The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere P.C.

Illinois Attorney General Warns of Scam

From the Canton Daily Ledger: "Madigan urges consumers to hang up if telemarketers promise government grants"--

Attorney General Lisa Madigan recently warned consumers about an alleged new telephone scam making the rounds in Illinois in which recipients of phone calls are promised government grants in return for a one-time "processing fee."

The scam occurs when an unsuspecting consumer gives out personal bank account information that enables the allegedly fraudulent company to take money -- between $199 and $240 -- out of a consumer's account.

Illinois AG: Report Flu Vaccine Price-Gouging

From the office of the Illinois Attorney General: "Madigan urges consumers, businesses, health care providers to promptly report cases of flu vaccine price gouging."

For contact information, see this page on the website of the Illinois Attorney General.

Health Care Premiums Jump

From the Associated Press via Findlaw: "Health Care Premiums Jump 11.2 Percent," by Theresa Agovino--

Health care costs continued to surge this year as family premiums in employer-sponsored plans jumped 11.2 percent, the fourth year of double-digit growth, according to a new study.

The cumulative effect of rising health care costs is taking a toll on workers: There are at least 5 million fewer jobs providing health insurance in 2004 than there were in 2001, according to the survey of 3,017 companies by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.

This year, 63 percent of firms offered health benefits to workers, down from 68 percent in 2001. The change is primarily driven by a decrease in the number of small firms, those with 3 to 199 workers, that offer coverage.

That Never-Ending Spam

From InternetWeek.com: "Spam Avalanche Keeps Growing," by Antone Gonsalves--

The spam flood is rising, contributing to a reduction in the usefulness of e-mail, a market research firm said Wednesday.

Unsolicited e-mail from con artists, virus writers and advertisers accounts for 38 percent of the 31 billion e-mails sent each day in North America this year, up from 24 percent in 2002, International Data Corp., said in a report on web mail and spam.

In addition, Internet service providers and makers of anti-spam products report that spam represents from 50 percent to 95 percent of all inbound Internet e-mail, IDC said. That's triple the 15 percent to 30 percent levels reported two years ago.

Gift Cards: Don't Get Ripped Off

From Bankrate.com: "The lowdown on gift cards," by Lucy Lazarony--

Before you give that hard-to-shop-for someone a gift card, be sure to take a close look at the fees that come with it.

There's nothing remotely festive about monthly maintenance charges and other fees your gift card recipient may be tagged with. And the hefty shipping, handling and service fees charged to the gift-card giver can take a big chunk out of any budget. As appealing and convenient as gift cards may be, you'd better take a good look at the boring old fine print that comes with it.

And while several states have passed new gift card laws aimed at bolstering consumer protections, being a smart and savvy card shopper is still the best protection of all.

Follow the link to see the "10 important questions every gift card giver and recipient should ask." And to find out what steps have been taken in Illinois to protect consumers, see "Illinois Passes Law to Protect Consumers."

Beware Lottery Scams

From the Champaign News-Gazette: "Urbana police issue lottery scam warning," by Steve Bauer--

Police are again warning residents, particularly the elderly, to beware of lottery scams.

Urbana police Lt. Michael Metzler said a case was investigated Wednesday involving an elderly Urbana woman who had been called and told that she had won 1.2 million Canadian dollars in the Canadian lottery. She was told that she had to wire $2,600 in U.S. currency to pay some "duties" or fees in order to collect her prize.

"If someone receives a call that they have won a prize and that they have to send money in order to collect that prize, it isn't right," Metzler said.

Envelope Stuffing Scams

In Arizona, the Attorney General has issued a warning to consumers to beware of envelope-stuffing and other work-at-home scams. To find out how the envelope-stuffing scam works, see here.

News About a Sweepstakes Scam

From WKRN in Alabama: "AG warns Alabamiams about scams"--

Attorney General Troy King is warning residents to be wary of a suspected sweepstakes scam by an offshore firm calling itself International Sweepstakes Monitoring Company.

He said scam artists attempted to bilk a Montgomery woman Monday by claiming she had won 190-thousand and telling her to wire one-thousand-950 dollars to collect the money.

King said the woman, who alerted his office, did not fall for the scam.

Illinois Attorney General Sues Over False Car Ads

From the office of Lisa Madigan, the Attorney General of Illinois: "Madigan sues Ohio ad agency, Illinois car dealership for misleading consumers; screaming ads peddled make-believe cars"--

One ad features a screaming headline urging prospective car buyers to “BE AWARE. MAJOR CAR RENTAL COMPANY HAS GONE BANKRUPT. Vehicles Released to the Public for Immediate Sale.” Another ad carries an important, official-sounding “NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC. MAJOR RENTAL CAR COMPANY HAS GONE BANKRUPT.”

In fact, Madigan’s office found no evidence of a bankruptcy filed by a large rental car agency.

“Advertising agencies and the dealerships that hire them are not allowed to make up whatever they think will bring the customers to the lot. The ads must be accurate,” Madigan said. “Consumers reading these ads may have gone down to these dealerships to look at one of these vehicles only to find that they did not exist. This is misleading, and it is illegal.”

Gas Coupons -- Not What They Seem

From the Catonsville Times: "Consumers Beware: Gas Coupons Are a Scam"--

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. is warning consumers to be wary of a scam in which telemarketers offer $200 worth of "gas coupons" in exchange for a shipping and handling fee of $2 or $3.

The telemarketers ask for the consumer's bank account or credit card number, supposedly to debit the fee.

The caller also encourages the consumer to agree to trial offers of other goods or services, such as long-distance calling cards. Even if consumers refuse the offers, they may find unauthorized charges made on their accounts, sometimes up to hundreds of dollars.