International Law

What is new with eMom? Bad Advice

Posted on February 15, 2008
Wendy Piersall has some bad advice about How to Avoid Home Business Scams and Fraudulent Internet Business Opportunities Wendy has a very interesting blog, but she has made a serious error about due diligence. What is her advice and why is it wrong? Here is her advice and warning signs: 1...

Are Franchisors Unfair?

Posted on February 14, 2008
Stan Turkel writes that Fair Franchising Is Not An Oxymoron: Dispute Resolution | Blue MauMau "In 1998, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association identified a set of standards called the 12 Points of Fair Franchising by which to judge the actions of franchise companies...

How Do Invention Submission Scam Work?

Posted on February 14, 2008
Great post from over at inventorspot, Why Invention Submission Companies Are Still In Business ... | Inventor Spot "Why Invention Submission Companies Are Still In Business if they are NOT Really in the Business of Putting Your Product on the Marketplace? Let’s take a look at the steps...

Sale of Telephone Records to Third Parties is Illegal

Posted on February 14, 2008
In an action by the FTC, a District Court Bars the Sale of Consumers' Telephone Records to Third Parties "A federal judge has barred the illegal operation of an information broker who advertised and sold confidential consumer telephone records to third parties without the consumers’ knowledge or consent...

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New Zealand Franchise Association Calls For Regulation

Posted on February 14, 2008
From New Zealand, we learn that Franchise New Zealand - Franchise Association Calls For Positive Regulation: " The Franchise Association of New Zealand has come out in favour of franchise regulation with calls for six specific recommendations to be included in legislation currently before parliament...

Craig Slavin's Excellent Franchise Tip!

Posted on February 13, 2008
Craig Slavin writes that Company Owned Stores a Must for Franchisors. When I created the Franchise Gold 100 survey for Success Magazine one of the requirements was that a company, in order to be listed and considered, had to have at least one company owned and operated location...

10 Best Food Chains?

Posted on February 13, 2008
Interesting article from QSR about the Top 10 Highest-Rated Fast-Food Chains The top 10 chains rated "Excellent" overall in Sandelman & Associates' Quick-Track study are: 1. Pei Wei 2. In-N-Out Burger 3. Panera Bread/St. Louis Bread Co. 4. Raising Cane's 5...

Who are the United Vendors of Canada? Loonie Vend? Vendgourmet?

Posted on February 13, 2008
Here is an Interesting observation about United Vendors, and a number of companies it has used marketing it's vending business opportunity. I purchased U-turn machines from United Vendors of Canada, that used to be located at www.loonievend.ca and www...

More Bad Advice- The Low Risk Franchise Fallacy

Posted on February 13, 2008
Jason Bear writes about franchising in his article Franchising - Making the choice "Did you know that Franchise businesses are twice as likely to remain in business after five years of being in operation than non-franchised businesses? * A 1999 study by the United States Chamber of Commerce found that 97% of franchises opened within the last five years were still open for business...

Where Do Cons Advertise? Part 1

Posted on February 12, 2008
Interesting little story out of Denver Englewood 'Artist' Arrested For Alleged Fraud "An Englewood man who said he was a sculptor, recruiting women to work in his "art gallery," is now jailed, charged with theft and check fraud. Englewood police arrested and jailed Donald Tuttle, 47, shortly after Tuttle was caught in an undercover CBS4 investigation...

Franchise Reps' Advice for Buying

Posted on February 12, 2008
Here is some interesting advice from "franchise-rep" about franchise due diligence I am going to reprint large parts of the post. Dear Fran: I’m glad you liked my comments. I’m betting that a smart chic like you already knows that the word ‘franchise’ originates from the Anglo-French, meaning freedom and liberty...

Franchise Beating

Posted on February 12, 2008
The Franchise image is taking a battering in New Zealand because of the Green Acres franchise fraud. "The multi-billion dollar franchise industry is bracing itself for a backlash following the recent Green Acres scandal. The Serious Fraud Office is investigating after 200 people lost millions buying fake ironing franchises, damaging the reputation of franchising and raising questions about whether tougher rules are needed...

New Cheque Fraud Angle

Posted on February 12, 2008
There is a new angle to the advance fee scam as WAVY TV 10 reports Scam Alert: Crooks target area wedding vendors "Crooks are targeting wedding vendors in the area. Scammers are telling wedding planners, florists, and cake makers that they have a lot of money to spend on an elaborate wedding...

Is ACN a Pyramid Scam?

Posted on February 12, 2008
At the scam.com forum, there is considerable debate about whether ACN is a pyramid scam. One poster cites, in support of his theory that ACN is an illegal pyramid scam, two Government announcements, one from Australia and the other from the Canadian Competition Bureau...

How to Avoid Franchise Fraud

Posted on February 11, 2008
From the Blue Mau Mau site, we learn about some excellent franchise due diligence: knowing what I know now!: It is obvious. First I would do the sniff test. Take my time. Never listen to the Zor because they have their main interest at hand. Wait a year to get to know what the Zor's company is really about...

How to Get A Job with a Franchisor

Posted on February 11, 2008
Jerry Wilkerson, at franchise-chat.com, has an interesting article called Tips for Franchisor Job Seekers "Nearly 90 percent of franchisors consider communication/people skills as the major reason they hire an individual. During your phone or in person interview don?t just talk about duties and responsibilities you have undertaken, talk about accomplishments, and be specific...

Lawyers Behaving Badly 3

Posted on February 11, 2008
Funny story from the WSJ about legal ads, Objection! Funny Legal Ads Draw Censure "Syracuse, N.Y., attorney James Alexander ran a TV spot for his firm showing lawyers offering counsel to space aliens who had crashed their UFO. He also did one with lawyers towering like giants over Syracuse...

Islamic Con Job?

Posted on February 11, 2008
Interesting story from the Toronto Star Muslim leader calls sharia loans a `con job' Why is it a con job? "A controversial study looking at Islamic banking by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. has ignited protest from some sectors of the Muslim community...

Inside a Fraud - The Stan Van Etten Story

Posted on February 10, 2008
One of major factors in cracking a fraud is the willingness of the office staff to blow the whistle of the fraud. It is a very difficult task, with no reward. I wrote a couple a small story about Stan Van Etten and the International Heritgage Pyramid Scam...

Poker as an Ethical Model for Laywers

Posted on February 10, 2008
I have a review about Steven Lubet's book "52 Lessons that Lawyers can learn from Card Players". Lubet provides interesting examples about how poker players resolve recursive reasoning: what should I do if I belive that he believes that I belive, etc...

How to Make a $1 Billion Tax Free

Posted on February 08, 2008
The Soc Gen fraud just gets better: Tax Twist in the Trading Scandal - WSJ.com "When it announced the world's biggest trading loss on Jan. 24, Société Générale said that Mr. Kerviel for several months had engaged in risky and fraudulent trading that at one point had left the bank exposed by ?50 billion...

USANA Recruiting Down

Posted on February 08, 2008
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Usana posts hefty sales, but Recruiting Down" "After reporting the company's sixth year of record sales and earnings, Usana Health Sciences' chief financial officer said the company will be looking for opportunities that could result from the deteriorating U...

Do You Make This Mistake -Bad Advice from Police?

Posted on February 08, 2008
Stop and think before you get scammed Here is advice from the Police: "Consumer education is more important today than ever. Before making any purchase, have an idea what you?re buying, especially if it?s something you consume. Phony medication, worthless merchandise, dangerous diet products and items that are never delivered are all too common...

ATM Fraud

Posted on February 08, 2008
ATM Fraud Alleged "An outraged business partner has accused a Wake County businessman of an elaborate fraud to gain control of more than 1,200 ATMs in gas stations, convenience stores and other outlets across the country. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Wake County Superior Court contends that Vance Moore II and his business, ATM Financial Services of Garner, perpetrated a $30 million scheme...

Is Arbitration Bad for Franchisees?

Posted on February 07, 2008
Over at Blue Mau Mau, Susan Kezios, speaks about against mandatory arbitration clauses in franchise agreement, AFA's Kezios on Federal Initiatives for Franchisees in '08: "Says FTCs New Franchise Rule Has Given Birth to a Mouse, Franchisees Should be Supporting Arbitration Fairness Act and More  Ms...

Three Steps To Avoiding Scams?

Posted on February 07, 2008
There is news article about how to avoid fraud, from Jacksonville, which shows some promise because of its understanding about behavioral economics. How to Avoid Scams "As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Some investors in the Jacksonville area have found that out as they tackle the presence of investment schemes...

Odd Franchise.

Posted on February 07, 2008
Here is a bit of an odd franchise, reported on from the Globe and Mail, A womb with a view (and some controversy) "With more than two months left before she was due to give birth, Kathy Stewardson wanted a sneak preview. She had had a standard ultrasound much earlier in her pregnancy at a local hospital in Vancouver...

Cell Phone List Brokers - Enablers of Fraud

Posted on February 07, 2008
Michael David Thomas spotted a neat little story about how list brokers get cell phone numbers, in his Pizza Phone Database "This has been widely known and used in the investigative world for several years now, but this is the first time I've noticed a prominent story on the subject appearing in the media...

Have Failed Franchisees Been Raped?

Posted on February 06, 2008
In an extraordinary post at Blue Mau Mau, a failed franchisee claims that It Feels Like Rape when the franchisee finds out that they have been lied to by their franchisor. Zee's are left in the state of desperation. Many have never been in this situation before...

Are Australian Franchisors Bullies?

Posted on February 06, 2008
Australian Franchisees call for conduct code change "Angry franchisees have called on the West Australian Government to independently pass state legislation that works to tighten the Franchise Code of Conduct on the first day of the state?s public inquiry into franchising, saying that existing laws do not protect them from bully franchisors...

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