This is a respost from the ARA. Beware of such a scam in your area!
In the BATESVILLE board of REALTORS there has been a guy going around first looking
for a house for him and his mother. Then tries to sell fake ads to the agent.
BEWARE it is a scam. He told me his name was Perry Hanchey he is driving Acura
Grey with license number MISSOURI 035 ZMT. He seem to be targeting agents with
ads.
Here are some of the reports circulating in the news:
AG says small businesses target of city map scam
Saturday, Jul 7, 2007
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By Jason Weist
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK - A man on the phone told an employee at Prudential 1st Realty in
Jonesboro he was moving to town and looking to buy a house. So, in early June,
the man stopped by the business and had an agent pull up houses in the $300,000
price range, owner Greg Baugh said Friday. Before leaving, the man said he worked
for a company named PMH Publications, which was selling advertising space on
promotional maps. "I've got one block left that another real estate company in
town wouldn't pay me for, so I'll offer it to you guys for half the price," Baugh
said the man told the agent. Baugh's business cut a check for $200 and received
a letter of agreement and the promise of 200 free maps that were never delivered.
The business was the victim of what the state attorney general's office says
is the latest scam to hit small businesses in Northeast Arkansas. Several businesses
in the area, including real estate companies in Paragould, have fallen victim,
according to Baugh and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel's office. McDaniel issued
a consumer alert Friday warning businesses statewide of the scam. The alert advised
business owners to never pay for a product or service before it is received.
Other warning signs include the use of high-pressure tactics - legitimate offers
always allow the prospective customer time to weigh a decision, McDaniel says
- and claims of support for or endorsement of the product. "In the map scam,
the salesperson may tell the business owner that the promotional maps have the
support of the local chamber of commerce and that all of his competitors have
chosen to advertise," McDaniel said in a release. "Both claims are false, and
prospective buyers should take the time to verify any such references before
buying." Baugh said he is working with other local businesses to try to track
down the scam artist. "It's a small amount of money," Baugh said. "That's not
the deal. The deal is, I don't like getting (conned)."
Beware City Map Scam
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Attorney General Dustin McDaniel says small businesses in northeast Arkansas
are being targeted by con artists offering featured display on promotional maps.
A news release yesterday from McDaniel's office said scam artists were showing
up at small businesses trying to sell advertising space on promotional maps of
the city where the business is located. The release said the business manager
or owner is told that, for several hundred dollars, that business will be shown
on the map, and the business will be provided with 200 complimentary copies to
distribute.
But, according to the release, checks written to take part in the map promotion
are usually cashed the same day by somebody using a false name, and the business
never gets any maps.
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