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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 1997)
scam ■ A Lincoln investigator warns people to watch out for fraud. By Josh Funk Assignment reporter A brand new washer and dryer for only $79.95! It may sound like a good deal, but when a small metal washer and a dish rag arrive in the mail six weeks later the consumer realizes, too late, that he has been had. Fraud is a big problem in Nebraska, said Dan Parsons, special assistant to the attorney general. 3! a sweepstakes is the most com mon form of these frauds, Parsons said. But companies cannot require purchases to enter their sweepstakes. ' “If you have to pay to enter it is considered a mail lottery, which is .illegal,” Lincoln Police Investigator Russ Fosler said. “There is no pur chase necessary for a true sweep stakes.” Another common ploy used is just giving away a prize oh the condition that the winner pay the shipping and handling or sales taxes before the prize will be delivered, r But that isn’t right either, Fosler said. o i “If you have truly won something you shouldn’t have to pay anything,” Fosler said. “Any costs should be $aken out of the value of the prize after it is delivered.” i Any time a company asks for <■ money up front, consumers should beware, Fosler said. Consumers can ViiTV *■ ^ -a « If you have truly won something you shouldn’t have to pay anything.” Russ Foslek Lincoln police investigator fight back by getting all the facts and checking out a company before accepting any offer. “If it sounds too good to be true, it is,” Fosler said. “There is no such thing as something for nothing.” One such company, the Sweepstakes Clearinghouse of Dallas, recently sent out a misleading mailing to the Lincoln area offering a camera, said Scott Mecham, presi dent of the Lincoln Better Business Bureau. The mailing is an official notice of a “35mm Vivatar camera with panoramic converter and tripod and flash adapters phis lifetime supply of Kodak film”' But consumers may be surprised »when the camera arrives. “What they are really offering is to sell you a $12 camera,” Mecham said. “And to take advantage of the film offer you must ship your film to them to be developed.” The Sweepstakes Clearinghouse has a long history of complaints and questions at the Better Business Bureau. This year there have been 144 complaints, Mecham said. However a spokesman from the company’s legal department said that the offer was straightforward. “We’ve had some questions from some state attorney generals, but ulti mately they did not find anything,” Rick Burton, a Sweepstakes Clearinghouse lawyer, said. The company has been selling the camera for years, Burton said. “This is a great buy, and con sumers recognize that,” Burton said. Most of these companies know how to phrase their offers, so they can avoid prosecution, Parsons said. And because it is difficult for police to catch those responsible for fraudulent mail offers, education may be the consumer’s best weapon, Parsons said. “Consumers should learn to rec ognize and avoid fraud,” Parsons said. However, consumers can take action to protect themselves from fraudulent offers. Fosler offered the following precautions: ■ Read the entire offer carefully. These companies use language that can easily be misinterpreted. ■ Don’t send any money up front. There also are agencies like the Better Business Bureau that can pro vide accurate information to con sumers about a company’s history. The Community Service Unit of the Lincoln Police Department has a list of places consumers can call to report fraud or remove themselves from mailing lists. I ' I pid phone book recycling available in Lincoln area • * . . . ; From Staff Reports Aliant Communications, the city 6f Lincoln and the University of ’ Nebraska-Lincoln have established * sites to collect old phone books. • rti “Our goal is to keep them out of Mhe landfills,” Lela Kelliher, Aliant Communications spokeswoman, 1 said. The old phone books will be taken to a recycling plant to be turned into new paper. But recycling old phone books is becoming more difficult because there is not much demand for that grade of paper, Kelliher said. Unwanted directories can be taken to any of the following sites until Jan. 9:any Russ’s Market or Super Saver Store. B Aliant Communications offices at Cotner boulevard and O street and 48 th streef and Old ' Cheney Road. ■ Southeast Community College, 88th and O streets. ■ Union College athletic field, 53rd and Calvert streets. ■ Centro Plaza, 48th and R streets. ■ Ch*i$t’s Place Church, 1111 Old Cheney Road. ■ East High School Seacrest field lot, 70th and A streets. ■ Lincoln School of Commerce, 19th and L streets. ■ Sam’s Club, 27th and Superior streets. ■ University Place, 47th and St. Paul streets. ■ UNL Food Stores Warehouse, 1200 N. 17th St. At UNL, phone books will be collected Dec. 18 and 19 in recy cling bins on campus marked “office paper only.” Wistrom cited for disturbing peace in downtown restaurant From Staff Reports Nebraska senior All-American defensive end Grant Wistrom was cited for disturbing the peace early .Sunday morning at a downtown Lincoln restaurant. ' According to police reports, Wistrom was with a female compan St | j The report said Conrad Hymer, ,25, was playing pool and struck Wistrom’s companion when he pulled his pool stick back for a shot. Witnesses said Wistrom pushed Hymer, who responded by hitting Wistrom. Both parties were cited for dis turbing the peace, a misdemeanor that usually results in a fine, Lincoln Police Capt. Jim Thoms said. Wistrom, a senior from Webb City, Mo., who last week was named Jthe>Bi^ll2if>efeosm^lt^flsr4af the J Year, had helped the Huskers defeat Texas A&M 54-15 in the Big 12 Championship game in San Antonio on Saturday. 1-800-USA-NAVY I ■ www.navyjote.com j i'l * .*>•*. ’ ; childreach - . u. s. MCMaiK or §1 urrUKATioa.va , To learn more about /' *' ' 1-800-599-9797 or write: Childreach, Dept. U304 155 Plan Way Warwick, RI02SS6 ChAIrtmrh *wsfcm+Jidm 1937 ms Foster Fmtm Flam. Codokic^hcB a number of advantages M fohstara,Cadk>Kicks has the seme music, excitement, end energy of an aerobics workout but It adds inrportent self-defense techniciues ke jobbing, kickhg, punching, and blocking, that may one day save your ife. Cadb-Wcks cteo is a betterworkout, that's why Muscle end Fitness Magcane rated aerobic kickbcwhg as I the nunber one cdorle buning workout at over 800 cdories burned cn hour! • Classes ae for adults only •You wea regiia workout clothes •No belts a uniforms ae requred •No experience necessay •No physicd contact \MmSSnmSSs!man Cd today for a free introductory workout and slat leaning wlie you're bunhg! I ATA Black Belt Academy and Karate for kids 66th & Holdredge 466-2433 Group encourages athletes to give food From Staff Reports Student athletes will be doing their part to make the hol idays merry for Lincoln resi dents when they have their first ever food drive to benefit the Lincoln Food Bank. “We want to get more involved in the community,” said Beth Kuchta, adviser for the Student Athlete Advisory Board. “A lot of people outside the Athletic Department have needs to.” The SAAB got the idea for the food drive at a Big 12 meet ing of athlete advisory boards. Barrels will be put in Memorial Stadium and athletes or members of the Athletic Department can donate food through Friday. Because it’s the first drive r: H We want to get more involved in the community ” Beth Kuchta SAAB adviser and during a busy time, Kuchta said, the SAAB wanted to start small and just in the department. Even though the can drive may be small, Kuchta thinks it will make a difference. “It really doesn’t take a lot of effort, but it has a big impact on people,” Kuchta said. ---I Check jb out www.unI.cdu/DailyNcb/ • v\ •• ■ 425 University Terrace (behind Pbiind Dprml 1 Patrick Abendrqthr * 7 : 436-71#“^.-';' ! Tonight at 8:00 Join us for this fascinating Christian Art Demonstration!