713Bankruptcy.Com's Blog

I received the following scam in my email today:

Account: 542418XXXXXXXXXX
As a security measure, we regularly monitor our customers accounts.
In carrying out our monitoring, we have noticed that your account needs further verification in line with current regulations, and we have temporarily restricted your account.
Your Citi card account will be fully reactivated once we receive the following documents to prove you are the card holder.
1.) Personal Identification: A clear copy of your Passport, Photographic Drivers License or I.D. Card (both sides).
2.) Payment Verification: A clear copy of both sides of the credit/debit card (covering the middle 8 digits of the card number, and the 3 digit Card Security Code (CVV/CVV2)) and a clear copy of a recent bank statement on which your name and address are clearly visible.
You can either fax the documents or you may prefer to download and complete the “Service Authorization Form”.
All documents are retained in a secure environment, and are only accessible to senior security personnel.
We apologize for any inconvenience this causes but we trust that you appreciate the importance of maintaining appropriate security standards for our customer’s accounts.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Kind Regards,
Citi Security Department

HOW DO I KNOW THIS IS A SCAM?

Because I personally have NO credit cards. Also, I have never applied for a credit card in over 25 years and I certainly have never applied to Citi.  In addition, I owe no credit card debt and I am debt free. However, 98% of the population has credit card debt and may believe these fraudulent statements.  I happen to know this is a scam simply because I am part of the 2% population who has no credit cards; therefore, scams like these are easily recognizable in my email box.  But others do not have the advantage I do, so I am passing this information along the moment I know about it.

PASS ALONG THIS INFO

This scam is solely intended to steal the identification of innocent people so that cruel, heartless and selfish people can harm them financially.  Unfortunately, the thieves behind this operation will scam some people, but you and I can work to make sure as many people are protected as possible by passing this email on to them.

We are living in hard financial times.  This is when the roaches come out of the closet, so watch out for them to come in many different colors and shapes in the years ahead.  Unfortunately, this Scam Report is only one example of the many to come.

Written by Victoria Ring
Published by 713Training.Com LLC
www.713training.com
www.713attorney.com
www.713university.com
www.navba.org
www.servantofjesuschrist.com

At this point in time, all bankruptcy software programs were written by programmers who have never had any experience preparing bankruptcy petitions. Therefore, I think it would be good business practices that the software companies listen to the bankruptcy professionals who purchase and use their software in order to obtain ideas for software improvement; but they do not do this.

Instead, the bankruptcy software companies all decided to develop some form of credit or rapid import feature for their software. Their goal was to increase their profits. They never once considered the chaos they would cause by developing this type of added feature. This is because the majority of all bankruptcy software company programmers have never worked for a bankruptcy law firm, never interviewed a client, never input information from a credit report and never prepared a bankruptcy petition in their life. How could they know what havoc their features would cause within the legal field?

All of the credit and rapid import features in the bankruptcy software programs work basically the same way. The client logs onto the internet and fills out a type of intake form. This information then imports into the bankruptcy software program. Or, the attorney signs up to be able to pull credit reports. The credit report information is then imported into the bankruptcy software. Either way, data is supposed to be imported, thus saving people time from entering names, addresses and account number data.

On this surface this feature appears to save time, especially if you have never prepared a bankruptcy petition before. However, this feature adds on an additional 3 to 4 hours of time for the person preparing the bankruptcy petitions. One of the major problems is that when the information imports into the software, the debt does not know if it belongs on Schedule A, B, E, F or G. This requires the bankruptcy assistant to separate the debts and place them in the specific areas of the bankruptcy petition where they belong. But this is impossible to do with scanty information to go on that is provided by a credit report; many reports of which do not even contain addresses. As you can see, the credit or rapid import feature can be more time-consuming than simply typing the information into the software program.

Secondly, the credit and rapid import feature does a good job of importing everything from a credit report, but the bankruptcy petition does not need to include everything listed on a credit report. For example: If a debt has been paid in full and appears on the credit report with a $0.00 balance, the debt may no longer exist. Or, perhaps it still exists but the company wrote the debt off and turned it over to a collection agency. How could any software program know how to distinguish between the two without human intervention?

How Can This Dilemma Hurt Debtors?

I recently did a bankruptcy petition review for a law firm in Georgia. They were not aware of the Chapter 13 unsecure debt limits which are currently $336,900. Instead, they had used a credit report rapid import feature purchased from their bankruptcy software company.

When I opened up Schedule F, debts had been repeated in triplicate because they had been turned over to many different credit collection agencies. This caused the total amount of unsecure debts listed on Schedule F to total $997,647. This is almost three times the allowable limit in a Chapter 13. After working with the debtor in order to find out which debts were duplicates, the debts were reduced to $57,800; which is clearly under the Chapter 13 qualification limit.

If the bankruptcy petition had been filed without Schedule F being corrected, the bankruptcy court would have dismissed it because the total amount of unsecure debt did not qualify for a Chapter 13. It would then be left up to the attorney to discover the error, research the facts of the case, prepare an Answer to the Dismissal and possibly attend a court hearing on the matter. Would not it be simpler to not use the credit or rapid import system or spend the money purchasing it?

Suggestion for Proper Use of Credit Reports

My suggestion is to require clients to obtain a copy of all three of their credit reports during the intake process. If they have not requested a report within the past year, the credit reporting agencies will provide the reports without cost.

Since the client(s) are the people who made the debts, they will be able to recognize the debts and match them up properly. They are also the people who know the detailed information about the debt, such as if the credit card was used within the past 30 days. This information cannot be provided by a credit report when the credit report is always at least 90 days old at the time it is pulled; however, this information is mandatory to know for the bankruptcy petition or it can result in the filing of an Adversary Proceeding.

Therefore, we suggest that you have the client(s) use the credit report to fill out the Debt Sheets which are included inside the Client Intake Form package. All information required on the Debt Sheet Forms is needed for every debt and only the client(s) know the answers to these types of debt related questions.

Download your free set of Client Intake Forms:

English Version
http://www.713attorney.com/intakeforms/bankruptcy_intake_forms_english.pdf

Spanish Version
http://www.713attorney.com/intakeforms/bankruptcy_intake_forms_spanish.pdf

– by Victoria Ring

I am getting sick and tired of the bankruptcy software companies pushing virtual bankruptcy assistants around and trying to control them. Therefore, I am going to take a stand and write this article, hoping that it helps virtual bankruptcy assistants to realize the truth about two important issues.

Issue 1: The Threat to Take Electronic Filing Capabilities Away

The major bankruptcy software packages, including Best Case have rewritten their license agreement to no longer allow virtual bankruptcy assistants to use the One Touch filing option within their software. They believe that by doing this, the attorney is forced to purchase a license and the virtual bankruptcy assistant will not be able to file a bankruptcy petition unless the attorney has a registered license.

THE TRUTH: As a virtual bankruptcy assistant, you can still file a bankruptcy petition by logging into PACER instead of the feature inside the bankruptcy software. All you need is the ECF login information from the attorney you are working for. In fact, in many ways, filing through PACER is easier compared to using the One Touch method.

Issue 2: Forcing You to Purchase Additional Local Forms and Chapter 13 Plans

I cringe every time a virtual bankruptcy assistant calls me on the phone and said they paid $300 for a Chapter 13 Plan. It also angers me to know that the bankruptcy software developers are taking advantage of people and actually stealing money.

THE TRUTH: All local forms are available free from the bankruptcy court website as well as the 713Attorney.Com website. In addition, all the forms are form fillable. In other words, you simply open up the document and begin typing. When you are finished you save and file the form through PACER after you file the bankruptcy petition. Great news! You just saved $300 or even more.

Reference: http://www.713attorney.com/links/forms.html

The Truth of the Matter

Not one bankruptcy software program was developed by anyone who knows anything about bankruptcy. All of them were developed by programmers with no legal knowledge, which is why many of the software programs are filled with bogus features that do nothing for you or the bankruptcy court. But this is not my concern. My concern is that these software companies are actually convincing people that they must purchase bankruptcy forms (such as Chapter 13 Plans) from them, even though they are aware the same forms are available free from the government.

Plus, on top of that, many bankruptcy software companies are actually threatening virtual bankruptcy assistants with threats of taking away their ability to file a bankruptcy petition for their attorney. This threat just goes to show you that bankruptcy software developers have no knowledge of bankruptcy. I have been filing legal documents through PACER for years without using any special software program.

My next project is to develop a video where I am going to show you exactly how to file a bankruptcy petition through PACER. This way, if your bankruptcy software company tries to threaten you by taking away your ability to electronically file through their software program, you can simply file the petition through PACER and call it a day. Watch for an email to announce the video when I get it developed.

I urge you to pass this information on to anyone who files bankruptcy petitions. Let us work together to keep people informed of the truth so the stealing and threats will stop from the bankruptcy software companies who are only seeking to line their pockets with our hard earned money!!

I just received the following announcement from the Clerk of Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Please read, pass along and be aware:

FRAUDULENT SCHEME INVOKES FEDERAL BANKRUPTCY COURT

The federal court system has become aware of a fraudulent scheme that may be affecting victims throughout the country. In it, persons are called and told they owe money, typically $150 to $450, to pay the debt of another person.

In several recent instances in Utah, individuals who refused to provide a credit card number to the caller were told they must report to a federal bankruptcy court for a hearing, and that if they did not pay they would be arrested.

The caller also provided a toll-free number for the individuals to call if they decided to pay by credit card instead of reporting for the hearing.

Federal bankruptcy courts do not initiate such calls. This matter is under investigation by the United States Marshals and the U.S. Postal inspectors. It has also been reported that these calls are placed by an automated voice messaging system which is in no way affiliated with the court.

If you receive one of these calls, please record the number (if possible), write down as much information as possible, and contact the Bankruptcy Court.

Kenneth Jordan, Clerk of Court
Southern District of Ohio

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!!

Note: Please post this information to any boards you belong to in order to protect others from being scammed.

On December 21, 2007, Victoria Ring, CEO of 713Training.Com lapsed into a 3-week coma caused by Legionnaires’ disease and was admitted to Grant Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. She developed triple pneumonia in her left lung and double pneumonia in her right. On January 3, 2008 (during the coma) Victoria also developed Mercer (a highly infectious skin eating disease). On January 8, 2008, Victoria’s kidneys had shut down to 5%, resulting in acute renal failure as well as respiratory failure. No one expected her to survive but through the grace of Jesus Christ, she came out of the coma on January 10 and is now in the healing process.

Victoria had named Angie Boyd (CEO of BankruptcyPlus.Com) and Gloria Joyce (CEO of 485Petitions.Com) in her Last Will and Testament as recipients of her assets. But Angie Boyd and Gloria Joyce could not wait to find out if Victoria was going to live or not. Instead, Gloria used her emergency key and she and Angie entered into Victoria’s home – stripping it of everything of value – while she laid in a coma. Victoria was devastated when she returned home from the hospital after a 5-week stay. She said: “They stole everything, right down to my silverware and bowls. Because I was totally bedfast, I had to borrow eating utensils from the neighbors just to make it through the first few days.”

Gloria and Angie were able to accomplish the theft by calling in the neighbors and telling them that Grant Hospital was going to take all Victoria’s assets since she didn’t have enough insurance to cover the hospital stay. They said they were going to remove everything of value in order to protect Victoria’s things. Many of the neighbors believed them because they knew Gloria and Angie were trusted friends of Victoria’s. But one next door neighbor (that lives to the right of Victoria’s house) thought the excuse sounded “strange.” She called her mother; who is an attorney, and found out that a hospital cannot take personal assets from someone without a court trial and especially when they are lying in a coma in intensive care. This neighbor then began watching and documenting Gloria and Angie carrying out items like computers, printers, software and a wide variety of other personal property from Victoria’s home on three (3) separate visits.

When Victoria was released from the hospital, she filed a police report on both Gloria Joyce and Angie Boyd through the Franklin County Ohio Police Department. The next door neighbor also gave her eye witness statement as proof. The case has been assigned to a Detective who has classified the theft as “felony burglary” since the total amount of assets stolen was approximately $12,000.00. Victoria intends to prosecute Angie and Gloria to the fullest extent of the law.

Additionally, Angie Boyd applied for a Wal-Mart credit card under Victoria’s name. She used Victoria’s social security number and birth date, but her own home address. The card was charged to the maximum and Victoria is currently working with Wal-Mart to bring any charges she can against Angie for credit card fraud.

Victoria said: “It was hard for me accept the fact that two people I loved as friends would have the heart to do something like this to me. I originally found Angie working for a little more than minimum wage at Captain D’s fast food restaurant. I taught her a skill so that she would never have to work for minimum wage again. It is beyond my mental ability to comprehend how “things” meant more to her than my friendship. As far as Gloria is concerned, I knew her for 22 years and considered her to be my best friend. I even put her on the front cover of my Bankruptcy Book because of my respect toward her. If anyone was going to steal from me, I would have never suspected it would be these two – but it happened. I will never trust anyone again.”

Summary

This report is being published to protect others who are considering doing business with Angie Boyd of BankruptcyPlus.Com and Gloria Joyce of 485Petitions.Com. You are advised to use caution because if they can steal from someone who loved them like a sister, they will have no problem taking your money and giving you nothing in return.

Note: Angie is also currently being investigated for unauthorized practice of law because she has been giving legal advice at her seminars.

Pingback Links:

The Identity GANG » identifying everything
NZ: how big is identity theft? « Identity and Privacy Blog
Identity Theft and Fraud » Michael Cochrane LL.B.
The Main Causes of Identity Theft and Some Important Identity Theft Protect..
BSG Alliance – Facebook fraud, the new identity theft
The Merrill Dubrow Blog » Blog Archive » Of Course It Won..
Identity Theft or Identity Fraud? : Identity Theft Protection
My Charmed Life » Lifelock promo.
Counterterrorism Blog: Credit Cards and Terrorists
Take Down Kimkins Contest–Day 27 « Kimkins Scam
McGarr Solicitors » I left my heart in San Francisco
I am Brian, And So Is My Wife……. « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG
Autos » Nevada auto theft-insurance fraud panel formed (KTVN Reno)
Trevelity Dict » Blog Archive » Top cities for identity thef..
Identity Theft Exploding
Stories on Identity Theft And Fraud : Credit Repair Attorney
Identity Theft And Fraud Resources
Credit Card Identity Theft and Fraud » Credit Identity Safe
Upcoming Report Will Help Arm Businesses Against Identity Theft and Fraud (..
Your Memphis Attorney! » Where Can I Find Out More About Identity The..
Exposing Identity Theft Prevention
Nevada auto theft-insurance fraud panel formed — Car Reviews, Car Accesso..
Apparel – Tips, Shopping, Discounts, Savings » Stop Playing the Victi..
Identity Theft And Fraud Resources | boat insurance
2007 December 12 | Speakers Simply Online
Articles concerning identity theft
Are you increasing the risk of identity theft and fraud | Credit Cards Web
How Do You Get Back Your Identity After An Identity Theft Attack?
» From Identity Theft Blog – Dentity theft victim – Credit Score: Pro..
If You Suspect A Cheating Spouse, Employee Theft, Insurance Fraud, Jacksonv..

Have you been receiving emails that ask you to login to your PayPal account to verify your payment, or to pay your invoice? I get them every once and awhile but I immediately delete them because I have NEVER had a PayPal account. But Kent Nittinger at Bummer Hosting sent me the notice below to publish in order to protect our readers and expose the scam:

Hi Victoria,

Have you read about how spammers are requesting information from people who own PayPal accounts? This goes along with what you and I were talking about the other day over the phone. Spammers do this with your bank, hosting, and all other computer services. That is why Bummer Hosting takes such a hard stance on protecting our customers from spam and viruses. It is for our clients’ protection. Please inform your readers.

Keep Informed: Article Link About Email Spammers:
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1985966,00.asp

For those of you still shopping around for one of the best hosting companies on the planet, I personally recommend our host: Bummer Hosting. You can find out more about their services at http://www.bummerhosting.com If you tell them you were referred by Victoria Ring of 713Training.Com, they will tell you about the FREE web page hosting templates they have available for our customers.

My assistant brought in the mail from the office yesterday and in it was a real check in the amount of $1,990.00. Accompanying the check was a letter from Market Point that said I had entered an online contest and won. My name was drawn as the 3rd level winner on May 28, 2007.

Of course my assistant and I were skeptical, but I had recently entered an online contest, so the check could be legitimate. We called the phone number we were given in the letter and we were told:

“We don’t need your bank account information. Just take the $1,990.00 check to a check cashing center. When you get the cash, purchase a $1,890.00 money order and you can keep the remaining $100.00 for your time and trouble.

Next, send the $1,890.00 back to us (which is used to pay the taxes on the money you won.) A representative will contact you and make arrangements to send your winnings in the form of a cashier’s check for $54,810.00.”

My first thought was: “This sounds too good to be true.” But I examined the check front and back. It was a Wells Fargo checking account with a company name of CITY CONSTRUCTION located in California. There was no warning on the back of the check in 2-point type telling me that I would be obligated for anything if I cashed it. So my assistant and I decided to follow this through and find out if it really was a scam.

First, we called the phone number for Wells Fargo that was printed at the bottom of the check. (We later found out this was cell phone number that had been forwarded to a party in Nigeria.) A lady answered and said:

“This is Wells Fargo, may I assist you?”

We asked her to verify if there was enough money in the account to cash the check. (We did not give her the amount.) The lady asked my name then hesitated a few minutes (pretending to look up records.) In less than 30 seconds she came back to the phone and said:

“Yes, there is plenty of enough money in that account to cash any check.”

That seemed like an odd response to me. There is no bank account in the world that can cash “any” check. Even if you had one billion dollars in the bank and I tried to cash your two billion dollar check, your check would bounce.

Anyway, my assistant and I took the check down to our local Columbus, Ohio check cashing center. As soon as we walked in there was a notice on the window warning of these types of scams. When I reached the teller window and showed the check to the teller, he immediately recognized it as a scam.

But the check cashing teller was very nice. He took the time to explain the scam to us which I am able to convey to you through this article. I hope the explanation below helps to protect people from falling pray to this scam.

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE SCAM

Scams all have one common theme: They have some truth to them, but the truth is bent, reshaped and camouflaged as a pipe dream. People who fall prey to them do so because scams all appeal to the “greed” inside all of us.

The scam works like this: First of all, the check is real at the time you deposit it into your bank account. You are told to immediately purchase a $1,890.00 money order and send it back to the company in order to receive your $54,810.00.

For those people who send back the $1,890.00 money order, this is money the scam company keeps and they never call you back to collect your $54,810.00. Next, the check you deposited for $1,990.00 bounces when it hits the Wells Fargo bank. When your bank receives the returned check back, they will deduct the $1,990.00 + service fees from your account.

What happens if you no longer have the $1,990.00 in your bank account? Too bad. Now your bank will attempt to press “check fraud” charges against you. Although you may not go to jail, you will have to pay back the entire $1,990.00 to the bank plus go through a lot of red tape and explaining. You also even may be forced to file a Police Report in order to be taken seriously. In other words, you are left in a mess and the company received $1,890.00 in the form of a money order for doing nothing but scamming you.

Please, please, please pass along this information to others. It is sad that some people have the heart to commit fraud and hurt others like this. However, the best way to protect yourself is not to allow the emotion of greed to control your thoughts. Money is nothing compared to our peace, our relationships and our fellowship with God. So, do not allow money to control you so much that you become blinded to scams when they come along.

Find out more about the author of this article:
http://www.713training.com/victoriaring/index.html