. I felt safe because I had an address and 2 phone numbers. A couple moments after he left I looked online, found this website and my heart sank. I have filed a police report and cannot get to the bank soon enough tomorrow to cancel the check. I plan to get a new account as well.
    I hate how my compassion was taken advantage of with a story of his struggle with his learning disabilites and he was doing this to earn money for college.

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  73. I purchased a $25 magazine subscription with a $15 process & Handling ($40) from New Beginning Enterprises back in April 2010. I have contacted them 5 times and was told they were just running a little behind. I too felt compassion to help the nice pregnant black girl to earn some points and money. People say don't trust or try to help black people in need because it's a scam. I learned the hard way.

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  74. Ditto Here... New Beginnings Enterprise LLC of Youngstown Oh. Arghhhhhhhhh!

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  75. We had the same thing just last night (happen to be in the S.F. Bay Area, CA).

    Nice kid came by with an organization 'Opportunity to Advance'. They were going to 'spot' him $17k to go to college. 'Not much, but I am only going to a Junior College, if I stay in school and get the grades.'

    He claimed to be a senior at a local high school, but was struggling since he just moved here from Hayward. I didn't press him, but I guess that's is a great excuse for not knowing anything about the local high school.

    His supervisor had a phone number which was from Nextel in Oakland (across the bay), (510) 376 0456 and he said his supervisor was 'Jose'. I never called.

    He was very polite, a little shy, very smooth. I told him I would look it up on the web.

    It was dark, and possibly a little creepy overall, as we never have anyone ringing on a Friday evening in the dark.

    Of course, 'Opportunity to Advance' never panned out on the web, either with Google on on the San Jose Mercury newspaper site search.

    Still sticking to his story, he explained no website due to 'it being a local thing'. I told him he was a nice kid, which was true, and we talked a little. Eventually, he left.

    I guess it's not against the law to go door to door, or even to take advantage of young people, but it is a shame.

    I'm sure the young African American boy I met could be given real job skills, to good effect, rather than preying on some youngster from a blighted neighborhood.

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  76. I was with my children today. A very fast talking young man talked me into buying a magazine. Midwest Circulation llc. As soon as his hands were on the check he was gone. He never in got my address. Don't think I will be getting that magazine.

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  77. Oh geez what a bummer. Today I was approached by a young lady in a parking lot. She was an extremely fast talker but seemed to know what she was talking about. She seemed really friendly and started out by asking me if I was a friendly person. I said "well, I'm not unfriendly." She told me about the whole point system and she brought out cards with the names of magazine subscriptions and I told her that I didn't read magazines so she said that I could donate to a charity and so I did. I asked her which charity I should donate to and she recommended one in Orlando Florida; which is why I now believe this is a scam, considering how there are many magazine scams going on over there. I'm only 17 years old and she told me she was 19. She was very flirtatious in persuading me and it worked, sadly. She even had a couple of other people going around with her, like her friends and such. In the end, she ended up walking with me to an ATM and she thankfully didn't see my card, but I ended up giving her $50. She even gave me her "number" afterward to seal the deal. I've been trying to do some more research, trying to see if the company is legit, but so far it looks a little shady to me. The company is called "New Reader Service, Inc." If I could at least help stop somebody else from being scammed out there, maybe it'll compensate for me losing my $50.

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  78. If you have any complaints against SB Magazines they are a known traveling sales goup that does magazine sales and customers never receive the magazines but their checks are cashed and it is almost impossible to get information on them. I found this posting from the better business bureau:

    The office manager is Sonia Byrd 832-496-7400 is her number.

    Business Name: Urban Success, Inc
    SB Magazines, Inc
    Strictly Business
    Business Address: 2601 Cartwright Rd, Suite D PMB 344
    Missouri City, TX 77459
    See the location on a Mapquest Map
    See the location on a Google Map
    Principals: Lester Hensus
    Lucius Pierce, President
    Phone Number: (866) 617-0755
    (281) 242-1609
    (708) 205-9086
    (713) 995-4134
    (832) 419-2339
    (866) 617-0755
    (888) 523-2193
    (966) 617-0755
    Fax Number: (281) 261-4109
    Email Address: strictlybusinessinc@hotmail.com

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  79. I got sucker punched yesterday. I had a young man and girl knock on my door around 7:00 PM. They were selling mags for Midwest Circulation LLC. They were gonna win a trip to Austalia and only had 1900 more points to go. They also tried to get me to pay with cash but luckily I dont even keep much cash on me. And I fell right into their trap. I am so mad. About 3 hrs after they left I decided to get online to check it out. And sure enough its a scam. I found this sight as well. So anyway I was so mad at myself that I couldnt even sleep last night. But I did get up first thing this morning and called the bank and got my check cancelled. As soon as I can I will be opening me a new account as well. BEWARE this is SERIOUS> Kids being slaved through mischevious adults actions. Its so sad. I really had no clue things like this go on. I mean yeah Ive heard of it but WOW.... Its Unbelievable.

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  80. I fell for this scam a couple a hours ago. A couple of guys came to my door selling magazines. They told me they were doing this for an organization to help with public speaking and also that this was a competition. They also said my neighbors in the apartment complex I live in bought magazines from them today.

    I (foolishly) thought well if my neighbors are helping out I guess I can too. I bought close to $300 worth of magazine subscriptions because I was told I could send them to the troops overseas. At first they asked for cash up front, I said I didn't have it. Then they told me about earning extra points if I let them go to the ATM with me and that my neighbors had done the same thing. I should have known right there something was wrong with that, and this is where my complete stupidity kicked in. I allowed them to walk with me to the nearest ATM and gave them a majority of the money there, then I wrote the rest in a check (I know how dangerous and stupid this was, and I couldn't tell you why I thought this was a good idea at the time, I guess I really wanted to help them and the troops). It wasn't until afterward that I started to think about what I have done. I googled the company on the receipts, LRUMAR Publications, LLC, and I saw all of the complaints of fraud. Then I found this website, and now I feel like the biggest loser in the world. First thing Monday morning I will do all I can to stop the check and call the Attorney General's office to see what more I can do.

    I have definitely learned my lesson, I just feel so sick, foolish, and hurt. I once again let my trusting nature allow me to get taken advantage of in the worse way possible. Thank you for reading and I hope that my story will help prevent this happening to anyone else.

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  81. okay, I'm a chicken. I'm a 100 lb. single mom, and my 8 y.o. old daughter just opened the front door after dark in 35 degree cold while I was making dinner, then walked away from the open door to tell me a man was there. !!

    After all that, I let him give a magazine sales pitch from the other side of the door while I held my dog's collar, then excused myself (locked the door) and dug out $10 cash to get him off my porch and hopefully not cause problems. He was very pleasant, well spoken, admitted that he had been in trouble in the past.

    Honestly, I just felt sorry for him. I pictured him sleeping in a panel van somewhere if he didn't bring in some money tonight (he asked if it was 7:30 yet..). It sucked to part with tomorrow's lunch money, but I was not really up to shutting the door in his face or sending him off the porch.
    This outfit was "Off Beat Services" from NJ. They shouldn't be knocking on anyone's door after dark on a Sunday, even if its before 7:30 !

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  82. Well I am a 13 year old and i just had a young lady come to my door who rang the bell and knocked on the door about 4 times and I opened she had a water bottle and a litte paper thing sh said she asked for my parents (they are at work) and she said she was trying to have my parents "back her up" in a contest called Contest YNCU? i think... but i said they werent here and she walked away.She looked about 16 - 18 years old. She had black hair and blue and white shirt. Please tell me if this was a scam.

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  83. October 14, 2010
    A very friendly man came to my home as I was just getting home from work. I didn't know he was selling anything until he went on about needing help for points. He even showed some names of people who supposedly exist in my neighborhood. At first he told me I could get a great deal. 3 magazines for $100.00. I told him I didn't have that kind of money. I wrote him a check for $30.00 and I still have not received the magazines I ordered. I have been scammed. Pretty sad that it had to happen.

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  84. Waco, Texas @ Baylor University
    This scam happend to me today. a younger guy working for Interstate Subscription Servcies came door to door at my apartment complex telling people he was trying to raise points so he could get a scholarship for both college and a study abroad program in France...he seemed very believable. I could hear the sales pitch he gave to the other residents that lived around me while sitting at my desk studying for finals. Then he knocked on my door. He told me what I didnt already hear but I had a gut feeling something was fishy. I asked him tons of questions about school, others who were working with him, how they all exactally "compete with this point system" and what he wanted to do in life but I noticed he tried to avoid these questions and instead talk about the "hot" girl next door he sold magazines to, i guess he was trying to be funny and avoid the other questions. When the time for payment came he kept asking me for cash becuase he would recieve "double the amount of points" if i payed in cash...fourtunately i didnt have 55 dollers in my pocket but 20 so i payed 20 dollers and then wrote a 35 doller check. When I asked him who to write the check for he had no idea! he even asked to borrow my phone to call his manager I asked him, "Why?? your holding your cellphone in your hand" to which he replied that he had no service in our location. After he left I pondered everything he said and his actions which led me to believe that everything he said was fake. I immediately googled interstate subsctrion services and a BUNCH of complaints, fraud, and including this website poped up. I immediatly called chase bank to see if i can get a stop payment on the check but it cost 32 dollers and the check was only written for 35. I was more worred about him having my account number, routing number, and etc.. At this point I was really pissed, pissed that i was lied to and pissed that my fellow stduents here at Baylor University were falling for this scam....after all most of us are only 18-19 years old living on our own for the first time and have not exerpeiced how to decifer a con artist from a person trying to make an honest living.
    I read complaints from numerous websites in about 30 mintues from the time he left. so I figured he must still be around the apartment complex. I walked around and happed to see him walking out of another persons house who probably also just got scammed and I went and approached him. Two things went across my mind: 1. He wasnt going to give my check back 2. He would run So I myself had to make up a lie,i walked up and said, "Hey James I forgot to sign the back of the check with a security number or else the bank wont cash it out" He looked at me and VERY VERY hesitantly took out the check. I immediatly grabbed it and ripped it up infront of his face. I told him I knew all about his company and dont appreciate how he lied to me. He kept saying he wasnt a fake and i asked him where his soliciting permit was. Obviosuly he had none and he said it was in "the van"..i told him dead in the eye "look you got 20 dollers from me, keep it, good luck in life but for now leave becuase the cops are comming" i acutally hadnt even called the cops but his face was speechless and he ran.
    I think one of the neighbors overheard the conversaion b/c Baylor Police was already notified and apparently they were on the lookout for suspiscious activity.
    Anyway I learned a lesson in life, but i also understand that in this hard economy people will do just about anything to make a doller. However, i find it sad that kids will be lied to and brainwashed to work for a company like Interstate Subscription Services and luered into a dark business that teachs you how to lie. But yeah, this my story
    -Aaron 19 year old studying at baylor

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  85. I had a nice spoken young man come to my door last night selling magazines. He told me he attended the University of Kentucky and was a 3.98 communications major that was trying to raise funds to attend Oxford University this summer. He said he was staying with his aunt that lived in a nearby subdivision since his parents had died last year. He told me the subscriptions were $1.00 a month. I told him I would take one and he said he needed to come inside to have a hard surface to write on. I let him in and he filled out the paperwork. He asked me if I wanted to donate the subscription to the VA and it would be tax deductable. I said ok and started to write a check for $12.00. He told me I had to buy a 2 year subscription and pay a processing fee of $15.00 so my total was $55.00 dollars. I told him I couldn't afford that since I was a single mother with 2 kids. Looking back, I can't believe I said that. He assured me the check would be held until May when he had to turn the fund raiser in and reminded me it was tax deductable if I sent the mag. to the VA. He then told me how glad he was to send the subscriptions to the VA since they had treated him there when he got injured in IRAQ. I went ahead and wrote him a check. He then asked me if he could use my bathroom and I directed him down the hallway to the bathroom. My bathroom has a front entrance from the hallway and a back entrance into the utility room and you can come back into the kitchen from the back too. He came out the back way and came up behind me. Scared me! I had my blood pressure meds behind my coffee maker on the counter and her reached and picked them up and asked me what kind of meds I took. I told him blood pressure and he could see I was scared and he said Oh medicines facinate me I use to be a pre-med major! I had never noticed his hands until then. They were filthy and his finger nails were so nasty. A 3.98 average collage student would not be raising funds looking like that! I pointed him to the door. Needless to say I called my neighbors and he had ask to come in their homes too and use their bathrooms. He had to be looking for pills. I called the police also and they took down the information. I cancelled my check and closed the account this morning. I really feel violated and scared!

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  86. A kid came to my door in Deltona, Florida today with this same SCAM. He said he had a 52 subscription to the Cruise magazine which is once every other month. Sounds like a SCAM to me. Here is a picture of him:

    http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n631/k0diac/Door%202%20Door%20Fraud/door2door_fraud1.jpg

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  87. New year and guess what?

    I've too have become a victim of Midwest Circulation LLC. (Why did I answer the door) This girl by the name of Ashly Caldwell comes to my door. Mistake #1 - I answer it. She then quickly talks about some contest and asks to come in. Mistake #2 - I let her. She goes on and on about her little point system and how many different magazines will earn her these points and she can win a scholarship to college and how she wants to own her business and radio station. So me being a naive 19yr old new to the city type of girl, I buy into it. (UGH SO STUPID!!) My grand total, $120! I tell her I have no cash on me, thinking it MIGHT be a bill me later type deal. but she actually gets super excited saying that we can go to an ATM to get cash and she'll win 1000 pts. So me still being a stupid idiot agrees to this, how stupid can I be?! agreeing to go with some random girl to an atm to get money! kinda saved my self when neither of us have cars, so she's calling for a ride while I'm getting ready to go(I know I'm an idiot)but then I had the bright idea to use one of my sisters checks because my money is in her account! we're both ecstatic! So I call my sister to tell her and she gets really mad for letting this girl into our apartment and tells me to make her leave. I'm not great at confrontation, so I pull $30 from my savings jar and give it to her just to get her to leave.

    At least it was only $30 and not $120
    Some words of advice, just don't answer the door!

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  88. Had a man come to my door last week... i stupidly answered the door, which i dont usually do (my daughter was playing in the house and heard the knock and yelled' mama, someone is here' so i felt obligated to asnwer... but still shouldnt have).
    He showed me his 'credentials' which was folded up paperwork stapled together with an organization/company name (which i cant remember the name of) and his picture, stapled to a big list of magazines and books.
    he started off by asking if i was interested troubled youths get their lives on track. of course i said yes, and then went into his pitch of having been incarcerated years before, etc... and trying to live a better life, blah blah blah.. he kept refering to himself as being a youth trying to keep his life on track- but this guy was no youth. he had to have been at least late 20's, and was dressed like he was trying to look younger (baggy jeans, sloppy dress shirt and old tie, and baseball cap)
    he also showed me his 'order list' and pointed out that my neightbor down the street ordered magazines for her kids. (my husband is on his way to that neighbors house right now to find out if this is even true and if she met this guy and remembers the company name)
    i knew straight off that i wasnt going to be giving this guy any money, but i let him talk and pretended to look at the magazine list.. then i told him no thanks...he told me he understands i probably dont need any magazines, but that i could donate them to a children's hospital or battered womens shelter and would still be helping him out.
    i told him "no" 3 different times and ways... the last time i finally just said "i cant afford it right now" he immediately went from being friendly to being rude and angry- he started mumbling loudly that they were driven here from 3 hours away just for the day, and he kept mumbling something as he walked down my driveway to the next house. Between his sketchy story, admitting to having been incarcerated before (why would you tell someone that anyway, if youre trying to sell them soemthing?!), and his mood change, i was spooked. i watched im leave my property then i immediately closed all the blinds and set my alarm system.
    i got my kids dressed and left the house. when i came home it was dark out and i was scared to get out of my car and come inside. ive never been so scared before. of course my husband was out of town... if it weren't for the fact that i have a monitored burglar aralm and 2 huge rottweilers, i would have just gone and stayed at a friends house or a hotel even.
    im not so concerend about the fraud/money loss side of what could have happened... just hate myself for opeing that door and putting myself and my kids at any possible danger.
    whether the company/organization/person is legit or not- nobody should be made to feel so scared in their own home.

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  89. All similar stories happened to me tonight. Same sad story coupled with trying to sell magazines for points. She said she was 19 and from Philly, though she looked older to me. She had tattoos, stained clothing and she smelled. She showed me her cell phone was out of order (it was laughingly fakely broken, having been obviously bludgeoned with some instrument) and asked to use my phone. Another family member had just picked up to answer the phone, so I had a good excuse to say 'no.' I told her I was not able to buy anything from her so I wouldn't waste her time any more and she left with no incident, thankfully. There's always that concern that someone is scoping your house out, though.

    I regret having allowed her to step inside the door (even on a chilly night) but I have used it as an opportunity to teach my daughter what NOT to do.

    I still cannot figure out what the request to use my phone was for... just to get me to turn my back so she can steal? Is there something else with using my phone? This was a big tip-off for me, even though I'm not clear on what part of the scam that involves.

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  90. a guy from midwest circulations just came to my house and tried selling me and my roommates magazines for 40 minutes. he just wouldnt go. we were about to pay him the money . luckily i had the sense to google the company name nd found out it was a fraud. he said he went to the same college as us. so we asked for his college ID and he didnt even know the college had an ID. then he said he forgot it at his apartment.im new to this country nd dint even know scams like these existed. so i just let him in when he said he was from the same college. thank god nd google for saving us the money

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  91. im the same person as the earlier post. after going thru the comments i found out that he said the exact same things to me. he wanted to win a trip to hawaii, had a 4 year daughter to take care of, tried to take us to the atm for cash, told us about the $200 walmart gift card . thinking back, every single sentence he said was a lie. 1st he said he was a freshman at college recently transfered from purdue at indiana. then he said he has been selling the magazines to my neighbours for the past 3 years. we r a couple of international students who live on minimum wages to go to college. thats why the walmart gift card was such an attraction. hope the government does something about these guys. we just got lucky . im sure other guys who r hard on cash will fall for this.

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  92. I'm an 18 year old female and was hired by New Reader Services Inc (NRS) Friday morning, they bought me a bus ticket and I left for Oakland, CA 8:45 that night. I arrived Sunday morning and had a contract thrown in my face, which I had to sign before I was even allowed to go to the bathroom. They were rushing me to sign it and didn't want me to read any of it, which I thought was very fishy.
    Anyway, I signed the contract and proceeded to read the second packet they threw at me. And again, was being pushed to not read it (all of them admitted to not reading any of it). I read it anyway. In the packet it mentioned the following:
    1.) You do not have permission to converse with hotel staff and other hotel guests.
    2.) If you do not make quota, you forfeit your bed (sleep on floor) and miss that night's meal ticket.
    3.) You can go home at any time.
    4.) If you are caught breaking any rules, you will be sent home at your own expense.
    5.) If you choose to go home, you owe all of the money you were given and must be paid back.
    6.) The hotel is now your permanent residence.
    7.) What you brought with you on the trip is all you now have.
    8.) You are not allowed to use the internet, cell phones or hotel phones.
    9.) Do not give out hotel information to anyone, including family members.
    10.) You are not allowed to visit anyone.

    I really didn't like their rules, and felt like I was being imprisoned. I told my friend (who went with me) and she thought it was weird also. We ignored it for a few hours, since we were headed across the bay to San Francisco. While we were there, our other "coworkers" were buying alcohol and weed and popping pills. I was also being inappropriately touched and grabbed by everyone, including the other girls.
    I told Darell (the manager), who said I was being too cocky, arrogant and negative about the whole situation and not giving it a chance. I told him I didn't appreciate being molested in the elevators by the other members. He grabbed my bags, grabbed me by the neck and threw me in the car. He dropped me off outside the bus station (which thankfully was open) and told me to find my own way home. My friend was trying to defend me and he dropped her off too, just a few minutes later.
    NRS is a scam and they're abusive. Please do not buy anything they offer and do not accept their offers of employment. You'll severely regret it. Hopefully this will save some other teens from the same crap I went through.

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  93. We placed an order with New Beginning Enterprises last summer and never received a single magazine. Thinking back, my wife actually found the sales girl on the ground close to our house - she was out-of-breath, pregnant, very over-weight and it was about 90F early afternoon. She didn't have a ride out of the neighborhood for several hours. We invited her in, gave her some water, and bought over $200 of magazines from her. We were more interested in helping her than getting magazines. But what is clear is that this company does not care about the welfare of its staff. 6 months on I have not received any magazines and have filed a complaint with New Beginning Enterprises, their local BBB office and the Federal Trade Commission. As an FYI, this company is owned by Eugene and Marni Weldon with the business premises being the same as their home address (540 W Judson, Youngstown, OH 44511). They never answer their phone lines and their voicemail box is full. I would strongly advise anyone to stay away from this company - whether or not you plan to work for them or buy from them.

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  94. Just received a visit in San Francisco from some aggressive "Precision Sales, Inc." kids. They looked like street urchins but claimed to be raising money for Cal State East Bay.

    I looked at their materials, which were full of typos and hardly looked very official. One line claimed they were unaffiliated with any school, despite the claims. When I asked questions, the kid babbled fast like he was high on speed.

    The whole thing was really weird. Is this stuff breaking any laws in California?

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  95. Well, I, too, got burned by New Beginning Enterprises, 540 W. Judson Ave., Youngstown, OH 44511 back in August 2010. Same results, never answer phone or e-mail (address on their website) which I can't believe they even have. Only $55, but it burns me up. We all need to report these scams to BBB in the company's home city, our own law enforcement entities, and the law enforcement entities in Youngstown or whatever city they work out of. I'm paying a personal visit to Marni and Eugene next time I'm near Youngstown on business. I'm sure they have a reasonable explanation!

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  96. http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000095942073

    This is Llumar Publications, LLC owner or whatever, its his facebook page. He is in his late 30s so he doesnt go door to door but if you ever see this guy drivin around your neighbor hood in a blue 90's model yukon on rims call the cops cuz he is trouble

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  97. same thing here i use to work for a company called u.d mangement group which seems to be in texas right now.suppobily those guys pay your trip back home if needed pay for rent and food ,those guys pay 10 dollars a night if you had made your daily quata but if not you have to pay that back to them,also i got a ticket for selling magazines in sunville texas 3 years ago and it was their duty to pay that,now i got a letter saying they have a warrant for my arreset because of failure to apear and also for not paying off the ticket ,i nowhere live near or around texas so now i have to go to jail because of mistakes they have done,so if you guys have unity managemenet or unified doers come to the door run them away it is a scam,manager lattel garret

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  98. hey midwest, is this slander? http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/03/31/door-to-door-salesman-pleads-guilty-of-assaulting-woman/ay3s8j0/ -

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  99. I sold magazines for about 8 years of my life. I would love to tell you wonderful stories. But I can't. I was beaten , starved , stranded & stabbed. That was 14 years ago. I am now back home where I belong & I have 4 children & a good job & I have been clean & sober for almost 9 years. The magazine business did not do this for me I did. Do Not Send Your Child Into That Hell. It is full of " Little White Lies" & I believed them.

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  100. New Readers Service (NRS) Darell is a "Manager" The "Owner" of that company is Steven Mark Giles & he changes the company name & address every 1 or 2 years so that you can't find him. Right now his company address is 1802n Carson st. Carson City N.V 89701

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  101. I worked for Liberator Sales Inc for 10 years as an agent and manager. The statements you made about the Kristina Moore incident couldn't be any further from the truth. Not everyone that is in the door to door business is not how you described. Some of us have great intentions and good hearts. Get educated before you go on your "holy than thow" rant.

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  102. Wow... I can only wish now that I never got into any of this. I used to do this lying biz for NRSS (New River Subscription Service) in 2001. Got fed a line of crap to join up. Talk about sad, sad, and sad. They tell you fun in the sun, travel for free, make friends, make loads of cash, free room and board plus meal ticket! All of it bull!!

    I was told that my room and board was free. FREE! What teen doesn't want that? I was told that if I met my quota daily and weekly, that I would get a bonus and that if I didn't, it was okay because everyone would find their niche eventually. The other crew members were nice but some were rude. Mostly everyone did drugs, alcohol or something along those lines. My boss even had his 2-3 year old daughter on the crew with him.

    My first week, was in Waco, TX. After a long bus ride from my home town, I was picked up, fed breakfast (along with all their crap about how it all worked) and then was out at 8 am selling magazines. I was told that I couldn't date anyone on any of the crews and that if I was caught with any of the guys, it meant I would go home. I made my quota alot and alot of times I didn't. A few of my friends were shot, mugged, raped, missing, etc. One guy was beaten nearly to death. Another was killed for stealing a man's wallet out of his house.

    I wanted to go home, because it wasn't fun anymore. Walking from 8 am til dang near 9 pm. Cold, snow, rain, hail, sun, it didn't matter. "Make your quota, get your bonus". All the bull crap I fed to folks. I remember the last house I went to. I told the lady, I want out of this mess, may I use your phone to call my parents and she allowed me to do so. I sat there with her eating the first meal in over a week because I wasn't meeting my quota anymore (cause I was sick to death of lying to people), so I wasn't allowed to eat (free room and board and meal ticket, huh? sure...). She prayed with me for a safe trip home and gave me $40 dollars for my bus ride home and gave me some sandwiches, too. That night, I was nearly beaten by my boss because I told him I wanted to go home. He told me I had to pay for it myself, and then he said that since I didn't make my quota in a while, he would pay for it and that I was a sorry p.o.s. and that I was a waste of time, and energy. I never saw him again. I met my daddy at the bus station near my hometown, and vowed to tell all I saw come to my door to go back home.

    I had one little girl, half starved, drenched, and freezing come to my door a few years back. She said she was in the "Naturally cute and adorable contest (a line I used often), and I told her to stop, come in, have a seat and I got her a towel. She started crying when I handed her the towel. She said she hadn't eaten in almost 2 weeks and that she was trying to make some money so she could pay for a ticket home. I asked her where home was and she told me where it was (it was 2 hours from where I live). I gave her my phone and told her to call her parents. I gave her something to eat and drove her to where she lived. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, but, I know I wanted someone to save me. I still talk to her, too. She too, tries to save teens who come to her front door now.

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  103. To anonymous who states "I worked for Liberator Sales Inc for 10 years as an agent and manager."

    So you are saying everyone who has responded to this blog with similar complaints and similar stories of the magazine sales companies scamming people are liars? I believe the people on this blog.

    If you don't like people exposing the company you work for as the scam they are then get a job with a respectable company.

    No one here has gone on a holy than thou rant, they are speaking the truth about what has happened to them. If you don't like it don't read it.

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  104. Im a Sheriff's Deputy who arrested a couple of Midwest Circulation's salespersons yesterday. They were claiming that the proceeds of their sales were going to benifit a local childrens hospital. The local childrens hospital is rightly mad as hell about this and wants to send a cease and desist order. I am having a real hard time finding any contact info other than the numbers on the "reciepts" and the website numbers which I understand are a never ending automated nightmare. It looks like you have done a ton of homework on these guys and I was hoping you could help.

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  105. Yesterday right before lunch a person knocked on my door. She first said I was supposed to fill out a survey judging her "presenting" skills. When I said that I was not in a position to judge anyone, she then quickly went into another spiel about how she is trying to earn points, blabbity blah. She was talking so fast I didn't even really hear her.

    Then came the part about selling magazines so I promptly told her "No". Right after she had this evil look on her face like she wanted to hit me or something horrible. It made me very uneasy. I looked outside & saw a silver van with black tinted windows parked across from my house.

    Then today, the same thing happened but a different girl, same van outside. I didn't answer the door this time but went outside after she left & took a picture of the van with my cellphone. I am just hoping they f@#% with me because I can give it right back.

    You'd think they wouldn't come back since I'm sure the girl before her told them I didn't buy anything. It's almost as if they were trying to wear me down.

    Does anyone know if these people are scouting out my house because she knocked for literally 3 minutes. Who in the hell would knock for that long if no one answers???

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  106. Hi Ken,

    You may want to try searching the company name with the better business bureau (www.bbb.org) in the state listed on their website. Not sure what other information I can help provide you with but I hope I have helped in some way.

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  107. I just got scammed by some high school boys who said they could win a trip to Europe. I gave them a check and once I went back into my apartment I knew it was a scam. I went and found them down the street and got my check back. Do you think they also wrote down my account number and routing number? Has anyone else had problems with their bank account after getting the check back?

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  108. I worked for a traveling sales magazine crew for a few months.I am not a criminal, nor was I then.I cant say the same for the rest of my crew. I was bad at sales and never made a profit. But I witnessed people making 100-400 a week, plus bonuses. Granted there were bad people on my crew, I'd still say 8 out of 10 of my fellow crew members were good kids and all of our customers received their orders.
    Most of what you wrote is true..or at least was when I was on a crew.They owners/managers do not take care of everyone. I was 20, white, little..timid. I was dropped off in a gated ghetto apartment complex. It was gated, I was told, to keep people safe, to keep it so that not just anyone could enter by accident. It was predominantly a black neighborhood. I have never been racist, so I approached everyone with a smile and good spirits. The third door I knocked on a couple answered and pulled me inside. They did this for my safety. Turns out,a caucasian young man had been murdered there just 7 days prior to my arrival for knocking door to door for his church. The couple drove me to the gate and waited with me until my manager/driver returned for me. When he arrived, he was laughing, he knew exactly where he had dropped me off. Then he was pissed that I hadn't gotten any sales. At which point,he dropped me off in another bad neighborhood;it was 11pm at night. I had been walking and knocking doors since 8am that morning.
    Being a young girl, I never had to sleep on the floor. But I went days without food. Only because I was too sensitive to have to ask to borrow money. If someone noticed I hadn't eaten, they'd offer me food right away. The majority of my crew were great. they would help each other out with anything. But there was the occasional thief.
    There was a lot of drug use on my crew, but mostly the users were the managers. One night, while driving over a long thin bridge in Maine, my driver/manager "nodded off" (passed out on Heroin).We all screamed and someone grabbed the wheel. About a year after I left the crew, I learned that man died of an overdose.
    During my travel with the crew, many people were left at random. One kid started to literally lose his mind. Any time our van would enter a neighborhood (one he had NEVER been to) he would look around frantic and whisper "I've been here before,I've seen these houses,I know these people". He would sometimes chant it over and over. Anywhere from 10 to 18 hours a day, all we would do was walk from house to house. I guess all the neighborhoods did start to look alike. But he was on some kind of level that we didn't understand. One morning we met at the van and this kid was no where to be found.I later discovered that they had dropped him off at a hospital and just never went back to get him.I found out by the kid finding us, several weeks later.He tried to return to work, but he quickly fell back into a terrible mind hell.
    When I returned home from that life. I suffered panic and anxiety attacks daily/nightly.My body/muscles ached 24/7. I had to walk no less than 3 miles a day just to keep my muscles from having insane spasms.I couldn't be alone. I hadn't been alone for not even one minute for 4 months.Not to sleep,not to go to the bathroom, eat, knock doors,never. I was never alone. It took quite some time for me to readjust.In my four months on crew, I had taken on a new persona.I could talk my way into anything.Or out of anything.I would realize, once home, that I was doing it still. I would talk my mother into things I would have never been able to talk her into before. I had strangers in the grocery store giving me their pens, umbrellas, anything I liked and wanted. i felt terrible about who I was. I didn't want to become like those traveling people on crew. I didn't want to be one of them.And when I got home, I realized I had become one of them.The depression was unbearable.
    I agree, don't open your door. But, if you do, maybe give the kid a sandwich.

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    Replies
    1. i also did this and can relate well with your story, and agree with you 100%. i also went days without food. im glad that youre home safe now, though. like you said:

      "I agree, don't open your door. But, if you do, maybe give the kid a sandwich."

      Delete
  109. My name is Chris, and I had a 21 year old named "CJ" just leave. He was walking outside behind my building, and politely asked for directions to a street that is over 13 miles away from me. After I told him where the closest Denny's was he began to tell me about how he was going door to door for Midwest Marketing, to earn himself a trip to Paris. Of course then he started with one sales line after another to subscribe to various magazines, and I told him off. Because I told him I was a former telemarketer of magazines, he lost interest in getting the sale and decided to leave me with a name and number so I could apply for a job with him.
    The funniest part about this all was he asked if I did drugs. I said I have in the past but don't anymore, and he went on to tell me that they don't care if you smoke weed, just don't do any hard drugs on a work day.
    Thanks for having this site, I was actually about to call and see if they had a job for me haha.

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  110. Contact Sonia Byrd at 713-270-4000 she is the former Office Manager for SB Magazines/Urban Success Inc. She does have current information on Lucius Pierce. She assisted me in getting a call back from him but I am still awaiting my refund.

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  111. hey i was on craigs list today and found a litting "cool summer job" its for a company called SUNSHINE SUBSCRIPTON. the add said something about a mtv lifestyle (lol) and skaters are welcome.. i skate/party so that sounds fun to me. im broke too. i talked to the guy on the phone and they are in my state this week or something he was to send me a ticket asap and get me there. seems like the same story as you all have, but has anyone heard of/worked for this company? i cant believe all mag companies are as bad as midwest or the other listed here. please post if you know anything about SUNSHINE SUBSCRIPTION. i read almost every comment on this blog, so i know this seems dumb but please only respond about this company. thanks for the info!

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  112. I got taken a few days ago for $60 from a company called "Coast to Coast Sales Inc".. She gave the same examples about college and donating magazines to Childrens Hospital. I feel stupid now of course after reading all this. She didn't seem like a druggie or runaway, she was actually very nice and intelligent. Her name was "Tracy R." , if that even is her real name. Her crew of 50 was headed to Buffalo, NY. Well, Tracy .. if you ever read this say hello and I hope to get my motorcycle magazine. Despite the lies, it was fun talking to you about the other stuff. -S.

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  113. I feel sorry for these kids... when I was a kid, and had one of the kids sell me a magazine subscription that I never got.. I'm the king at turning people away from my door ever since.. I'm still waiting on those magazines...

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  114. I am so grateful to you for this blog! A nice young man trying to win a prize to make his dream come true just asked me to hand over about $50, cash or check, to him, promising me that this was not a scam. I said, "Hold on, I'm going inside to look up your sponsor on the Internet." Sure enough, "Yoli & Associates" is right here on this page. I assume he's being duped, too, because he stood on the porch and waited for me to come back out. I told him he was working a scam, whether he knew it or not. Then I called my elderly neighbor to warn her not to open the door, and then the police station, two blocks away, to send a cruiser out to send him away from our neighborhood. Thank you for your help!

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  115. One of these scammers showed up at my door today; he was a very smooth talker. I thought I was answering for the postman, but I was wrong! I didn’t find out what company he was working for, but he said he was earning points so he could get a $5,000 scholarship to get started toward his chosen career from National Career Awards. He was excited that “the girls” hadn’t come by yet, since they were in competition. He also mentioned something about winning a trip to Europe. He said that I would get a comment card in the mail, and that I had to tell his boss that his pants were not sagging and that his eyes were clear, which was true. He took down my name and address and also asked about my age. He said I was supposed to get him excited about starting a career by telling him about mine. He asked me if I liked my job and said that many of my neighbors did not like theirs. He also asked me what my husband did for a living. He said if I got the magazines in my husband’s name he would get 100 extra points, which almost sounded sexist to me. I proceeded to tell him that I wasn’t interested in any of the magazines listed, and he brought out a longer list to show me. This particular one had scribbles on it, including “I love boobies.” Very professional! I told him my husband and I had just renewed our magazine subscriptions. He told me if I paid him, then my subscription would continue beyond what I had recently paid for. I told him I wasn’t interested in doing that right now, and then he showed me a list of books that I could pay to have donated to a local charity. I said no thanks, and I think he finally got the hint. He rudely said I could have just told him from the beginning that I wasn’t interested and moved on to the next house. I’m glad I didn’t fall for it, but now I feel bad for the kid!

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  116. Dynasty Sales is hitting up Arlington, VA neighborhoods with kids claiming to be seniors at George Mason University, selling books (kids' dictionaries, encyclopedias, and Disney/Pixar publications) to raise money for a theater department trip to England. GMU's theater department says they're not doing anything of the sort.

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  117. I had one today come by. He was a young guy, maybe 20 or 21. I opened the door and he started the sales pitch. He was talking very fast and reeked of cigarettes. I had never heard of this before so I got to talking about him. I wasn't interested but I listened anyway. After listening to his pitch, it sounded not so bad and after being suckered in I gave him my name and phone and told I was going to think about it. He was reluctant but walked away. I managed to catch the name of the company he worked for, Midwest Circulation, and Googled it once I got back inside. I realized quickly that it was a scam and I went back outside to tell him not to call me and that I wasn't interested. He was not happy and started asking me questions as I went back inside my apartment. I shut the door in his face. A moment later he knocked on the door and asked me why I lost interest. I just told him I wasn't interested anymore and then shut the door again. He seemed extremely upset, shouted some profanities and walked away.

    I am very worried because I do not know what kind of person I gave my personal info to. It is easy to find names and addresses of family members on the Internet just using names and phone numbers as well. I deeply regret it happening but I am unsure of what to do. I am worried about getting broken into or worse. I have seen the stories online of people getting burglarized, etc by these folks. I am a somewhat naive/trusting person so I do not know how to just simply say no and walk away. I wish I had since I would have saved myself some headache and a lot of worry.

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  118. Oh and BTW this occurred in Raleigh, NC. I saw them knocking on my neighbor's doors as well. I did not see any other scammers when I drove around the neighborhood. Hopefully they leave and never come back. I regret ever even talking to them.

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  119. We live in Texas. My husband opened the door to a door to door magazine subscription salesman from Unified Doers Group LLC. He smoothed talked his way in our house and am afraid he noticed our laptops and iphones lying on our dining table. We even gave him $85 for two magazine subscriptions. But now after reading all the reviews about the company I am scared if he'll return tomorrow and rob our home or something. Please advice. M & K

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  120. Ultimate Unity inc. came to my door tonight and I almost made a donation, the salesman was a very personable young african american that was going to donate monies to the a charity. The name was dubious so I googled it before handing over the check. sure enoough it was a rip off. this happened in Los Angeles, looks like they are getting around the country.

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  121. First of all, thanks for the site. Some of these people are also operating in Huntington Beach, CA. It's December, close to Christmas, people are in a giving mood. Tonight, after dark, a young woman came to the door to "get 700 points to go to Italy" by selling "books for unfortunate children (only $40)". Very fast talker, and she claimed that even my neighbor bought from her and if I didn't have enough money, maybe half of the amount would do. She showed me the points she already earned, written on her wrist. All she needed was 'one more' sale. When I didn't buy anything she was angry that I didn't "care for the children" and left. Again, thanks for your site and for the many comments people posted.

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  122. Yoli and Associates is a SCAM Do Not Buy ANYTHING! 12/2011 N.J

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  123. I landed on this website because I think i just became a victim..i have a soft spot for people going to college or doing fundraising activities...yesterday two well dressed young men told me if i bought magazines, it would help them earn points for a scholarship...they showed me an id, i dont think they showed me a permit. Anyway I wrote down the address I dont use for transactions, and paid them cash. I am however, interested to get my magazines. They helped me choose, and they were talking like they really just wanted to sell magazines. They are under Independent Contractor's Services, not sure if it was on the list, i didnt see it, they have a phone number which i tried to call with just an answering machine, telling me if im a customer i need to file complaints in hand writing. I looked up ICS under BBB.org, and saw 24 filed complaints, but not exactly sure if the people didnt get the magazines or what. My co worker was very concerned, because he says now they know i live alone and stuff. They salesmen looked young and presentable, talking about college, but i know any con-man can do that. They didn't force me to buy, but they talked me into it. They didn't also force me to let them in, in fact, i had the screen door right at their faces the whole time we were doing the transaction. -___-

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    1. Same thing happened to me yesterday i feel so stupid. I had just gotten out of school and I was already stressed from the school day(college) so I was done thinking for the day and these two young men "bum rushed" me and started talking real fast and said they were in a public speaking class trying to raise money for their class to go to rome. I told them I didn't have the money on me but I had agreed to help them so we walked to the ATM about three blocks away and I paid them a grand total of $340.00 cash although the reciept showed I only had to pay them $140.00. So after this had happened I called their customer service number on the back of their receipt and the supervisor said that they were so excited that they forgot to write me another receipt. So I went ahead and did the cancellation process and I have been blowing up there phones ever since.

      Delete
  124. I bought a Weight Watchers magazine from Petra B from Youth Incentive Marketing, Inc on 8/3/2011 by check for $71.00. Still waiting for my magazine.
    Ruth

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    1. Petra B. came by today and I bought a magazine and afterwards I read your blog. I quickly called my bank and did a stop payment. Thank you for the help.

      Delete
    2. 'Petra' came by my house as well. Very good sales skills, and by the time I realized I was ripped off she had vanished, and all the contact info on the sales slip was bogus.

      Delete
  125. has anyone ever received a book or magazine?

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  126. OMG i was stupid enough to go and do this it was ok in the first month then when no one was buying i only recieved 5 dollars a day! i got dropped off at the butt crack of dawn till like 11 at night i even got dropped off at an apartment complex that looked like blood was on the wall so i found a safe place and set there till pick up time also once i was attacked and then they tried to make me go out i was like he** no. so after 3 months of verble and physical abuse i called my dad. when i asked to go home they said they couldnt and i had to to stay so i called my dad again who is an exmarine and you dont wanna make him mad. they called the boss said someone died (this person had already passed away) so they sent me home on a greyhound then they had the nerve to call my mom 2 weeks later asking to send me back. of course i didnt go. then at tax time i got this form saying i owed 10,000 dollars! well my grandpas lawyer took care of that. so yes beware it is a scam they never get magazines its just crooks. i know for a fact because i heard the bosses talking laughing about it. i even passed out twice once going down stairs which means medical bills for me and once at a kmart ugh the company i worked for was NEW GENERATION

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  127. I was taken by the New Beginning Enterprises company. I did give them money, I did order three different magazines. How dumb can I be? When I called them, letting them know that I did not receive any of my magazines, they said, "we will get back to you". Of course, they did not. Do not, do not, do not fall for it. NEW BEGINNING ENTERPRISES are cheats!!!!!

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  128. I was scammed by teamxtremesales so called private contractors. I was told that I would receive my books by x-mas and didnt receive them until the end of march. I was also told that I was ordering 2 sets of 5 books with interactive DVDS and only received 2 look and see books. I paid $110 for 2 freaking books you have to be out of your mind!! Magazine Fulfillment Service if to blame just as much as teamxtremesales is. They offered no help to me when I complained about this. Please stay far away from door to door salesman. I have learned my lesson. Teamxtremesales and Magazine Fulfillment Service are a rip off!!!

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  129. Please do not buy anything from these people. I work at a Police Department and we cited three of their solicitors for not having the permit to solicit in our city. Within three days, we had a residential burglary on every street where we cited them. You do not want these people in your neighborhood, the minute you see one,call your local law enforement and have them stopped and identified. Help us, Help you!

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  130. I used to work for a Will Ferrel (Like the Actor) company name American Circulation Enterprizes Inc. I was with them for about 6 months. Durring this period it is hard to leave because you have NO MONEY!!! All these statements about cons and young teens are true. My crew was feeled with thugs, under age teens(runaways, myself) and all controlled by 30-40 yr old crack heads and thugs. I may have recieved 2,000 dollars over this period and I was good, I'd sell 15 scrips a day at least at 45$ a pop. I finally hooked up with a family member in VA where he picked me up and I left (finally). They owed me 1,300$ which I never sall and to make matters worse, everytime I attempted to contact them they tried to get me to come back stateing I would get my money then. At the end of the year they turned a 1099 form in on me for the amount of 21k to the IRS. I was forced to payback the IRS for money I never recieved much less earned. These guys are a joke, a scam and should be shut down. I witnessed many times of them recruiting new people and then dropping them off in another state to never pick them up again. I feel so bad I was apart of such a racket, but in all honesty i had no where to go and they took advantage of that, that's who they look for. Don't buy into the hype, it's nothing but articulated words, nothing more. STAY AWAY AND DO NOT BUY!!!! Oh and FYI they try not to visit the same city twice, anmd if they do it is a new batch of victims they bring. They keep maps and logs of streets and area they have been to, even the kid they sent in that area... If there was a problem with something they will send a few more kids around to make it look legit in the same area.

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  131. The other side of this story is I had a young girl cone to my house, I was suspicious but engaged her in conversation and as I was talking to her I became mire suspicious, on the ruse that I needed up get my checkbook, I googled the name of the company I was to make the check out to and found that there were parents looking for their children after they left to work with them and the parents couldn't find their kids. So my husband and I talked to her and voiced our concerns about this company. We pleaded with her to at least call her mother, which she did and as soon as she heard her mothers voice she broke down. Cone to find out she was a high functioning autistic girl. She was hired while eating pizza in a pizza shop. She left with these people with nothing but the clothes on her back. We ended up flying her home on the next flight to her mother who was sooo grateful for finding her daughter. This girl was 18 but looked, acted and thought like a 14 yr old. She was made to work 6 days a week from 9 in the morning to 9 at night. The people who own these companies should be shot!

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  132. Unlimited Sales Inc. was here in NJ this afternoon. I didn't trust or believe "Terrence" and his "do you believe in second chances" line of garbage for one minute. When I quickly stated I wasn't interested in any way he made sure to tell me how he could earn points with straight up cash too. How accomodating of him! I gave him a cold bottle of water (it was 100 degrees out) and told him there were better ways to truly "earn" a dollar and sent him on his way. I also called the police to alert them about the soliciting but not sure they caught up with him. I am sorry to anyone who falls prey to this and any other scam.

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  133. I live in Pa and a van of kids were dropped off in the afternoon. My son and I were taking a walk and a girl asked me why is Anyone answering there doors to us and I say I guess they don't want to buy anything. Well she starts to follow me home screaming at me saying I need money for my babies and I am selling reading stuff. I say stop yelling and she says you people in your big houses are all racists and your kid probably gets whatever he wants. Other neighbors are out and ask to see there permit and she says no so they call the township and someone comes down and she has no permit and they make her leave . Around 8.30 pm the van is back so my neighbor goes and writes down the license plate and it's from California and he reports it to the cops and they leave. My dad calls me he lives 10 mins away and tells me two kids knocked on his door and he said go away it's a scam and the girl starts screaming at him and swearing to. I knew better never to buy you can get magazines for 15$ a year I do it all the time on those cards that are in the magazines and I even got free ones sent to my sister for a year. These people are scary I had all my doors locked all day today. Please don't fall for there stories!

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  134. Midwest circulation llc is in Tennessee, beware before you answer the door. I got scammed, but if I cancelled the check that I gave them the next day do I still need to cancel the account? Has anyone had trouble with the salesmen coming back or taking more money from accounts?

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  135. A nice looking couple came to my door last night. It was dark out & I normally don't answer, but I was waiting for my sister. The tall thin blonde lady was from Hawaii & the smooth, fast talking, friendly, charming blonde man was from northern California (Redding). She was trying to earn enough points to go to Italy. I hate magazines collecting in my house, so they asked if I was willing to donate a subscription to battered women or children in hospitals. The young man said I could write a check & if I was concerned about it bouncing, he would hold off cashing it for 2 weeks. I told them no, I can't because I'm in the middle of something. He insisted on coming back later, but I told them "no" again. They left, but I felt that something was strange because neither of them was local. If this had been people from my own neighborhood, I may have considered the donation. The fact that they both came from so far away, told me something was strange about the whole arrangement. Glad I found this site and never gave them more than the time of day.

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    1. Has anyone actually had one of these companies use the routing number and account number on his/her check? I'm not so concerned about losing $30 but I am worried about them using my banking information.

      Delete
  136. my daughter is currently working for the magazine company fit for life does anyone have any information good or bad on this company I do talk to my daughter but not that often I have to track her down, call hotels,her bosses which seems to be the only 1 to have a phone and there's always someone around her when she does talk to me on the phone they were in Colorado now they went to Utah I sent her a phone in a care package and 2 hours before the mail went to the hotel they left for Utah knowing the package was coming they still left tho she says things are fine and great with this company I have a gut feeling they're not she says she get 12 dollars per sale work 8 to 10 hours 6 days a week and if they dont make a sell the way I understand it they don't eat I'm very worried and concerned about my daughter so I've tried and tried to convince her to come home but something seems to be keeping her there though it could be a mother being paranoid so if anyone has any information on fit for life I would appreciate any information you can give me good or bad also if a young white girl with black hair she's 19 but looks. 16-17 her name is Shasta please tell her to call her mother they're supposed to be in utah is what I was told thank you

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    1. The company she works for is a scam. The customers they sell magazines to will never see the magazines.I work in a police agency where we take all the money, books, etc. from the solicitors and cite them into court for selling without a permit. If this happens to your daughter she will end up with a warrant for her arrest. Everyone is becoming more aware of these scams and more cities are taking action against them. They target the elderly. The sales people, "your daughter" are not treated well and dropped off in unsafe neighbors. If they don't sell enough, they are not feed and are forced to sleep on the floor. She can't leave because they don't give them enough money to do so and they don't allow them to use the phone and they take all of their property away from them. they will never get the prizes they are promised and will get dumped without predujice if they appear to be wavering in their commitment to sell. Go get your daugher before something bad happens.

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  137. I had a young boy highschool kid and he told me he was earning a trip to Hawaii for his senior year trip. So trying to help the boy plus get some Nick Jr. Magazines for my son I wrote him a check for $54 and Ive waited on my magazines and still havent recieved them. This was back in Nov. and now it is April. Im going to go and dispute the payment they took at my bank, But will I get my money back? Or am I just a sucker? The company on the receipt is Intoccabile Marketing, PO Box 300386, Kansas MO 64130. Never again will I buy from a kid..... Im so upset....

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    1. Did you ever receive your mags or money? I got approached at the Independence Mall and paid cash to this one kid "from Seattle". I guess I'll never see that cash again...

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  138. I was scammed. what they do now is use your bank info to make weekly withdrawals from your bank account. they are even clever enough to disguise it as an ATM withdrawal. all the withdrawals were claimed to be at a convenience store two blocks from my house. I had protested going to that store a year earlier because of personal reasons and I know I never used the ATM there. All the withdrawals were the day I was on the plane as I travel weekly for work. If you want a magazine look up that magazine's info online and call them directly for a subscription.

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  139. I was recently scammed. I gave a $100 check to two young girls to help them win $2000 and a trip from Midwest Circulation. They also claimed to be working with a directional group that encourages teens to go to college and earn a degree. I ordered two magazines and one girl asked if I could write two checks from different bank accounts. This is obviously absurd. Why does it matter? RED FLAG. I reported the girls to my local police department.

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  140. I almost fell for a scam from B-N-K Productions. A boy around 18 caught me off guard as I was leaving the house to walk my dog. He said he was working on his public speaking skills introducing himself to the neighborhood. Then he went into a charming sales pitch about a points contest to win $1000 and a trip to Italy. He told me all his plans for Italy in detail. Asked me about any of my travel experiences. At some point in the conversation I found out he was actually from CA and did not live in my area (PA!). I was eventually talked into buying a 2 yr subscription for $44 with $15 handling fee. So I handed over a $59 check. Once he left, I followed my gut feeling that I had just been scammed and googled the company. I then actually tracked him down in my neighborhood and got my check back! Hopefully I do not have any issues as he has my contact information but not my bank information. Lesson learned!

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  141. I had a white girl just approach my husband in the garage She said our neighbor was a psycho bitch What an opening line She talked like a hyped up druggie gangsta. talking about dreams and going to Europe and some bull line about she is in communications really you could tell right away she was not. and kept saying BOOM! I pretended I was calling some one then I stepped inside the house then back again that is when she finally noticed me what is your name she says and I said none of your business and you better get moving because I just called someone. Oh and are they going to come right away? I said yes so you better go now. Lets say she left pretty fast and disappeared around the corner not even bugging the rest of the neighbors on the block. I told my husband she can tell the next one there are 2 psycho bitches on this block. Now I know why BOOM! LOL She was a joke!!!!

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  142. Here is the 9 millionth comment about this magazine sales situation. A young girl came to my house this afternoon. After reading many of the articles that I have seen thus far I am sure it was the same situation as many here have encountered. Claiming the sun was on her back to get closer to the door. Asking if I knew my neighbors, showing me a list of their names (treating me as one of the "Jones'"). Problem was, I really felt for this girl. I believe she was genuinely trying to make a better life for herself. I'm sometimes too nice, I generally listen to sales people but I try and tell them right away that there's pretty much no chance that I'm going to buy anything from them, (I never have).

    So I listened to this girls pitch and then asked again, "What was the companies name again? Let me look into the company and if you could, come back in 20 minutes". She couldn't have lost interest fast enough. She told me to go to a certain website. I think it was (door 2 door success dot com), I typed it out there so spam blockers would let me type it. I said "What's the companies name?" She said "Well the companies name is Unity management but go to that website." She really didn't want me to look into the company.

    I really do feel sorry for these kids. Not only are they hanging around other lost souls, and managers who have given in to a life of taking advantage of peoples guilt and empathetic nature. Moreover, they don't know what they are really getting into and when the do it may be too late. Perhaps for a few of these kids it turns into a great learning experience. I fear however, for the majority this is the first step toward a life of feeling there are very few good people out there.

    P.S. If you want them to leave you alone quickly and not come back, ask for the name of the business again and tell them to come back in 30 minutes while you look into the company. Chances are they won't be back. They may even leave the neighborhood.

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  143. I was recently offered a job selling mags a company called prolific marketing and associates, can anyone tell me if this company is a scam?

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  144. One time, I was cleaning my garage when some dude came up to me, trying to sell me a subscription to a magazine I'd never heard of! It sounded pretty cool, though, and the free gift for subscribing was a pretty nice blender, so I did it. Anyway, the magazines never came.

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  145. As of February 2014, Moving Forward, Inc., established 2012 out of Birmingham AL has just sent "teams" into the Northwest AL area, Supposedly, they will be in the area for the next 45 days.They sell hugely expensive packages which they claim to send to St. Jude's Children's hospital. And of course the young fellow was a former gang member out of Chicago. Guess he could have been... I told him he was being used. Exact scheme that I fell for years ago, except that they were selling to earn money for an Auburn Science trip.

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  146. I was in a Mag Crew back in the late 70's. It was the worst time of my life. At the end, I ended up stranded at a bus station and pregnant (didn't know at the time).

    When someone in the group was fired, the others were told that the fired guy or gal "won the contest". There was NO CONTEST. It didn't exist.

    One girl stole some of my clothes. Lived on less than $5 and sometimes only a $2 a day.

    I was in the Lonnie Devine group from GA, and FL. I don't remember or knew the name of the company back then. Sorry.

    Here are some of the other agents names I remember...

    John Paul Steven (Buddy Stevens), was a Jr. Manager. Drove a baby blue Lincoln Continental.
    Sheila Starbuck, was usually a car leader/driver. (She drove a grey or silver car with a burgendy top. Don't remember make or model. Probably a mid 70's model).
    Gene Dragotta (had girlfriend Dawn in the bigger crew).
    Dan Allen. (Dan had frizzy afro like hair, but is a white guy).
    I remember a french speaking woman. Could have been Flo Roos, but not sure.
    A real hateful Hewbrew or Jewish gal. She threatened me and I had no idea why.
    A real nice guy named Will, but don't remember his last name. Was one of the most sincere and nicest guys in the big group.
    I don't remember the girl's name who stole my nice jeans, but it was the first week of being in the crew.

    At one point, I remember the managers taking us all to a beauty shop to get our hair fixed, guys got haircuts, sometimes we would get a new outfit or two.

    I was recruited by a girl named Kathy. Don't remember her last name, but she had short hair, very pretty in the face.

    I was later split ted off into a much smaller group who consisted of Buddy Stevens, Gene Dragotta, Dan Allen and I. I think it was called a "spur group".

    Gene Dragotta was also real nice too, and he missed his girl Dawn. They tend to split the groups, of opposite sexes got attracted to one another, I found.

    The night of being left stranded at the bus station wasn't too bad, because earlier that evening, I was canvassing at an apartment complex, and happened to knock on the door of a real nice guy, who was engaged to a girl I went to school with in GA. She was from Tampa originally, and wonder of wonders, she was back in Tampa, and this guy had a picture of her on one of his tables.

    I told him I went to school with her, and spent a summer with her the year before in the summer of 75, after graduation. And about how odd it was I happen to run into him as a potential customer. I told him I wanted out of the crew, and please to give me her number and I would call her as soon as I could. By deliberately staying inside someone's house for too long, it caused them to fire me, which I was glad of.

    I had my back up plan in action, so at the bus station, I called her, and she came to get me and I stayed with her until I could arrange to get back home in GA.

    I can attest to the being stranded, only receiving a few measly dollars a day, the expected sex, forced sex, and sleasy living conditions.

    It is my desire that these damn mag crews and publishing companies that allow it, are made illegal and punishable to the fullest extent of the law.

    And to those parents and families who lost sons or daughters to these scamsters, you have my deepest sympathy.

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  147. Richard Roberson hiden out out in Palo Alto Ca. is a fugitive-directly tide to american community services as a salesman who raped home owners, abuducted, raped and brutally beat young women who were targeted, lured onto the the jobs as sales workers. being raped Richard Roberson was on this job from 1992~2000. Richard Roberson commonly spoke about his contact with women and force of rapes upoun them anamerican community services fully aware and helped hide him out when cops were caught on to him as the serial rapist across the united states. He currently is on the run.

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  148. I use to work for a door to door magazine sales company, and I must say that that was the worst job ever in my entire life. 99% of what is said in this article is true. I am ashamed to have even been associated with something so horrible.

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  149. My best friend and I were scammed out of $96 cash a piece today by a young guy at Intoccabile Marketing looking to go on a grad school trip to London by racking up points with magazine and activity book subscriptions. We chose to donate ours to children at St. Jude's hospital. I know we will never see that money again, and it is so sad that this has happened to so many other people. I cancelled my debit card and deleted my facebook and set my other social media to private. I am contacting the police tomorrow, though I don't have high expectations on that front. We also called mall security. Lesson learned at least.

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  150. Just got assaulted by one of these assholes after I changed my mind about buying. He's now locked up, but who knows for how long. Buy from local kids raising money for school clubs and whatnot; it's safe and you know it's legit. These vermin prey on nice neighborhoods where people with feel pity for them; they are predators.

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  151. Two kids showed up at my door in Melbourne, FL today. They broke the ice with a story about a school project and needing to meet neighbors in their community. After a minute, they moved on a pitch about selling magazines for points to win a trip to Europe. They had a pamphlet that looked like it had been through war. They said the proceeds went to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital.

    I knew it was a scam and told them to leave. I feel really bad I didn't know all this. I'd have at least given them a heads up. What a terrible scam organization. It's been going on for years apparently. They need to shut down this shit down. It has to be a priority for some government agency, right? WTF!? Recruit minors, ship them away from home, get them hooked on drugs, and make them starve while sleeping on the floor while selling magazines that never are shipped to the "customer"? This is a 20/20 episode for sure.

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  152. I had a couple kids come by selling books that would go to a children's hospital. I foolishly didn't follow the advice in this blog. Not only did I let them in the house, but I wrote them a check. They said to make the check out to ISS. As soon as they left, I did a little research on ISS and issued a stop payment order to our bank for the check. Now I have to keep an eye on my checking account for any suspicious activity.

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    1. I would have the bank to change the account number, and that would
      stop anything before it happened.

      Delete
  153. A guy showed up at my door in Menlo Park selling a newspaper subscription with a story about wanting to go to college etc etc. Didn't think much of it, but after googling the phone number 510 376 0456 he called from my phone it came up in another comment on this post so i'm sure its the same scam.

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Complaints? Comments? Concerns?