Membershipadvantage FRADULENT AND CRIMINAL BUSINESS PRACTICES OF THEIR WEBSITE Membershipadvantage I do not know what state that operate out of Internet
I am enclosing a copy of an email that I sent to membershipadvantage.com for the fradulent, and possible, business practices they used on their website.
I also sent and introductory note and a copy of this email to each of the partners in the law firm that represents them. I belive that the email speaks for itself. I would like your help before I begin notifying Federal authorities and taking possible further action. Thank you.
A copy of the email:
January 4, 2008
URGENT-IMMEDIATE RESPONSE EXPECTED
I was very happy to receive your email today because I have been waiting for confirmation that I would be receiving the free $500.00 gift card for Target that you promised on your website. When this initially happened I was on a website that congratulated me for being the 999,999 person to visit the site and that I had won a $500.00 gift card.
I selected a Target gift card. Then apparently I was automatically transferred to your site with the instructions that I had to complete 1 offering, which I did, in order to receive the card. After I completed the offering, the site shut down without any confimation that I would be receiving the card.
When I visited your site this morning I realized that the whole offering was a scam, saying that I had to complete six offers (and that I had not even completed one, which I did) in order to receive the promised $500.00 Target card. Please be advised that I did not misconstrue any information concerning the offering or your guarantee on your website. Your instructions were very specific and I followed them. Be further advised that if I do not receive the guaranteed $500.00 gift card, I will be reporting your organization and your website with its criminal business practices to the proper state and Federal authorities.
I demand that you follow thru on your guarantee and send the $500.00 Target gift card to me at the following address or your organization will suffer serious consequences, monetary penalties and possible criminal and fraudulent business charges.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Kroner
P O Box 52
Island Heights, NJ 08732-0052
Telephone #732-929-4249
I would appreciate an email or a telephone call from one of your corporate officers ASAP informing me when I can expect to receive the card.
If I do not hear from your company by January 11, 2008, I will begin discussions with my attorney and follow thru on the actions referenced above that I would take.
Bob
Island Heights, New Jersey
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Bobkroner
Island Heights,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
themembershipadvantage-update
#6Author of original report
Sun, January 06, 2008
On January 5, 2008 I filed a report on the above company and accused them of fraudalent, and possbily, crimimal business practices. I have since acquired further information about the company. The correct name of the company is "thememberhipadvantage" and their web address is "themembershipadvantage.com" . Their official company name is "themembershipadvantage LLC" and they describe themselves on their site on "an Independent Rewards Program". I have run across this type of scam before where you are on one website and you receive congratulations that you have won something and you are automatically transferred to another site (in this case, themembershipadvantage.com) that tells you your prize and requests that you fulfill a minor requirement and you have won the promised gift, only to be contacted by them later saying that you must subscribe to a number of offerings, some of which are costly, in order to get the promised gift. In the past I have gone after these companies with the type of email that I have sent you and have also contacted their sponsors and advised them that they are associated with a company carrying out fraudalent business practices. I have always been successful in acquiring the promised gift. THEMEMBERSHIPADVANTAGE operates out of the state of California. This morning I received 3 emails from persons that I assume represent their legal counsel. Each of the emails was an auto-reply indicating they would be out of the office until January 7, 2008 and they would contact me upon their return.
The name of the company that these people work for is "CANCORPCOUNSEL" and their web address is www.cancorpcounsel.org
and they have their offices in Toronto, Canada and their address and other pertinent information is:
CANCORPCOUNSEL (THEY ALSO GO BY THE NAME OF CANADIAN CORPORATE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION AND THE INITIALS CCCA)
410-20 Toronto ON M5C 2B8, Telephone #416-869-0522, ext. 224, Fax # 416-869-0946.
The three officers of this company that sent me an auto-reply email to my complaint and their titles and email addressess are:
Kendra Keaney Finnessy
Marketing Communications Coordinator
email: kendraf@ccca-cba.org
Paul Ouellette
Director of Professional Development
email:pouelette@ccca-cba.org
Silvie Kuppek
Executive Director (Mayby the most important contact)
email:skuppek@ccca-cba.org
This week I will be emailing corporate officers of sponsors of themembershipadvantage (Columbia House, Netflix, New York Times, Blockbuster, and Discover Card) and informing them that they are associated with a company carrying out fraudalent business practices on the web and I am holding them responsible also and notifying them that when I begin contacting Federal and State authorities (on January 11, 2008) unless I am notified that I am receiving the promised $500.00 free Target card) that regulate fraudulent business practices on the web I will be including the names of their companies as affiliates (therefore supporting the fraudulent business practices of themembershipadvantage). Please keep me posted on this matter. If I find out any further information on themembershipadvantage, I will file an update on your site. Thank you.
Bobkroner
Island Heights,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
themembershipadvantage-update
#6Author of original report
Sun, January 06, 2008
On January 5, 2008 I filed a report on the above company and accused them of fraudalent, and possbily, crimimal business practices. I have since acquired further information about the company. The correct name of the company is "thememberhipadvantage" and their web address is "themembershipadvantage.com" . Their official company name is "themembershipadvantage LLC" and they describe themselves on their site on "an Independent Rewards Program". I have run across this type of scam before where you are on one website and you receive congratulations that you have won something and you are automatically transferred to another site (in this case, themembershipadvantage.com) that tells you your prize and requests that you fulfill a minor requirement and you have won the promised gift, only to be contacted by them later saying that you must subscribe to a number of offerings, some of which are costly, in order to get the promised gift. In the past I have gone after these companies with the type of email that I have sent you and have also contacted their sponsors and advised them that they are associated with a company carrying out fraudalent business practices. I have always been successful in acquiring the promised gift. THEMEMBERSHIPADVANTAGE operates out of the state of California. This morning I received 3 emails from persons that I assume represent their legal counsel. Each of the emails was an auto-reply indicating they would be out of the office until January 7, 2008 and they would contact me upon their return.
The name of the company that these people work for is "CANCORPCOUNSEL" and their web address is www.cancorpcounsel.org
and they have their offices in Toronto, Canada and their address and other pertinent information is:
CANCORPCOUNSEL (THEY ALSO GO BY THE NAME OF CANADIAN CORPORATE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION AND THE INITIALS CCCA)
410-20 Toronto ON M5C 2B8, Telephone #416-869-0522, ext. 224, Fax # 416-869-0946.
The three officers of this company that sent me an auto-reply email to my complaint and their titles and email addressess are:
Kendra Keaney Finnessy
Marketing Communications Coordinator
email: kendraf@ccca-cba.org
Paul Ouellette
Director of Professional Development
email:pouelette@ccca-cba.org
Silvie Kuppek
Executive Director (Mayby the most important contact)
email:skuppek@ccca-cba.org
This week I will be emailing corporate officers of sponsors of themembershipadvantage (Columbia House, Netflix, New York Times, Blockbuster, and Discover Card) and informing them that they are associated with a company carrying out fraudalent business practices on the web and I am holding them responsible also and notifying them that when I begin contacting Federal and State authorities (on January 11, 2008) unless I am notified that I am receiving the promised $500.00 free Target card) that regulate fraudulent business practices on the web I will be including the names of their companies as affiliates (therefore supporting the fraudulent business practices of themembershipadvantage). Please keep me posted on this matter. If I find out any further information on themembershipadvantage, I will file an update on your site. Thank you.
Bobkroner
Island Heights,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
themembershipadvantage-update
#6Author of original report
Sun, January 06, 2008
On January 5, 2008 I filed a report on the above company and accused them of fraudalent, and possbily, crimimal business practices. I have since acquired further information about the company. The correct name of the company is "thememberhipadvantage" and their web address is "themembershipadvantage.com" . Their official company name is "themembershipadvantage LLC" and they describe themselves on their site on "an Independent Rewards Program". I have run across this type of scam before where you are on one website and you receive congratulations that you have won something and you are automatically transferred to another site (in this case, themembershipadvantage.com) that tells you your prize and requests that you fulfill a minor requirement and you have won the promised gift, only to be contacted by them later saying that you must subscribe to a number of offerings, some of which are costly, in order to get the promised gift. In the past I have gone after these companies with the type of email that I have sent you and have also contacted their sponsors and advised them that they are associated with a company carrying out fraudalent business practices. I have always been successful in acquiring the promised gift. THEMEMBERSHIPADVANTAGE operates out of the state of California. This morning I received 3 emails from persons that I assume represent their legal counsel. Each of the emails was an auto-reply indicating they would be out of the office until January 7, 2008 and they would contact me upon their return.
The name of the company that these people work for is "CANCORPCOUNSEL" and their web address is www.cancorpcounsel.org
and they have their offices in Toronto, Canada and their address and other pertinent information is:
CANCORPCOUNSEL (THEY ALSO GO BY THE NAME OF CANADIAN CORPORATE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION AND THE INITIALS CCCA)
410-20 Toronto ON M5C 2B8, Telephone #416-869-0522, ext. 224, Fax # 416-869-0946.
The three officers of this company that sent me an auto-reply email to my complaint and their titles and email addressess are:
Kendra Keaney Finnessy
Marketing Communications Coordinator
email: kendraf@ccca-cba.org
Paul Ouellette
Director of Professional Development
email:pouelette@ccca-cba.org
Silvie Kuppek
Executive Director (Mayby the most important contact)
email:skuppek@ccca-cba.org
This week I will be emailing corporate officers of sponsors of themembershipadvantage (Columbia House, Netflix, New York Times, Blockbuster, and Discover Card) and informing them that they are associated with a company carrying out fraudalent business practices on the web and I am holding them responsible also and notifying them that when I begin contacting Federal and State authorities (on January 11, 2008) unless I am notified that I am receiving the promised $500.00 free Target card) that regulate fraudulent business practices on the web I will be including the names of their companies as affiliates (therefore supporting the fraudulent business practices of themembershipadvantage). Please keep me posted on this matter. If I find out any further information on themembershipadvantage, I will file an update on your site. Thank you.
Bobkroner
Island Heights,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
themembershipadvantage-update
#6Author of original report
Sun, January 06, 2008
On January 5, 2008 I filed a report on the above company and accused them of fraudalent, and possbily, crimimal business practices. I have since acquired further information about the company. The correct name of the company is "thememberhipadvantage" and their web address is "themembershipadvantage.com" . Their official company name is "themembershipadvantage LLC" and they describe themselves on their site on "an Independent Rewards Program". I have run across this type of scam before where you are on one website and you receive congratulations that you have won something and you are automatically transferred to another site (in this case, themembershipadvantage.com) that tells you your prize and requests that you fulfill a minor requirement and you have won the promised gift, only to be contacted by them later saying that you must subscribe to a number of offerings, some of which are costly, in order to get the promised gift. In the past I have gone after these companies with the type of email that I have sent you and have also contacted their sponsors and advised them that they are associated with a company carrying out fraudalent business practices. I have always been successful in acquiring the promised gift. THEMEMBERSHIPADVANTAGE operates out of the state of California. This morning I received 3 emails from persons that I assume represent their legal counsel. Each of the emails was an auto-reply indicating they would be out of the office until January 7, 2008 and they would contact me upon their return.
The name of the company that these people work for is "CANCORPCOUNSEL" and their web address is www.cancorpcounsel.org
and they have their offices in Toronto, Canada and their address and other pertinent information is:
CANCORPCOUNSEL (THEY ALSO GO BY THE NAME OF CANADIAN CORPORATE COUNSEL ASSOCIATION AND THE INITIALS CCCA)
410-20 Toronto ON M5C 2B8, Telephone #416-869-0522, ext. 224, Fax # 416-869-0946.
The three officers of this company that sent me an auto-reply email to my complaint and their titles and email addressess are:
Kendra Keaney Finnessy
Marketing Communications Coordinator
email: kendraf@ccca-cba.org
Paul Ouellette
Director of Professional Development
email:pouelette@ccca-cba.org
Silvie Kuppek
Executive Director (Mayby the most important contact)
email:skuppek@ccca-cba.org
This week I will be emailing corporate officers of sponsors of themembershipadvantage (Columbia House, Netflix, New York Times, Blockbuster, and Discover Card) and informing them that they are associated with a company carrying out fraudalent business practices on the web and I am holding them responsible also and notifying them that when I begin contacting Federal and State authorities (on January 11, 2008) unless I am notified that I am receiving the promised $500.00 free Target card) that regulate fraudulent business practices on the web I will be including the names of their companies as affiliates (therefore supporting the fraudulent business practices of themembershipadvantage). Please keep me posted on this matter. If I find out any further information on themembershipadvantage, I will file an update on your site. Thank you.
Clc
Bradley Beach,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Caveat Emptor
#6Consumer Comment
Sun, January 06, 2008
An old Latin adage - "Let the buyer beware". I've seen these promos for free $500 gift cards. They usually say that one must complete X amount of offers of varying levels to receive the card. Of course, it's in the fine print and doesn't tell you much except that some purchase is required.
These promos usually fall under the co-op ad business and, when they're legit, can offer some value. However, it's incumbent upon you to read thoroughly all the info, research the company at the BBB, and even look up the internet domain name registrant and research the holder of the domain if possible. Sometimes you can tell by this info whether they are a legit company or not. Remember, nothing in this world is truly free, so if an offer looks too good to be true, it's probably not a good idea to get hooked into it....