This report is time-late but a search of the web for related incidents reflects no related incidents in South Carolina, to date.
On 24 October 2007 a white female knocked on our door in Longpoint Subdivision identifying herself as a neighbor from around the corner and mentioned the names of two of our adjacent neighbors as friend. She was soliciting magazine/book subscriptions, supposedly, on behalf of MUSC Childrens Hospital. After reviewing a selection of children oriented periodicals my wife selected a children's Atlas, a children's abbreviated Encylopedia and a children's English-Spanish Translator, the cost of each being $48 for a total of $144. A personal check was writtn and receipts received which documented the purchace and identified MUSC Childrens Hospital, 171 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29425 as the intended recipient.
In December we started receiving three magazines that we knew we had not ordered, Guideposts, Golf for Women and Motorcycling. As we subscribe to too many magazines to begin with and we were busy preparing for Christmas we treated the deliveries as some sort of come-on and are only now questioning their origine.
The respective magazine subscription offices all referred us to Subscription Data Processing at 877-737-6247. That office acknowledged the three subscriptions as having come from Integrity Program LLC, 2620 S. Maryland Parkway #953, Las vagas, NV 89109, and provided the order date as 24 October 2007 and a two year subscription rate of $48 for each. Further review of the receipt provided by the sales person plainly identifies Integrity Programs as the contract agent and the sales person as an Independent Contractor. However, in attempting to pursue this further the Subscription Data Processing organization will no longer discuss the issue.
A quick check of Integrity Program LLC on the web clearly identifies the company as a fraud organization but one that is successfully avoiding prosecution.
All of this to say we were too trustful and taken in for a supposedly good cause. Regretfully MUSC Childrens Hospital did not benefit from our "generosity" and we are getting three more magazines a month that we do not need. I will attempt to get those subscriptions transferred over to magazines we are already subscribing to if Subscriptions Data Processing is willing to cooperate.
Not sure how we can get the word around that this scam may still be going on in the Lowcountry.