FOUNTAIN HILLS - As the unemployment rate nears 10 percent, more and more Americans are getting desperate to find work. That's why more people are tempted by too-good-to-be-true offers -- that tend to turn out to be fake.
In the recession, many people are trying to make extra money by working from home through the internet.
Kim Eoff lives in Fountain Hills, and she fell for a new money-making scheme going around that seemed to be fronted by a reliable name.
Eoff was browsing the internet when she came across an article in the "Arizona Times Online.'"
"I've lived here 15 years and I know there's no Arizona Times, but we have a Fountain Hills Times and we have Arizona, so in my mind, I thought that was an online newspaper I don't know about," she says. The article focused on Mary, a Fountain Hills woman who made about $5,500 a month posting links.
The story goes on about a system called "Google Millionaire" and a link sends readers to a page called "Google Fortune."
"My husband is like check it out. Let's look at it and see. It might be worth something and she's right here in Fountain Hills, this woman. We'll like OK. Small world. Let's do it," says Eoff.
But the real Google says they're not affiliated with this -- and the newspaper doesn't actually exist. You'll also find the same article in the Texas Times, and in it's story, Mary instead lives in San Jose or Houston.
To join, Eoff had to give them her credit card information. That's when she says, things got a little fishy.
"When you see Google and their logo, you instantly think, OK, who wouldn't want to work for Google and make a few extra bucks? It's such a large company," says Eoff. "Bells started ringing and I'm usually a very, very skeptical person. I don't ever do this. I Snope everything. What is this? What is that? But this one I fell for."
Eoff called her bank and canceled her credit card, losing only $2 for the trial period. But if she hadn't canceled within a week, the company would've charged her $69 a month.
A Google spokesperson says Google is not affiliated with these sites and cannot comment on their claims.
Official Google Blog: How to steer clear of money scams
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-steer-clear-of-money-scams.html
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