AND
AND TIRED
AND TIRED OF THAT CAR WARRANTY ROBO CALL AND ALL THE OTHERS ALL
THIS WEEK ARE LOOKING AT THOSE
ANNOYING AUTOMATED CALLS AND HOW
TO STOP THEM , HAVE YOU EVER
WONDERED WHO IS BEHIND
THEM TONIGHT? LAUREN LEAMANCZYK
INVESTIGATES ONE OF THE LARGEST
PHONE SCAMS IN MINNESOTA
HISTORY. ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
PEOPLE GOT THE CALLS.
>> I WAS VERY CONFUSED. DID YOU
FEEL LIKE THEY WERE PREYING
ON THE CONFUSION A LITTLE BIT?
ABSOLUTELY. FROM CALL CENTERS
IN PLACES LIKE FRIDLEY ST. LOUIS
PARK, SOUTH ST. PAUL. THE SCHEME
FEDERAL OFFICIALS SAY TRICK
PEOPLE INTO PAYING FOR MAGAZINES
THEY DIDN'T WANT OR NEED THIS
MAGAZINE FRAUD WAS OUT, NOT
FRAUD.
FRAUD.
FRAUD. >>
FRAUD. >> THEY WERE STRAIGHT UP LYING
TO PEOPLE AND THEY SAY IT WORKED
TO THE TUNE OF 300 MILLION
DOLLARS. THIS IS A STORY OF HOW
THEY MADE IT SOUND LIKE A GREAT
DEAL.
DEAL.
DEAL. >>
DEAL. >> LAURA GREEN HAS STACKS
OF UNOPENED MAGAZINES COURTESY
SHE SAYS A VIKING MAGAZINE
IN BURNSVILLE. THE OWNER, DAVID
MOLDERS NEAR THE TOP OF A
PYRAMID, 60 PEOPLE INDICTED IN A
NATIONWIDE MAGAZINE FRAUD CASE.
OVER THE PHONE, LAURA SAYS SHE
AGREED TO BUY MAGAZINES FOR 24
IHLEN A MONTH, BUT THE PRICE
KEPT INCREASING WITHOUT HER
CONSENT. SOON, SHE SAYS SHE WAS
BEING CHARGED 64 DOLLARS
MULTIPLE TIMES PER MONTH.
>> I SAID I JUST WANT TO AND
I CAN'T KEEP AFFORDING. AND THEN
THEY SAID I COULD PAY OUT
A THOUSAND DOLLARS AND THEN THEY
WOULD END IT.
>> FOR ME, IT'S A PLOY.
FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS ALLEGE WAS
PART OF A SCHEME INVOLVING MORE
THAN TWO DOZEN MAGAZINE
COMPANIES, MANY BASED
IN MINNESOTA, A SCHEME UNCOVERED
AFTER THE MINNESOTA ATTORNEY
GENERAL BUSTED WAYNE DUNNELL,
WHO RAN CHASKA BASED YOUR
MAGAZINE SERVICER OR YMS.
THE FBI SENT A QUESTIONNAIRE
TO HIS VICTIMS. TURNS OUT
WILLIAMS'S VICTIMS WERE BEING
CHARGED BY OTHER MAGAZINE
COMPANIES TO LOTS OF THEM.
>> I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE
IT. ONE LETTER READS, WAKE UP .
THERE'S AN ENTIRE INDUSTRY
PREYING ON PEOPLE LIKE MY
MOTHER.
MOTHER.
MOTHER. >> INVESTIGATORS SAY COMPANIES
WORK TOGETHER TO BUY AND SELL
LEAD LISTS WITH THE NAMES
OF MAGAZINES SUBSCRIBERS.
THE MORE VULNERABLE
THE CUSTOMER, THE MORE VALUABLE
THE LEAD. THEN COMPANIES WOULD
USE AUTOMATED DIALING TO CALL
AND PRETEND TO BE THEIR CURRENT
MAGAZINE COMPANY AND ASK IF THEY
WANTED TO LOWER THEIR PAYMENT.
OF COURSE, THE CUSTOMER SAID
YES, BUT IN REALITY THEY WERE
BEING SIGNED UP FOR
NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS AND NEW
CHARGES AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN
AND AGAIN.
AND AGAIN. >> WE ALSO SAW LOTS OF VICTIMS,
MOSTLY ELDERLY AND OTHERWISE
VULNERABLE, WERE BEING CHARGED
BY 10, 12 OR EVEN 15 MAGAZINE
COMPANIES AT THE TIME.
>> CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS SHOW
VICTIMS WERE CHARGED AS MUCH AS
1500 DOLLARS A MONTH
FOR MAGAZINES, ONE TOLD
INVESTIGATORS. I ALWAYS THOUGHT
IF I PAID, IT WOULD END.
>> IT NEVER DID. THEY WERE JUST
ESSENTIALLY MUGGING THEM AND
SCARING THEM .
>> PROSECUTORS SAY FRAUDULENT
MAGAZINE COMPANIES EVEN
THREATENED LEGAL ACTION IF
THE ELDERLY DIDN'T PAY. SOME
OF THESE VICTIMS WHO WERE HIT
UP AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.
WE'RE GETTING CALLS EVERY DAY,
MULTIPLE CALLS A DAY FROM
TELEMARKETERS ESSENTIALLY
TELEMARKETERS ESSENTIALLY HARASSING THEM .
>> IN ALL, PROSECUTORS ESTIMATE
ONE HUNDRED AND 50000 VICTIMS
NATIONWIDE WERE CHEATED OUT
OF MILLIONS OF IN ADDITION
TO DUNNELL IN BOULDER, AT LEAST
14 OTHER MINNESOTAN'S HAVE BEEN
CHARGED, INCLUDING THIS MAN, TIM
HANSON, TIM HANSON AND HIS WIFE
ARE ACCUSED OF RUNNING ONE
OF THE CALL CENTERS, YOU
AND MONICA, CHARGED
WITH SCAMMING A LOT OF SENIOR
CITIZENS AND SO PROSPEROUS
CHARGE.
CHARGE.
CHARGE. >> IT'S THE FIRST TIME ANY
OF THE ACCUSED HAVE SPOKEN
PUBLICLY. THE HANSSENS MAINTAIN
THEY WERE SET UP . THEY SAY THEY
ARE THE VICTIMS.
>> WE BASICALLY GOT RAILROADED
INTO THIS, ACCORDING THE SEARCH
WARRANT, THOUGH, WHEN THEY
CAUGHT YOU RED HANDED,
THE PEOPLE WERE JUST TWO PEOPLE
WITH THAT HAVE BEEN DOING
A LEGITIMATE, HONEST,
FORTHCOMING BUSINESS FOR 30
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. >>
YEARS. >> PROSECUTORS WOULD BEG
TO DIFFER, ALLEGING THE HANSSENS
AND OTHERS KNEW THAT MANY OF THE
CONSUMERS WERE ELDERLY
AND TRICKED THEM ANYWAY.
THE HANSSENS PLEADED NOT GUILTY
AND ARE AWAITING TRIAL. OF THE
60 PEOPLE INDICTED NATIONWIDE SO
FAR, 33 HAVE PLEADED GUILTY
AND COULD SERVE PRISON TIME.
>> AS FOR THE VICTIMS, THERE'S
A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY.
IT'S UNCLEAR HOW MUCH MONEY
THEY'LL SEE RETURNED FOR KARE11
INVESTIGATES, I'M LAUREN
LAMANTIA. TOMORROW MORNING ON
SUNRISERS MORE ON WHAT YOU CAN
DO TO STOP THE CALLS AND YOU CAN
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW
TO REPORT ROBOTRACKER ON OUR
WEBSITE. HEAD TO KARE11