Vermont Pride Target
for Telemarketing Fraud

by Joel Nichols

M/V Dolphin IV, a ship formerly used by Cape Canaveral Cruse Lines. The vessel is laid-up in Freeport, Bahamas. photo courtesy of International Shipping Partners

     Burlington Pride-goers have been targeted by a scam. After signing up at the “Win a Cruise” display at the Waterfront festival, several people were called by Cape Canaveral Cruise Lines. The company’s representative asked for a credit card number and a deposit of $350 to reserve a spot on board. Leicester resident Jennifer Ponder was among those who filled out an entry form and was called. At 10 pm a few nights after Pride, she was offered a trip if she paid certain fees. He was “quite persistent, fairly vague about what the fee was for, sometimes it was taxes, sometimes it was a processing fee. As we continued talking, more fees kept emerging” she said. The caller tried to pressure Ponder for her credit card number, saying that her credit card company was her protection from a scam.
      The company settled a lawsuit out of court on February 21, 2001 for violating Florida’s Consumer Protection Law and Telemarketing Registration Act. Although the company and the co-defendant, Travel, Inc., admitted no wrong doing, they paid a fine and agreed to never do it again in Florida. Another Pride-goer, Pam Kinniburgh of Worcester noted that the booth had no sponsoring organization attached to it and in retrospect, “seemed fishy.”
      According to the Assistant Attorney General in charge of telemarketing fraud investigation, Anne Whitten, scams like this one are unfortunately not rare. There are many types, but ultimately the “consumer ends up getting ripped off,” Whitten said. Investigators are not sure how these displays appear at fairs, festivals, and carnivals around the state, but speculate that the perpetrators need not be at the festival or even in the state.
      Congress recently estimated that Americans lose $40 Billion a year to telemarketing fraud. If you have been called by the scam, report it to the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program. The CAP can be reached at 1-800-649-2424. The Web site of the Office has a valuable toolkit of prevention against telemarketing scams. It can be reached at www.state.vt.us/atg.