A Free Public Service

February 28, 2023

 EYE DOCTOR SCAM

The FTC recently sent 24 cease and desist letters to eye doctors after getting reports they may have violated the Contact Lens Rule by ignoring important rights of patients. That includes the requirement that eye doctors must give you a copy of your contact lens prescription at the end of a lens fitting — whether you ask for it or not — at no extra charge. This means you don’t have to buy your lenses from your eye doctor and lets you use your prescription to comparison shop among contact lens sellers for the best deal.

Here’s how the process is supposed to work. If your eye doctor is willing to sell you lenses, that means your fitting is complete and you should get a copy of your prescription. Just know that a fitting may take more than one appointment and often involves a fee that’s separate from the eye exam charge.

What’s more, your eye doctor:

*may ask you to sign a confirmation in advance that you got your prescription. Don’t do it.

*can’t make you pay for your prescription, although they may require you to pay for the contact lens examination and fitting fee or show proof of insurance, which is considered payment

*can’t say you have to buy contact lenses from them or tell you to sign a waiver or release in order to get your prescription

If you think an eye doctor is violating the Contact Lens Rule, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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A Free Public Service

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California,

February 13, 2023

EARTHQUAKE SCAMS

Attribution: US Federal Trade Commission

The devastation in Turkey and Syria following massive earthquakes is inspiring people to help and donate. It is prompting scammers — like they do after every disaster — to take advantage of your generosity.

Scammers use familiar-sounding names to create fake charities, or ask you to donate in cash, by gift card, or cryptocurrency. Here’s how to guard against the scammers:

Visit ftc.gov/charity before you open up your wallet.

Slow down.

You don’t have to give immediately. Search online for the name of the charity you are interested in supporting, plus words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” See if others have had good or bad experiences with the charity.

Check what charity watchdog groups say about the organization. Don’t assume that familiar-sounding names or messages posted on social media are legitimate. Donate to charities you know and trust and with a proven record of dealing with disasters.

How will your money be spent?

Ask how your money will be spent. If someone calls to ask to donate, they should be able to answer how much of your donation will go to the program you want to help, and other critical questions.

Fees and charges.

Look at fees and charges if you’re donating through an online platform or social media. Ask whether your donation will go directly to the charity and if not, how long it will take to get there, and if there are fees.

International disasters might involve requests for donations in multiple languages. Use ftc.gov/languages to help spot scams in other languages, and then report them in English or Spanish at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

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A Free Public Srvice

SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is an inactive attorney in San Mateo County, California.

February 7, 2023

                                    CROWDFUNDING SCAMS

Attribution: California Attorney General

Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or new idea or business by raising money from a large number of people.

It is often done through online platforms, such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, GoFundMe, and YouCaring.

Online crowdfunding sites are not always safe from fraud.

“Organizers” will pitch a new product or creative project and submit it to an online platform. Crowdfunding sites can also be used to help people in need, such as raise money to pay for funeral or medical bills.

Tips on Evaluating Crowdfunding Campaigns:

Learn all you can about the organizer before making a contribution. Use Google and LinkedIn to look up the organizer. Does the organizer have the expertise in the area the campaign concerns? Check out their Facebook page. Does it look fake? Are the friends real? Are there real-time comments? Be suspicious of pages that were created right before the campaign started.

Research the Crowdfunding Platforms.

 There are many different crowdfunding platforms and they all have different rules. Some platforms require organizers to have a prototype and only give the organizers money if the campaign reaches its goals and after the campaign is over. Others do not require a prototype and allow organizers to take out money at any time, even if they do not reach their goals. If you want a refund, you have to get it from the organizer. Some platforms also provide refunds in certain situations (that is, when the organizer makes false statements or is charged with a crime).

Do a Reverse Image Search.

Fake campaigns often copy and paste other people’s stories or photos. Doing a reverse image search of the photos used in the campaign, as well as those used on the organizer’s social media pages, can show you if the photos are stolen. Also, be careful if the campaign is posted on multiple sites. Scammers will do this to reach more people. A reverse image search may also show that the supposedly “new” product already exists and is being sold in another country like China through Alibaba.com.

Contact the Organizer and Ask Questions.

Each crowdfunding site allows you to ask the organizer questions through the comments section. If an organizer is answering questions regularly, it is more likely that they are not trying to scam you.

Be Suspicious.

 Beware of campaigns that make you feel sorry for someone, but do not give you any details of how your money will be used. Be extra careful after a major disaster or tragedy because scammers will often try to take advantage of your desire to help victims.

Understand the Purpose of Crowdfunding.

Remember that there is no guarantee that the crowdfunded campaign will be successful. The purpose of crowdfunding is to fund a company or project, not to buy a product. There are risks involved. Similarly, when donating to a worthy cause, contributions are probably not tax deductible unless they are made to a nonprofit organization.

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