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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Pay, and pay again....

Last week I was working with one of my elder clients and discovered that she has been paying several well known non-profit organizations repeatedly because they send her money requests that look like invoices. Additionally, she has been duplicating payments for magazine subscriptions because they keep sending invoices.

When I studied these fake invoices I could certainly see how they could easily fool someone. Quite frankly, I am appalled at these tactics, especially by groups who we all know are doing great things for the the world.

Last year I found that one senior client had still been paying AT&T monthly for the lease of her 35 year old Princess phone. And the real shocker was that AT&T wanted that phone back or they would charge her for it again! That useless phone cost her over $1200.

Another client had to pay Comcast for a modem because it was easier than trying to struggle through the calling process to get it picked up. I've seen clients break down in tears over trying to get a human on the line for utility services.

I find one of the best ways to track of memberships, subscriptions and donations, is a good old fashioned spread sheet. I note the date of the payment, the amount, and the expiration date of the subscription or membership.

2 comments:

  1. OMG Gayle, did you report the charges to some one? What agency looks after this kind of fraud? What exactly should we do if we see this kind of abuse going on, to whom do we report?
    Wonderful informative article, send it to the newspapers!
    Toni Berry, Marie Antoinette Interiors

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with Toni... this is outrageous! Let's call Finney on your side at ABC, channel 7!

    ReplyDelete

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