The New “You Qualified for Our Directory” Scam

While you and I were sleeping, a bunch of idiots were dreaming up a new scam. Actually, it is an old scam with a twist. Allow me to explain.

I received a call one evening just before I closed the business. The lady on the other end of the phone (let’s call her Jello-brain for sake of example) said that a certain organization had reviewed my website and were impressed with it. (This comment was designed to poof up my ego.) I thanked her for the compliment and asked how I could help her.

Jello-brain went on to tell me how she needed to ask me a few questions to see if I qualified for a listing in their nationwide directory. (This comment was designed to make me want to prove I was good enough.) I agreed to answer her questions.

The questions Jello-brain asked were generalized questions that no one could fail, such as: “Why did you start your business?” “What goals do you have for the next 10 years?” “If you could do anything different, what would you do?” etc. After answering the questions, Jello-brain said: “You are a true entrepreneur and on behalf of our organization, we welcome you.”

While my ego was still bursting with pleasure that I had been accepted into their prestigious organization, the kicker came. Jello-brain said that I was now eligible to receive the listing she mentioned earlier in the organization’s nationwide directory. I said, “How many members do you have?” Jello-brain replied there were 100,000 people. This is when I began to suspicion something was wrong. I asked myself, “If this business organization had 100,000 members, why had I never heard about it?” So I asked Jello-brain to provide me with more details on the organization itself.

Jello-brain then began to rattle off the names of some of their prestigious members. I didn’t recognize any of the people until Jello-brain pointed out that many of the members were CEOs of Fortune 500 companies like ITT and CNN. Now I knew this was a scam. Why? Because suppose someone on the same level as Laura Bush or Michelle Obama or Cindy McCain was the member of an organization, why would they contact me? Why would they contact anybody? Exclusive membership organizations consisting of high-level celebrities do not solicit for membership over the phone. Instead, you must know someone to even be considered for membership.

However, I decided to continue playing the game with Jello-brain so I could get to the bottom line and write this article to warn you of this particular scam. I pretended to be impressed and told Jello-brain that I would be honored to be listed in this prestigious nationwide directory. Jello-brain said: “We have two listings available. One provides you with a full listing and the other provides you with a full listing and 50% discounts on our seminars.” I said, “Of course I want the listing with the 50% discount on the seminars.” Jello-brain said, “The cost is only $689.00. How would you like to pay for it?”

This is when I got very defensive and decided to fry her on a grill. I said: “Listen lady, I never purchase anything over the phone without knowing what the product is. Send me a copy of your latest directory and a list of your seminars. I will look at your materials and make my mind up at that time.”

But I have to give Jello-brain credit. She hung in there and immediately replied: “Is it a matter of not being able to afford it?” This was an excellent response. It was said in an attempt to belittle me into proving that I could afford $689.00. Many people would be shamed and pay the money just to prove they had the money. But many scam artists have used this ignorant approach on me before and I was prepared for it. I replied: “No, I have no problem affording simple pocket change of $689.00 but I do not do business this way. Either you mail me a sample of the directory or there is no deal. Do I make myself clear?”

Jello-brain remained calm and was not intimidated by my tone, which shows me she was a good scam artist and had been trained very well. She replied with: “You will receive a copy of the nationwide directory with your listing once your order is processed.” I didn’t feel like playing with her head any longer because it was a waste of time, so I said “Have a nice day.” and promptly hung up the phone.

I am telling you folks; scam artists are getting more sophisticated every day with their approach and their blazing attitude. Jello-brain was a person who had no conscious. She didn’t go home every day being convicted of her sinful actions of lying and stealing money from people. Instead, she went home after work thinking about all the money she made. One day people like Jello-brain will fall hard. Anyone who is ruled by money is shallow and in one moment they can be destroyed or brought to their knees.

But the people I want to help by writing this article are innocent people who have no clue as to the wicked world in which we live in. You need to open your eyes and realize that all scams have the same underlying characteristic:

All scams begin by feeding your ego, making you feel special, bragging on you or appealing to your need for money and/or power.

Never spend your money on people who make promises when they cannot back up. Get the facts on any company or organization first before you spend money. If a company or organization cannot (or is unwilling) to provide you with verifiable facts, 99.9% of the time, they are thieves after your money. Stay alert!!