White City Scammers Lose to Oregon

There is good news on the magazine scams front.  The State of Oregon recently settled their lawsuit against the White City scammers for $3,000,000.

Since four other states have outstanding lawsuits against those scoundrels, more good news may be on the way.

Texas Sues White City Scammers

The details of the Texas suit against the White City scammers are here.

New York Sues White City Scammers

The State of New York filed suit against the White City scammers in March 2015.

Wisconsin Sues the White City Scammers

Turns out Wisconsin beat Oregon in filing a suit against Laura Lovrien and the White City scammers.  There papers were filed at the end of November 2014.

Oregon Sues the White City Scammers

On 30 March 2015 the  Attorney General of Oregon filed suit against the bad guys from White City, who flood the mails with dubious subscription solicitations. The suit alleges a complicated “criminal enterprise” involving quite a variety of people and shell companies.

I wish the lawsuit well, and will keep an eye on its progress.

Newspaper Articles on the White City Scammers

Since the last time I did some investigation, the Arizona Republic did a good story on the bad guys from White City, Oregon. A woman named Laura Lovrien is one of the people behind the collection of shell names that perpetrate the scams.  She seems to get help from her sister Lydia Pugsley.

A recent article from Daily Finance notes that various states are going after her, and that the Wall Street Journal has spent an estimated $3,500,000 trying to combat such scam subscription companies.

And an April 2015 article from the Oregon newspaper Mail Tribune says that the White City scammers have cheated consumers out of $20,000,000.  

Avoid Any Mail from White City, Oregon

The folk doing business under a multitude of names from White City, Oregon, are even worse than I thought.  Recently someone posted this comment on an earlier post, which deserves more prominence:

American Preferred Readers are a scam. My 75 year old mother is being harassed daily by this company. She is being told that she has a contract and they can substantiate that by a taped recording of her and if she doesn't pay she will sent to a collection agency. This has been very stressful for her. Unfortunately, She has paid them almost $400.00 thinking they would finally leave her alone before our family found out about this situation. Despicable!

They operate under dozens of names.  Here is only a partial list, courtesy of The Nation:

1. Billing Services Association
2. Billing Services of America
3. Circulation Billing Center
4. Circulation Billing Services
5. Magazine Billing Services
6. Magazine Billing Network
7. Magazine Billing Services
8. Magazine Distribution Services
9. National Magazine Services
10. National Magazine Subscriptions
11. Orbital Publishing Group
12. Periodical Billing Services
13. Publishers Billing Association
14. Publishers Billing Center
15. Publishers Billing Exchange
16. Publishers Payment Processing, Inc.
17. Publishers Subscription Services
18. Readers Billing Network
19. Readers Billing Services
20. Readers Payment Center
21. Readers Payment Services
22. United Publishers Services

Avoid anything having to do with magazine subscription offers that come from White City, Oregon.

The Annoying Macy’s Discount Hertz Keychain Card

Well, I’m renting a Hertz car in Hawaii.  The key comes with a plastic tag good for a 10% Macy’s discount.

The tag can’t be removed without cutting it off (it is attached to the keychain with a metal loop).  Unless I have a nail clipper along (which I do), I have to look at a Macy’s ad every time I use my rental car.

Avoid Circulation Billing Services (II)

The hydra-headed folk in White City, Oregon, continue to send out fraudulent magazine subscription solicitations under every-changing names.

The latest I got was from “Circulation Billing Services,” offering a subscription to the Readers Digest at their usually exorbitant rates.   It’s the second one I’ve had with that name of late.

As always, ignore anything coming to you from one of the many names used by these scammers  in White City, Oregon.