Letter from a VP of Travel Awards Division about free airline tickets
These guys are going bad to their tried-and-true strategy of making up two-name companies and sending letters offering free airline tickets. (See all other posts here about these letters.) Please comment if you received one with your location.
It tells you that you have qualified for an award of 2 roundtrip airline tickets. It looks like it was actually signed by Kelly Mane, the “Vice President.” They hand write the address on the envelope and use a real stamp (sometimes!).
Here are the new companies so far:
Fletcher Adams (fletcheradams.com)
Nelson Murphy (nelsonmurphy.com)
Franklin Hobbs (franklinhobbs.com)
Duncan Jacobs (duncanjacobs.com)
Stevenson Barnes (stevensonbarnes.com)
Once you go to the sales pitch and sign up, you book through a fulfillment company. I’ve seen two lately: Universal Travel Vacations (website, BBB report) or the The Vacation Station (website, BBB report TN, BBB report SC)
I have found the answers to this mystery thanks to the great work of the folks at BBB in Tucson, AZ:
http://www.bbb.org/tucson/business-reviews/travel-clubs/southwest-travel-club-in-tucson-az-20007983
http://www.bbb.org/tucson/business-reviews/prize-promotions/patterson-bell-in-tucson-az-20027549
An actual story: http://www.kgun9.com/features/investigations/122887609.html
NEW video from INSIDE THE SALES PRESENTATION: http://www.9news.com/news/article/362984/339/Companies-behind-free-airline-ticket-letters-
Great reporting from WKMG: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Free-travel-offer-mystifies-consumers/-/1637132/15701330/-/8s7gus/-/index.html
Video from inside the first ever video encounter I’ve seen: http://www.kboi2.com/news/local/Travel-service-vacation-smart-international-us-airlines-vacationanddeals-com-175915611.html?tab=video&c=y
If you would like to read more about these folks, visit this post. You can read all about the sales presentation, the free offer and the what you get for your vacation membership club cash outlay.
LETTER:
I am pleased to inform you that you have qualified for an award of 2 roundtrip airline tickets. Congratulations.Play Store Download These tickets are valid for travel anywhere in the Continental U.S. The retail value of this award is up to $1,298.00. Certain restrictions apply.
We have attempted contacting you several times without success. This is our last attempt. If we do not hear from you soon, we may need to issue the ticket vouchers to the alternate.
Please call me today at 1-866-517-2406 (numbers always changing).
Regards,
VP du jour (see above)
Vice President
Travel Awards Division
Here is what would happen if you did call:
ADVICE:
When I read this, it was just too good not to post. It’s from the Nebraska Attorney General (page 13 printed/page 15 PDF).
Look for the warning signs that may indicate a scam:
- Benefits sound too good to be true.
- The company has no permanent address and all presentations are held in rented conference rooms.
- They can’t, or won’t, provide you with references.
- They don’t want to give you an itemized list of what’s included in your trip until you have already signed the contract.
What you should do if you suspect a scam:
- Don’t sign any contract during the travel presentation. They are high-pressure events intended to stir the emotions of an exotic vacation.
- Contact a respected travel agent in town, give them the specifics of the trip, and ask if that seems consistent with industry pricing.
- Shop around. Compare your trip with other travel packages being offered to seniors.
Here is Michigan’s Attorney General’s advice:
http://www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-34739_20942-44762–,00.html
Nice! My husband just received one of these letters in the mail today, from Duncan Jacobs. It was signed by an “Alice Jon, Vice President”.
My husband just recv’d a letter from Duncan Jacobs too.
I right away got online to find info on this and seen it is a scam.
Thank you to everyone who has recv’d letters and posted comments, hopefully this will prevent others from being scammed!
My husband just received a letter today dated
March 5, 2012 from Stevenson Barnes. It was the same letter as above, but the phone number was 1-866-220-8448. It was signed by Candice Ryan, Vice President. We live in Pittsburgh, PA. Thanks for the “heads up” on this scam. As we know all too well, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Stevenson Barnes scam
My letter, received March 8, 2012 was from “Stevenson Barnes” and has scam written all over it. Go to their website and read what they say they do and its all a bunch of double talk bunk that says nothing. “We strive to meet the demands of our customers by building relationships using outstanding award incentives in order to create trust with the people we do business with…” WHAT? That’s a lot of words that say absoultely nothing.
Stevenson Barnes scam
The other interesting thing is that if you just do a search for “Stevenson Barnes” you won’t get any results. They’ve “scrubbed” their searches so that when people do a basic google search their name won’t come up next to the word SCAM. So I’ll make sure it does here.
Stevenson Barnes scam
Stevenson Barnes scam
Got my letter and thanks to these posts in the trash 🙂
I just received a 2nd letter today… signed from Candice Ryan…. phone number was 866-225-7244… what a SCAM…. also throwing it in the trash !
Thanks all.
Also received in Pittsburgh, PA. Received 3/9/12, dated 3/5/12 from Candice Ryan @ Stevenson Barnes # 1-866-220-8448
Seems like STEVENSON BARNES has flooded Pittsburgh PA. We got one too! Its been thru the shredder and put in the trash!
YES! Today, Sat. March 10th, Pittsburgh, hand written envelope.
stamped in Pheonix AZ. No return address. Same typo. “personally” signed by CANDICE RYAN. Company: STEVENSON BARNES. “You must respond no later than March 14th. 2012.” Number given: 1-866-220-8448. This number has been attacking us – 5 times a day for 2 weeks solid now. obviously automated. Someone get them!!!
We got one just today. Same letter as above so they are still at it trying to scam people.
Just got one today. Mine is dated March 5th 2012. Hand written on the envelope, real stamp.Personally signed by a Candice Ryan. Aren’t we all so lucky? I smell fish. yuck
My husband got the letter Today, postmarked from Phoenix.
It was handwritten with and had a stick on postage stamp.
His name was spelled wrong.
My husband just got a letter from Stevenson Barnes and signed by Candice Ryan. Pittsburgh, look out
Dear Candice Ryan and Stevenson Barnes Scam Inc. Please feel free to make this your last attempt as you’ve indicated you will do if we don’t respond by the 16th. Please issue the “ticket vouchers to the alternate”.
sincerelier,
Ma Izzi
Vice President
Happy at Home Without Being Hustled Division
Received letter today addressed to husband…Pittsburgh, pa
Received the letter today from Candice Ryan, says to call 1-866-220-9108. It was addresses to Michelle. My name is Michael, maybe they think I’m French. As always I check the internet on stuff like this, thanks for all the input.
We’re located in Grand Rapids and just got a letter to from this Stevenson Barnes SCAM
just got letter from stevenson barnes in Aliquippa, Pa. Same as the others.It was good for a laugh. Isn’t using the mail for a scam illegal and who investigates if it is ?
Got one today too! I was thrown by the self addressed envelope. They must be making their way around the Pittsburgh area. Mine was signed Candice Ryan, VP. How many vice presidents can a company have!? Haha.
Received a letter from “Duncan Jacobs” on Feb. 27. Handwritten, stamped envelope. Throwing away now……
My husband just received the exact letter today, also. Pittsburgh PA
VP Candice Ryan
Yep, got one dated March 5 and signed Candice Ryan, addressed to my husband. We live in a suburb North of Detroit.
The letter looked very unprofessional to me. The hand addressed envelope was just weird.
Like Alan, I live in the metro Grand Rapids area and got one today.
Same crap here. Now I’ve gotten two of their letters in the past couple of months.
Stevenson Barnes
Candice Ryan
1-866-220-8069
I just received a letter today (March 12,2012) from Stevenson Barnes. Signed by Candice Ryan. I am from Michigan, suburbs of Detroit.
Thanks – got this in the mail and it had no address other than a dot.com and thought sounded to good to be true -signed by Candice Ryan
My husband received this same letter yesterday, signed Candice Ryan, VP.I knew it was some sort of scam, glad to see I was right! I love the vague threat, “we may need to issue the vouchers to the alternate”–oooh please don’t do THAT! HAHAHA, please do.
Appreciate the post. I got the “Stevenson Barnes” version with Candice Ryan as VP. I thought about calling them to see if I could be a VP for a day and when the next batch of posts come in, I could get fired for doing the righ thing. 🙂
Just received a stevenson barnes letter signed by candice ryan vice president I am from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Received a letter from Stevenson Barnes that I qualified for two free airline tickets anywhere in the continential United States. Now I’m not stupid and know a good thing when I see it and this one just stinks from the hand written old address which is was sent too, haven’t lived there in 8 years. Vice President Candice Ryan signed it so I guess they are running out of names. Becareful people they are at it again.
Thanks – we just got one in the mail in Ann Arbor Michigan and it is also going in the trash!
I received one on March 12th and it was from Stevenson Barnes. They try to make it very legit by having websites, so look out. Mine was also signed Candice Ryan.
My letter just arrived today signed Anita Welsh ( VP ) I’m from Grand Rapids, MI. I have been to these promo seminars before, it’s A TOTAL RIP-OFF.
People that work at these places, are complete scum bags. How could anyone actually work in an business that gives a super high-pressure sales pitch, mostly to people that can”t afford it . How can those sale-persons actually sleep at night. What has our society become, sale-persons with no ideals. Would they want one of their own family members participate in a scam like this! Yes they probably would sign them up, because they are scum. They all should go to jail for fraud.
A Franklin Honbs letter showed up today, postmarked March 12 2012 in Phoenix AZ. It didn’t have my name on it but was hand written to my address with no return address (big surprise). I opened it up and it had scam written all over it. It’s identical to the other letters posted here. Can’t believe how many other people are posting about this as well.
My husband just got the letter from “Candice”. Good thing I open all his mail with handwritten addresses from women. Candice was very busy this week sending letters. We live south of Chicago.
Confirming Dennis J’s note, it appears that Candice Ryan has been fired. Anita Welsh is the new Vice President of the Travel Awards Division of Franklin Hobbs.
We live west of Chicago.
I received a letter marked 3/12/2012 from Franklin Hobbs that I was awarded 2 round trip airline tickets with a value up to $1,298.00. Certain restrictions apply.Signed by ANITA WELSH V.P. TRAVEL AWARDS DIVISION. 1-866-658-2742
SERIOUSLY!!!!???? GET A REAL JOB
I just got my letter fom Candice. It was a handwritten addressed letter my last name was mispelled. I am from Lathrup Village, Michigan suburb of Detroit. The post office needs to close this business scam down.
Received a letter today from Franklin Hobbs and signed by Anita Welsh the Vice President Travel Awards Division. I live in Elizabeth, PA. The letter was hand-written with my correct name and was post-marked from Phoenix, AZ. They have a website too http://www.franklinhobbs.com. Looks official but I am not a SUCKER!!!!
Received the Franklin Hobbs letter in Lansing MI on 3/15 from Anita Welsh. Handwritten address to my name. Same as the other posted letters
I just got a letter from Franklin Hobbs – identical to the other posts here. My name, hand-written, no return address. Signed by Vice President Anita Welsh, who says “Call me today at 866-658-2736”. This has Scam (or should I say “Scum”) written all over it!
Got one dated March 12th, 2012, from Franklin Hobbs. I’m in the Pittsburgh area. It’s signed by an ‘Anita Welsh’.
Thanks for all this info!
I too received a letter with a Franklin Hobbs header and Anita Welsh is the Vice President who “signed” the letter. Same as Charles and identical to all above.
The phone number to call is 1-866-658-2736
I am in Chicago western burbs.
I also received a letter dated March 12 signed by “Mary Kay, VP”
Just got a letter today from the new VP, Anita Welsh. Same letter as the others. I live in the Pittsburgh area like many others who got the letter. Does anyone know how these scam artists are getting our addresses and how do we turn them in to the proper authorities????
My husband received a letter from Franklin Hobbs – signed by VP – Anita Welsh. Phone number to call is 866-658-3260.
We live in Ann Arbor, MI area
in madison heights, mi area and husband received a letter dated March 12th, same letter as above with phone# 866 658 3260 and signed by Anita Welsh.
I also received a letter on 3-15-12 in Monroe, MI. There was no return address on the envelope or on the letter. The letter contained the same information as the one on this post, except it had Franklin Hobbs on the top, and was signed by Anita Welsh, with a call back tx of 866-658-3260. The letter was dated 3-12-12 with a response deadline no later than 3-21-12.
It looks like they rotate the names and numbers every few days for their mass mailings. The website is extremely vague on details and also does not identify where they are based.
My husband received this. Dated March 12, 2012.
I’m wondering where they get the addresses? What is the common denominater? Anyone else with Wells Fargo mortgage? That’s the only place my husband uses this address for. Everything else is in my name- I have a different last name?????