Absolute Marketing
Complaint 52888 Details

Almost the same as the other posts below. Two college guys, claiming to be neighbors, magazine sales scam-supposedly a fundraiser involving the purchase of magazine subscriptions going to troops (this time-furnishing VA hospitals with reading material), funding the boys' trip to the UK.

If you want more info, as I did after being conned, the full story is below.


I answered the door to two very amiable young men (claimed to be 21 and 22) who told me they were "neighbors' kids" out fundraising...at about 7:00 in the evening. Should have thrown up a major red flag as it was now dark outside, but as they pointed to the street over from our house as being where they were from I figured we were just their one last try for the day, and as I mentioned, they seemed harmless. As they were close to my own age and I work really hard to fundraise every year for a large (national, legitimate) charity I hold near and dear to my heart and know how hard it is, I sympathized. And wasn't I the fool!

Their story was that they were UF students in the top of their major, and were being rewarded for their work in the Honors program by being given the opportunity to participate in a special project in conjunction with Oxford in London in the next few weeks. They said they'd get to work with a famous stage and film actor who had produced a tv show for the BBC...etc, etc...they just had to finance the trip or they wouldn't get to go and participate in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Note-if this were Study Abroad through a major 4-year institution, all fees would have to have been turned in much earlier than 2 weeks before they were due to leave. I didn't think of that at the time as they first pitched it as a unique project, but I certainly should have when they began to make it sound like Study Abroad, quipping that they hoped the different grading system over there would not bring down their high GPAs over here upon their return. But their personalities and seemingly genuine natures really put my guard down. The most talkative guy even said his (Army) dad had found the magazine program and put him up to it in order to teach him about responsibility and help him get used to public speaking! Told him he had to finance the trip on his own. And while we're on the subject of tricks they used--one of them mentioned by name one of our local junior high schools as being a school he went to when talking about when he first became interested in what they were studying, so they weren't as entirely non-specific with the "I'm from the neighborhood" claims as mentioned in a couple of the previous posts on this scam.

The two were very conversational, joked a lot, said they were "ADD" and really showed it as they jumped from topic to topic completely unrelated to the fundraiser. They honestly seemed to have never fundraised before in their lives, which perfectly suited their story. Just seemed like two normal college kids. I wanted to help them out but as soon as they said it would be by magazine subscription (which they did not reveal at the onset of their visit...in fact, I thought they were introducing themselves as new neighbors who'd just finished moving in for the first minute or two that they were at the door), I said I wasn't interested in that part-which they've prepared for. You can donate a subscription to the VA hospital so you don't have to worry for the next year about monthly reminders that you paid an outrageous amount for crap you don't actually want! I hate to go further because every detail after the fact is so glaringly obvious!
But...they got me. Talked me into getting one from each of them since the two were fundraising separately rather than splitting the sales. Sadly they were trying HARD for a ridiculous "6 or 7 subscriptions"...We don't receive 6 or 7 magazine subscriptions at our house between 4 family members! I hope they didn't con anyone out of several hundred dollars...though they do love referencing specific neighbors around you and their assorted responses throughout their visit. But yes, the damage: two checks, $59 apiece. There's not one item on that list for less than that amount, but there are others that run much more expensive.

They have small forms for you to fill out, and if you flip them over there is light red text on the back explaining that you have 3 days to change your mind and cancel the subscription (after I started researching, I read that this legal sounding statement rather than being the company's return policy would probably be a reference to the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule for a commitment to a sale for something over $25) but they ask you to rate their presentation "on the back" of the form coincidentally over that text they haven't explained and (at least in my case) don't leave anything that has the company's info so that you *could* follow up later and cancel. At that point the boys had completely overstayed their welcome just chatting along and I was in such a hurry to finally get them off my porch that I carelessly didn't ask them for that info. That of course was 100% my fault.

The second I went back into the house and I recounted the experience to family I realized just how stupid it all sounded and Googled "Absolute Marketing"- the company checks are made out to, and the only company by that name is one that provides corporate marketing solutions to businesses we're talking websites and commercials and things-services which are purchased, not fundraising initiatives. And of course I found the other reports that recounted the EXACT thing I fell for-down to the trip to the UK!
With all evidence to the contrary here...I'm no idiot. But after trusting these guys, I sure feel like one.

I called my bank's fraud department immediately after finding this thread, got the two checks cancelled (luckily they waived the fee for this particular situation since it did involve a scam and I'd never cancelled a check before in my life..but it depends on who you speak to whether or not you'll have the $30/check fee applied or waived), and called the Clay County (FL) Sheriff's Office this morning to report it. They had already received a call last night from the same area.