Jennifer and 7 other students at the University of California San Diego went through a ticket broker at lastminutefares.net to purchase their airfare for a volunteer trip to Ghana. Their broker, "Michelle Shaw," turned out to be a scammer who took their money and disappeared—but not before she sent two of the seven tickets to the students as a "you can trust me" gesture. Despite repeated assurances by Northwest that at least the two tickets in their possession were still valid and couldn't be tampered with, Michelle Shaw managed to cash one in for a refund sometime in the past few weeks, which Jennifer discovered this weekend when she double-checked their status. Now Northwest is saying they can't help her, and that no matter what their CSRs told her before, this Michelle Shaw woman technically owns the tickets.

I don't know if this is your typical fraud story, but I've read the success stories on your site so I thought I would seek out your advice.

In December, 8 other students and I purchased round trip tickets from San Diego,CA to Accra, Ghana departing July 10th from lastminutefares.net representative Michelle Shaw. This is for a three week volunteer trip we are all taking through Alternative Breaks, UCSD. She was an awful travel agent and after we had all paid, she kept putting off sending us e-tickets with various excuses. Naturally, we were suspicious and demanded our tickets or a refund. She responded by sending us two confirmed tickets through Northwest which, when we checked with a Northwest agent, were valid. After further pressure for the other tickets she failed to send them and we contacted our credit card agencies to report fraud. Seven students were able to get refunds through their credit cards.

I, because at the time I had a valid ticket, was told by my credit card that I couldn't claim fraud because I had technically received the goods promised to me. My friend, Caitlin, was in the same boat. In the meantime Michelle Shaw (a terrible woman and also a very bad speller) disappeared.

Caitlin and I were at a loss and contacted Northwest to find out if we could block our tickets from being tampered with by the scammer. We were assured verbally several times that it was secure, but were refused written confirmations (this was after we both contacted Northwest separately). After being shuffled through several agents we finally reached someone who agreed to notate on our account that our tickets could not be altered by the agent (oh ya I forgot to mention Michelle got my name wrong-Jennier instead of Jennifer- and Northwest repeatedly told me the agent had to change this mistake despite the fact I said OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT SHE NO LONGER EXISTED AND HAD SCAMMED 7 OF OUR MEMBERS! Sorry, too much yelling there, but come on!). They promised me that I would not have a problem with the minor name change, but still refused to change it.

Unsatisfied, I had a friend who works at the UCSD Res Life office with me call and pretend to be my concierge (Ha! We're staying in hostels!) to doubly check that my ticket was safe and to try to get my name changed. After talking to several different people over the course of the week she was unable to get my name corrected, but confirmed with two different agents that my ticket was safe.

Stupidly, I relaxed. This is my first major trip and I thought everything was now ok (this is the end of January/beginning of February). Tonight, on a whim, I double checked my ticket through Northwest and saw that it had been REFUNDED! Amid hiccups and sobs I spoke to a Northwest agent supervisor, Sandra Dee (no, really, Grease lightening!) from the Seattle office, who confirmed that this was in fact true, the agent had filed for a refund on February 20th! I should have checked my ticket earlier, but since "the incident" I had checked it about every week and (again, stupidly) stopped around the end of February/beginning of March. I called Caitlin, but her ticket is still there and not refunded, so she doesn't know what to do.

I explained my situation to Sandra (this whole time looking ridiculous because I couldn't stop crying) and how I had been promised by at least three agents that this would not happen. In a very, very nice, appeasing way she said tough shit. Apparently, because I bought a consolidated ticket through an agency, the agency has sole control of the ticket and Northwest has no control if they ask for a refund. The ticket essentially belongs to the agent. This made no sense to me and I asked Sandra to explain further and she tried, but it still made no sense to me. I asked about the notation that had been made on my account and she read it back to me as "Northwest cannot make changes to this ticket made on Jan. 27th by C." I was shocked. I told her that I had been told the notation said "the booking agent cannot make changes." She had no reply, other than they should not have promised me that. When I asked why this system would be in place if it allows blatant fraud like this to happen and why I had been explicitly told it would not happen she said that "This doesn't usually happen." Well, that helps!

She clearly felt bad for me because at this point I had run out of tears ans was dry heaving and snotting all over the phone. She suggested I immediately call my credit card company and report the charge (I already called Visa, I have to wait until my bank opens tomorrow to dispute the charge). She offered to sell me the ticket for the original lowest price offered despite it being sold out. I had payed $1980 for the original ticket (b/c it was the cheaper consolidated price) and she offered it to me for $2500. I wailed that I didn't have an extra $500, but she claimed there was no way to offer me the ticket at the agency price.

I'm not trying to be a matyr, but I work two jobs (around 40 hours a week) in addition to school in order to pay for tuition and this trip. Before this I was going to have JUST enough money to pay the program fee for our volunteer trip, but now with the ticket mix up even if I get my money refunded through the credit card I can no longer afford to go on a trip that I have been working towards all year (we have done a bunch of fundraisers and have spent all year learning about Ghanaian culture, plus the anticipation has just, in general, been building since October).

I just don't know what to do. I read the Guide to Fighting back and it says to get in touch with executives. I saw that Delta and Northwest merged, so should I try to find Delta CEO Richard Anderson information? Do I just get screwed and not go on the trip? I'm graduating, which is part of why this was such a great opportunity for me—Caitlin and my plane tickets had been for an extra month after the volunteer trip so we could stay in Ghana and spend some time at Liberian refugee camp and volunteer a week at WWOOF. This is also the first time I won't have to work in the summer in order to save for tuition.

Also, should Caitlin risk having the same thing happen to her ticket or get the refund and re-purchase a new ticket at a loss of $500 (she's barely squeezing by too, but might be able to get the extra money)?

I'm sorry to harass you with such a long email, if you are too inundated with other emails I totally understand, but if you can offer any advice/help I would appreciate it so much.

We suspect you're a person who trusts more easily than we do, Jennifer, what with the volunteering and the trusting Michelle Shaw and the fact that you think calling her a "very bad speller" is an adequate insult. She's a common criminal.

The sad fact is, you got scammed. It's a criminal issue, not a customer service issue.

Northwest should have never promised you that the tickets were yours, and they obviously lied to you about the notes in your account. You should still escalate your complaint up Northwest's chain as well as Delta's, and ask them why they didn't help protect you from further abuse by this scammer as soon as you called them the first time.

Your bigger issue at this point, however, is making sure you file a criminal complaint with the police. Call your local police station or dial 911 and say you need to file a criminal complaint.

You should also contact your credit card's fraud division and explain that the ticket was refunded without your permission, and that now you do NOT have the goods that were promised to you. That should put it back into fraud qualification.

You should also request a new credit card number, as should anyone else who gave that sort of info over to Ms. Shaw.

As far as getting to Ghana, the sad fact is you're probably going to have to come up with more money for new tickets now. No, it's not fair, but that's crime for ya. We suggest you hit up any organizations you're a member of for a short-term volunteer loan (or better yet, gift) to cover the additional cost if you really have your mind set on volunteering in Ghana this summer.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Police said the couple used the business to prey on the misfortune of people who came to get cards read.

"Tracy Tan would convince the customers that they had a curse on them, and that she was the only one who could fix their problems," police said in a news release.

"During this 'counseling,' she would charge her victims thousands of dollars for her services and products, which provided them with a false sense of hope."

"2 Naperville-area tarot card readers accused of 'curse' fraud" [Chicago Tribune] (Thanks to Tim, who wrote, "Yeah, the ultimate blame the customer story. Enjoy.")
(Photo: xurble)

"Avoid Fraud" video [YouTube]
Official "Avoid Fraud" website [Freddie Mac]

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"Online video helps troubled borrowers spot fraud" [Reuters]

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

DSI... either directly or through its dealers failed to disclose or misled consumers about the cost of magazine packages and individual magazines, and made weekly cost representations even though consumers could not make weekly payments for the packages.

[It also failed to] tell consumers that their credit cards would be billed for membership in a buying club unless they called within 30 days to cancel, and its failure to provide consumers with information that would enable them to cancel.

"Court Affirms Ruling: Magazine Seller Will Pay More Than $7 Million" [Federal Trade Commission]
(Photo: Getty)

The Court found that Trudeau violated the permanent injunction when he misrepresented the contents of his book, "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About," in several infomercials. The permanent injunction banned Trudeau from using infomercials to sell any product, service, or program. The ban contained a narrow exemption for infomercials for books and other publications, but specifically required that Trudeau not misrepresent the content of the books.

His 2004 permanent injunction was caused by a calcium product he was peddling that he said could cure cancer, and an analgesic that he said could permanently cure pain.

The Court hasn't yet determined "the appropriate contempt remedy," so we'll wait anxiously to find out his new fate, although we figure if he ends up in prison it will look something like this:

"Federal Court Finds Kevin Trudeau in Civil Contempt" [Federal Trade Commission]

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She also says she went to their office at 453 Queens Lane to negotiate a fairer payment, only to discover that there wasn't any office there. After more research online she discovered many customers claiming that Champions Movers is also known as A.S.A.P. Relocations with the same address, and that the Better Business Bureau of San Jose has 88 complaints on file against A.S.A.P. and is on the blacklist at MovingScam.com.

The Champions Movers of the second complaint, on the other hand, lists an entirely different address in Fremont, and has "only" 4 BBB complaints against it and a different owner's name. Where the two stories intersect is that both customers claim that they were also given a third address, 2295 Ringwood Avenue, which is also registered to an A.S.A.P. Relocations but doesn't have any BBB complaints on file. In other words, if you think you're being a savvy consumer by researching either company on the BBB site, there's a good chance nothing will turn up unless you happen to search for the right name/address combo.

The reader who wrote to us has a list of legitimate complaints:

• they approximately tripled the amount they quoted to him
• although they promised a same-day move, they showed up so late in the evening that the move lasted until after midnight, at which point police were called by a disturbed neighbor and they had to postpone the move until the following afternoon;
• they damaged several items of furniture as well as the interior of the new home

So anyway: it's clear that a moving company that's shady can and will take a lot of extra measures to disguise its past and throw off potential customers who are trying to research them online. If you're looking for a moving company, don't just check your local BBB site. Look on MovingScam.com and RipOffReport, and check out their offices in person before agreeing to anything. You might also want to Google the company's address and the name of the owner to see if anything comes up.

Thomas' blog, with photos of the damage and a full story [TheCynicalUniverse] (thanks to Thomas!)

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Thomas' complaint against Champions [RipOffReport]
Holly's complaint against Champions [RipOffReport]
Black List entry for A.S.A.P. Relocations in San Jose [MovingScam.com]
Customer reviews of Champions [Yelp]
Customer reviews of A.S.A.P. Relocations [Yelp]
(Photo: Getty)

Further investigation found that it was actually a woman using his Aunt's identity who cleaned out the box. This woman had "befriended" the aunt in the months before her death.

The tale inside reads like it fell from the pages of a pulp detective novel...

Ariel writes:

Okay, where do I begin?? Let me start with a brief synopsis of the circumstances surrounding the reason for this email.

My aunt recently passed away after battling breast cancer for several years. My aunt lived in Manhattan in a tiny apartment for many years up until her death. She was eccentric to put it lightly and probably suffered from some mental disorder that was probably never diagnosed. She also had lots of money both in the form of cash, bank accounts and stocks. During the last 8-9 months of her life, a woman came into her life and befriended my aunt. This woman is married with a child and is the CEO of a fledgling water company in NY. Somehow, during the final month of my aunt's life (while she could no longer walk and was on heavy morphine) this woman managed to get control of many of my aunt's assets. Bank accounts that were set aside for friends and family were suddenly transferred into this persons name. She cleaned out several safety deposit boxes while my aunt was still alive, and then cleaned out at least one after my aunt died. Oh, the original copy of my aunts will mysteriously disappeared.

This leads me to the point of this email. My aunt had at least one safety deposit box/account with Bank of America which contained $75,000 in cash + jewelry and other paperwork. The day after my aunt died, my mother arrived in New York. The first thing that she did was go to the funeral home to see her sister. After going to the funeral home she went to the Bank of America in midtown Manhattan to begin the process of closing out accounts and safety deposit boxes. Upon arriving at the Bank of America she was asked to sign into a register before she was allowed to access my aunts safety deposit box. To her shock, someone had already accessed the safety deposit box that morning. Can you guess who it was? Yes! This woman who had known my aunt for less than a year had gone into Bank of America and signed her name and noted POA (power of attorney) on the register. When my mother checked the safety deposit box, all of the cash was gone. Several pieces of jewelry were also missing, however the papers (of no financial value) were still there.

When my mother went back to the bank agent and asked who had accessed the box earlier that morning she was even more shocked by what she was told.

According to the bank agent, my aunt had been the one who came and accessed the box! My aunt who had died the night before in her apartment had walked into Bank of America and cleaned out her safety deposit box?? My mother told the agent that her sister had died the night before and that there was no way that she could have been at the bank. But, the agent insisted that the woman who came into the bank was my aunt, in fact she showed ID. My mom demanded to speak the bank manager. When she asked the Bank manager to call the police, he/she refused and put away the safety deposit register. Apparently he then called his boss and they came back and told my mother that they could no longer talk to her about this and that if she wanted access to anything, she would have to subpoena them.

Of course there was video tape of this woman entering the bank and going to the safety deposit box. However, the NYPD claims that the bank will likely never give up the video tape (if it still exists). The bank will no longer speak to my mother and clearly is trying to cover it's a$$. It would seem like Bank of America screwed up big time by letting someone show false ID into a safety deposit box and steal $75,000 in cash + jewelry. Let's not forget that this woman had no legal right to access this account after my aunt died. The law states that power of attorney ends when the person dies. Since my aunt died the night before, this woman had no legal power, yet she still wrote POA on the register.

So what do we do here? Do we cause a huge stink? The NYPD said good luck in trying to get Bank of America to admit fault. In fact, good luck trying to sue them in court. This woman who committed forgery, identity theft, and grand theft larceny is sitting pretty in her apartment in Manhattan counting the nearly $300,000 in cash and jewelry that she stole from my aunt. Not only was my aunt dying, but she was on morphine and many other drugs that allowed this woman to manipulate and take advantage of her. Doesn't Bank of America have a duty to it's customers (alive and deceased) to protect their assets and provide adequate security measures so that the theft of $75,000 doesn't happen? If a person walked into bank of America and stole $75,000, don't you think the bank would be pressing charges?

Bank of America sucks! It let a woman steal my aunts money the day after my aunt died of breast cancer!

What should I do? Would should the family do?

Sincerely,

Ariel N.

Ariel, condolences for your loss. Deaths are never easy, and for this one to be surrounded by this crime must be very painful.

That said, I have two questions before posting this story.

How did you family come to know about this woman who befriended your mother?
Were any of your family around when you aunt died? If not, why not?

Ben,

Thank you for the comments. My aunt was eccentric to say the least. Her passing was not a surprise in itself except for the fact that my mother was going to visit her just as she passed away.

To answer your questions...

My mother actually met this woman several months ago while she was in New York visiting with my aunt. As things have unravelled we have spoken to many of my Aunt's friends who all have talked about this woman who came into her life late in the game. This woman is the daughter of an attorney (prominent) that my aunt dated years ago. According to my aunt, she didn't know this woman more than casually during that period.

None of the family was with my aunt when she passed away. There were at least two people in her apartment when she passed away in addition to the paramedics and police. One was one of the caretakers (whom I believe called 911) and the other was this woman who eventually stole much of my aunt's money. This woman grabbed (according to witnesses) my aunts camcorder (and stole it) and videotaped my aunt in her soiled underwear as the paramedics were administering CPR. One of the police officers at the scene actually had to forcibly tell this woman to stop recording the death. My mother was apparently on the phone with one of the two women as this was going on screaming that there was a DNR for my aunt. To date, the woman who stole the money and took advantage of my aunt will not return the money, tape, camera or jewelry. My mother arrived in New York the day after my aunt passed away which is also the same day that this woman went and cleared out the safety deposit box a Bank of America.

I hope this is useful. This could be a story about elder abuse among other things, but I (and my family) are extremely angry with Bank of America for letting this woman who had no legal right, to access my aunt's safety deposit box and steal $75,000 in cash and jewelry.

Sincerely,

Ariel

We spoke with Ariel by phone and yes, the family already took the case to the police. However, the detective ruled that it was a civil affair, not a criminal.

We also found that the highest ranking person they spoke with was the branch manager. We advised busting BoA corporate's door down with the story. They might have a very different story than a local manager covering his ass.

Lastly, if the aunt had renter's insurance, it may cover the safe deposit box, even in this bizarre circumstance. We recommend checking in with the insurance company.

As an odd coda, the family knows who the conwoman is. She hasn't denied taking any of the money, and has in fact written the family a letter saying that she "deserved" it.

Any other advice for the beleagured family? — BEN POPKEN

UPDATE: Ariel writes

Holy cow! I had no idea it would garner such a quick set of responses from your readers. It is great that people have responded with supportive comments regarding our situation. I believe that my mother (administrator of the estate) is in the process of assessing the cost to benefit ration of suing the thief. We have been told that it could cost from $30,000-$70,000 to file suit without any sort of guarantee that we will win or be able to collect if we do win.

Just to clarify, the NYPD did say that what this woman did was criminal, but due to the amount of time that had lapsed between the crime and when my mother was actually sitting in the NYPD portable would make it nearly impossible to get any evidence from BofA and therefore attempt to prosecute the thief. Perhaps it was the D.A.'s call?

You can politely refuse... or watch these videos and maybe learn enough so that you can actually mess up their proposition bet and win free drinks yourself. — BEN POPKEN

Top 5 ways to hustle free drinks [Wise Bread]

The scammer requests that you send back a portion to pay for fees or handling charges, or says they "overpaid" and need you to pay back the difference. The check clears when deposited in the bank. A few days later, the check bounces and the thief has got whatever the rube sent them.

The FTC advises:

• Don't wire money to strangers.
• Throw away offers that ask you to send back money for your "free" gift.
• Only accept checks from people you trust.

— BEN POPKEN

FTC Advice on Giving the Bounce to Counterfeit Check Scams
Giving the Bounce to Counterfeit Check Scams