RMCB Collection Agency - Retrieval Masters Credit Bureau ripoff Member ACA The Association Of Credit And Collection Professionals On Behalf Of "Prof. Benjamin Huntington" Repetive Fraudulent Billing Senior Abuse Scammer Network Elmsford New York

Recently we received a collection letter from RMCB, on behalf of "Prof. Benjamin Huntington," for nearly one-hundred dollars, for something ordered in OCTOBER, 2003.

Background: "Prof. Huntington" is a quack. He is a charlatan who preys upon the feeble minded, and seductively sells them his snake oil. Specifically, he claims to be a psychic, and his market leans toward senior citizens.

There is only one source of right and wrong in this world, and that is the Bible. The Lord clearly states in the Old Testament that He arrayed the stars in the heavens, and if he wanted to give them meaning, he would have done it. I will not argue this truth.

Therefore, anyone who says the arrangements of the stars have meaning, or that they will read them for you, they are lying. Plain and simple. I don't care what title they give themselves (like "professor" or "cosmologist"); they do it just to impress you and to gain a superior position to you in your mind. Once they have established their "superior position of authority they proceed to tell you how you need their services.

Typically, in the constant flow of mail you receive from them, they will address you as "friend," as in "Dear Friend." They tell you they are worried, or crying for you, or praying for you, or that you are on their mind. This too has a purpose that is to butter you up and continue their lies to persuade you further that they have your best interests at heart.

They don't. They have their eye on your wallet, and seek to empty it, fully and completely.

Back in 2003, my mother was persuaded by the "professor's" eloquent letters to order some charm from him. For this she promptly paid.

Now it is February of 2007, and here comes a collection notice. It claims there is non-payment on the account.

What's the game here? That someone would not remember having paid for the item, be concerned that their good credit would be impacted, be worried they had done this "man" wrong, and cough up what he says he is owed. That's right...double or triple paying for the same delivery. They appeal to your sense of right and wrong, to your internal moral code, that they might defraud you.

How do I know? I've dealt with them before. I've had them threaten to send the police (literally) over to my mother (82) and arrest her for lack of payment. This is both senior abuse and collections abuse! IF there was a lack of payment, the action would be to sue her, not have her arrested! The police don't follow up on calls to arrest someone on another's word that something wasn't paid. They make arrests based on warrants, and warrants are generated by the government's attorney general system, not by a phone call by a community member (or out of state or country!).

In today's incident, they said they would close the file as soon as I called.

In a previous situation, my mother DID pay them the second time to get them to stop harassing her by phone, and was about to pay them a THIRD time when I stepped in, pulled the cancelled check, and threatened them. They insisted I send it to them, and I refused because if they can't get their accounting straight, I wasn't going to waste my time to help a bunch of scam artists and their affiliates.

About their affiliates...it is clear that when one scammer gets a "hot" customer, that means one who pays (you), they sell your contact info to another of same (or ten or twenty) and your mailbox begins to fill with offers from "friends" who want to tell you that they see money in your future or a grand trip. You send off your funds to find out, they sell your name to the sweepstakes people, who write and call to tell you how you MAY have one millions, you just need to send them money so they can send you the results. Every time you send funds to a sweepstakes, you are pushed into a higher level of the scam because you paid. The amounts you "won" increase, the calls and letters of needing money from you to tell you increase in number and amount, and eventually someone tries to tap you for a "pay in advance scheme" for the "Nigerian 4-1-1."

A PIA/411 is where you need to put up thousands so they can deliver your millions. You are paying for the transportation, or the bonding, paying for taxes, or this or that. You wire the funds, and no one appears. The calls continue...there was a problem; they had to change banks; etc...you wire more money, and the people with the money never appear.

If you were paying for bonding, you should be talking to their insurance agency, or better yet, yours. If you were paying for taxes, that's foolish because taxes are automatically deducted before the check is produced (no state trusts a fool and his money); if you were paying for transportation, make the arrangements yourself, and put it on your credit card. NOTE: if someone tells you they are bringing more than $10,000 across international lines, they are ignoring Homeland Security and the Customs Department declarations that they will confiscate the money. That much money raises eyebrows, especially since 911.

No, the Customs Department will not call you to claim it. They will send it to the Treasury Department and *maybe* thank you for the donation. Customs Agents are police officers for the US Government and protect our borders. (If someone calls you from the Customs Department, or the IRS, or ANY government agency, they will ALWAYS give the full government agency name, never the initials, and ALWAYS their badge number. They had to swear an oath to uphold the laws of the city/county/state/country to get their job. They will always verify who they are for your safety. A scammer, however, will hang up when you press them.)

This is why scammers ALWAYS tell you that 'you must keep this a secret! Don't tell anyone until you have the funds! Don't contact the news agencies until you have your check!' They psychics throw in "you'll jinx it" if you tell.

Yes, don't contact the news crews. If you get them there, you will be the fool when your funds do not arrive. Embarrassed and stung for your thousands, all at the same time. Instead do tell your loved ones, and have them help you with these scammers. Better to be embarrassed among a few than be known as a fool by many.

If you truly won money, they would call the press and have a party as they hand you an enlarged check. They would seek the publicity, not you. Think Ed McMahon. He traveled with his camera crew to film the event.

If they REALLY wanted to get the funds to you, they would send you a certified check, or wire it to your bank (for a brand new and empty account you set up for the occasion). Remember that the Fed guarantees funds up to $100,000 per account. Let them deposit funds all to one account, and then you distribute it. Don't worry, the money won't be deposited!

Finally, if you truly believe these people are going to send you money, get counseling. Your desire/need for money is so great it is clouding your ability to recognize the dishonest. You've stopped trusting God to provide for you, and are trusting scoundrels and scammers.

May God bless you as you seek His truth.

S.
Garden Grove, California
U.S.A.