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The Super Bowl's
Coming To Houston:
(...And So Are The
Con Artists & Thieves!)
Airdate:
January 22, 2004
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The Super Bowl’s coming to Texas in a couple of weeks and that means in
addition to the thousands of fan descending on Houston to watch the big game
between New England and Carolina, the bad guys will make their presence
known to an unlucky group of victims.
Dallas Morning News columnist and our own un-common sense expert–Benjamin
Dover–is here this morning to help put the bad guys outta business.
Question 1: I know you’ve covered the big game
some years ago–does anything surprise you when it comes to super scams at
the Super Bowl?
Answer 1:
Nahhhhhh, it’s just another excuse for the grifters to get creative and take
advantage of tourists–many of who are filled with the spirit, if you know
what I mean.
Question 2: So what’s the most creative super
scam you’ve heard about?
Answer 2: It’s a
tie from Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa three years ago. The first set of clowns
went to the game wearing hospital scrubs, and tried to walk into the stadium
during the game claiming to be paramedics. Of course the security guards
didn’t buy it and turned ’em away, only to catch them a little while later
crawling behind some forklifts, trying to sneak in. They got popped with
grand theft charges–since they were trying to "steal" their way into the big
game instead of paying $325 a ticket like everyone else.
Another guy bought a jacket from a security guard
to get him past the gates, and two other super scammers tried to use fake
media passes for admission.
Question 3: What should we be careful of when
it comes to super scams at the Super Bowl?
Answer 3: I’m so
glad you asked! Ben’s Top 4 Super Scam
Picks
#1 Ticket scams are the most predictable
Super Scam every year: Anytime you
hear a hard luck story that promises to deliver Super Bowl tickets, be
skeptical. Jerome Solomon from The Houston Chronicle reported a coupla weeks
ago that $500 upper deck end zone seats were going for $2,000, and if you
want to sit in "the good seats," you could spend closer to $6,000 a pop. If
it sounds too good to be true–you’re gonna feel Super Stupid if you think
you’ve found an amazing deal.
Question 4: But there’s another ticket-scam
related con game out there, isn’t there?
Answer 4: Yeah,
and this one’s just as silly. There’s a Super Raffle Deal making the e-mail
rounds, offering Super Suckers the chance for tickets–$50 for a chance for
two tickets. Aside from the fact that there aren’t any tickets to be won,
even if there were, it’s illegal. The only legal game of chance in the state
of Texas is the lottery.
Question 5: What’s the next scam Super Scam on
your list?
Answer 5:
#2 Watch out for pickpocket teams and purse thieves:
The bad guys look at it as an "extra Christmas
shopping season." There’s a huge influx of visitors coming to Houston for
the game, and that means more scammers out trying to ply their trade.
Of course the bad guys don’t know who’s a "local"
versus who’s a Super Sucker-Tourist, so everyone’s fair game. It’s no secret
that Super Bowl fans have gotta lot of cash on ’em, so the incentive–like at
the malls during the holidays–the incentive for the crooks is obvious.
Protect your purses and don’t carry a bunch of cash
or credit cards or your checkbook or anything with your Social Security
Number on it. Or you’ll be Super Sorry you did.
Question 6: What’s your next scam?
Answer 6:
#3 Un-licensed/unauthorized or knock-off Super Bowl merchandise:
Just like those terrific deals on Rolexes you buy from
guys on the streets on New York, we’ve gotta be careful about Houston-area
street vendors peddling merchandise bearing NFL logos. If the
trademark-infringement police catch you with an un-licensed product, there’s
a good chance they’ll confiscate it–and of course–you lose...again.
Question 7: And your last Super Scam?
Answer 7:
#4 "Cash back" phony check schemes:
These really seem to be heating up again. "Buyers" from overseas–frequently
that hotbed of con games, Lagos Nigeria, pop us as a buyer of something
you’re advertising on eBay or what I predict we’ll see is a "I’m in town for
the Super Bowl and I saw your ad in the paper" type of cover story.
The "buyer" wants to buy whatever you’re selling,
and you end up getting what appears to be a Cashier’s Check or Money Order
for more than the actual sales price you’re asking for. Then they play the
"can you send me the balance of the cash after my check clears" card,
unwitting victims think they’ve waited long enough before sending the
remaining cash balance and are stung when the check bounces, you’ve lost
whatever merchandise you were selling in the first place, along with a stack
of cash. It’s not pretty.
Close:
The web address for everything we’ve talked
about this morning–and a lot more–is the award-winning
www.benjamindover.com.
And of course you can always link to Ben’s site from ours,
www.khou.com.
More good news for future home buyers (and
their credit reports): Didja hear about the mortgage company that was
able to step in and close a tough loan on less than 24 hours notice?
Despite all of the paperwork and (perceived)
brain-damage that goes with the home buying process, the first mortgage
company that was supposed to close fell apart and set the stage for the
save of the century by my friends at
W.R. Starkey Mortgage.
And what's really amazing about this story are the
facts of the deal: A pock-marked credit report, a non-conforming loan
and a short-fuse couldn't keep Starkey from delivering the goods for a
grateful homeowner, which brings me to the moral of the story...
Don't screw around with a buncha pikers
that make mortgage promises they'll never be able to keep!
You might think you're getting a good deal, but it'll likely blow up in
your face when push-comes-to-shove and they can't close. Then your
problems really begin. W.R.
Starkey has the Dover Seal of Approval because they're the best, no-B.S.
mortgage company in the nation...period.
They deliver and make home buyers the
winners and long-term beneficiaries of Starkey's commitment to their
company positioning statement:
"A different kind or mortgage company where people come first."
You really can bank on it, folks.
Take the Dover-proven route to
stress-free finance, and take advantage while interest rates are STILL
at incredibly-low levels! Ben's no-brainer
choice for any/all of your mortgage needs?
Easy...do it all
on-line
or on the phone with the official mortgage company
of
www.benjamindover.com
and your first (and only) stop:
W.R. Starkey Mortgage. Hit
their website or call
their Houston-area office at:
(713-977-9533)
or toll-free:
(866) 249-7599.
Don't get suckered in by
countless radio-commercial claims from car leasing companies out to
hook you, wear you down...and beat you into an emotional (and maybe
financial) pulp! Check out Ben's free Smart Car
Seminar automotive acquisition tips
right
here!
This is a no-brainer, and they're the first
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matter where you live...Benjamin Dover-endorsed
Manufacturers Auto Leasing!
They have loyal clients across the entire state of
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Because they'll take care of you better than anyone
else out there!
By the way:
If you're facing one of those upside-down scenarios
(car business term meaning you're financially buried), or maybe you simply
want to bail on your current vehicle and need someone to get creative on
your behalf,
Manufacturers Auto Leasing
is the best in the business.
Period.
Still looking for a cool holiday, birthday (or
other special occasion) gift that'll keep on giving, all year long?
Give 'em a subscription to the
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Plan a getaway romantic weekend this year for
Valentine's Day...it's only 23
days away!)
Get more bang for your sleep away from the rest of the
family buck...check out Ben's reliable, no-brainer choice for consistently
affordable and competitively priced hotel room or condo deals:
www.hotels.com.
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