State warns of magazine scam, again

BULLETIN: Door-to-door solicitors have returned to area, says attorney general

BY JOHN BRANTON | The (Vancouver, Wash.) Columbian • Published October 05, 2009

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The Web site of Fresh Start Opportunities, black with white lettering, sounds idealistic, though filled with misspellings.

�Have you ever wondered why so many young adults these days dont make it very far in life? � We believe that everyone deserves a second chance and a opportunity.�

The group, which sends young people door-to-door selling magazines, is a nationwide scam, according to bulletin released Friday by Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna.

His office issued a warning about the group in March. Nonetheless, the bulletin said, the group�s salespeople are once again operating in Washington and deceiving customers by claiming to be earning money for college, to be giving their proceeds to help homeless youths and other tales.

Consumers have paid $50 to $784 for subscriptions, the bulletin said.

The game-stopper: �After paying generous amounts for subscriptions, consumers throughout the country never received the magazines and have no idea how their money was spent,� McKenna said.

A 19-year-old man working for Fresh Start Opportunities was arrested last fall in connection with an Edmonds robbery and was a suspect in burglaries in Sammamish and Tumwater, the bulletin said.

McKenna cited several other problems with Fresh Start:

� Inquiries from the Secretary of State�s Office about the group�s failure to register as a charity have been ignored, as have consumer complaints received by McKenna�s office and the Better Business Bureau. � Because the group lists a downtown Seattle address on its Web site, McKenna�s office has received complaints from customers across the United States.

�But it�s just a mail-forwarding service,� the bulletin said, going on to describe a cunning scheme.

�A business scans the letters then sends the files by e-mail to the addressee, believed to be located in another state. So no one from Fresh Start Opportunities ever has to step inside to pick up the mail, such as refund requests.�

In addition, the bulletin said, the Web site lists a toll-free number.

Call 1-866-496-8118 and you�ll likely hear it�s �temporarily unavailable,� as The Columbian confirmed.

On the group�s Web site, a Q-and-A section asks how long it takes before folks who buy subscriptions get their magazines.

�It nomally takes 60-90 days but however we ask that you allow 90-120 days.�

Four months to get a magazine?

Folks who�d like to donate to a charity are advised to check the Secretary of State�s Web site, using the exact name of the group, at secstate.wa.gov/charities.

Visitors can see if the group is properly registered as a charity, as required by law. The site also shows what percentage of total revenue the group says goes to the charitable purpose, called program services, and what percentage goes for overhead.

It�s often surprising how little of one�s donations goes to the charitable purpose, if there actually is one.