Here’s the catch: Premium Promotions offers an enticing offer where you can make a 976% return on a $500 investment in their gift card marketing campaign. The solicitation
claims all you have to do is sit back and Premium Promotions will do all the work for you to make a huge profit—100 percent guaranteed. In less than three months, they say you can cash a check that will end your money worries. Sadly, individuals that sent
money looking to cash in on the deal discover too late that the offer and guarantee are worthless.
Premium Promotions is one of many names used by the perpetrators that operate this scam. Their offer seems to be seasonal and they rotate names each time. While the company may
change its name, the deceptive ads do not change. Doing business under Bill Jacobs Fun and Fuel Promotions, John Howard Unlimited Gift Cards and Rewards, and Michael Phillips Premium Promotions, these scammers claim that within 120 days you will receive not
only a check for your initial investment but a profit check as well. They try to offer a sense of security by alleging to have a “100% Risk-Free Total Protection Guarantee” and a “Gift Card Principal Security Back Up Plan” that guarantees you will receive
your principal investment back within 120 days or, in case anything out of their control occurs, you will receive a gift card or voucher equal to the amount of your investment and a credit certificate to participate in a future offer. In truth, the only guarantee
these offers have is the certainty that you will not receive anything worthwhile for your investment. One customer relays that he was waiting for his checks to arrive when, finally, a Fed Ex package arrived. No doubt he was excited, thinking he was receiving
his huge guaranteed check. What he received were rebate certificates, valid for use in a future business venture. Another individual received discount vouchers for air travel and restaurants. This was certainly not the same value as their initial investment
nor was it what was guaranteed.
Their misleading practices, deceptive advertising tactics, failure to fulfill guarantees, and failure to address complaints filed with Business Consumer Alliance are contributing factors to their F rating. Unfortunately, they more than likely will resurface,
under a different name, in an attempt to scam more people out of their money.
Kim’s advice: Ask yourself if the offer seems too good to be true. If so, most likely it is not a legitimate offer. More often than not, any offer to make big money with no risk or effort involved is a scam designed to separate you from
your money.
- If you are contacted with an investment offer you should always use caution. All investments carry some degree of risk so it is wise to be wary of promises of guaranteed returns. Take time to investigate the offer, the parties involved, the business or
individual soliciting the investment, as well as the investment’s potential.
- Obtain a reliability report from BCA and check to see if the company has any complaints.
- Check with state and federal authorities for any registration or licensing requirements and for complaints.
- The Internet and social media are other resources to consult when researching an opportunity and the principals making the offer. Ask the business where they are located and obtain a physical address so that you can confirm that the company is an actual
business. Request that the company provide references of previous clients and contact them. Do not assume the person you are speaking with is actually who they claim to be. Some outfits have company representatives or affiliates pose as customers, clients,
or investors in an effort to sustain the scheme.
- Obtain all promises, guarantees, and conditions of the investment or offer in writing and maintain a copy for your records. It is wise never to wire money, send cash, or a money order to someone you do not know.
- Consult with a trusted advisor, legal consultant, or acquaintance about the offer. Do not give in to high-pressure sales tactics or demands to act quickly to secure the offer. Doing so may end in a loss of your money and no return on your investment.
About the Author:
Kim Burge is Business Consumer Alliance’s Vice President of Business Practice. For media inquiries, Kim can be reached by phone at (909) 835-6094.
About Business Consumer Alliance:
Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) is a non-profit which started in 1936. The broad purpose of BCA is to promote business self regulation. BCA's mission is achieved by assisting consumers in resolving complaints with businesses
and using that complaint information along with other relevant information like customer reviews to forecast business reliability. With community support, BCA can identify trustworthy and ethical businesses and warn the public to avoid unscrupulous businesses
whose purpose is to defraud the marketplace. BCA obtains its funding from member businesses who support the mission and purpose of the organization and who agree to abide by high standards of ethical business practices.