We spent several hours on Monday and Tuesday evenings taking photos and videos of the FHS and Leo Hayes grads as they arrived for their respective proms - the social highlight of their high school years. You'll see hundreds of pictures and some videos of the events in the justFRED.ca galleries.

The events were held at the Delta Fredericton. And Monday evening went beautifully. But on Tuesday, someone let the dogs out and they came straight for us.

Why? It's hard to say.

Check out http://www.justfred.ca/cmine/displayimage.php?album=128&pos=0">the video as Delta staff shoo us away, block our camera, and eventually drive us off the property.

According to the man in the electric blue tie, we didn't look enough like media for him, so he called in the police to stop us from filming. He said he was doing it 'for the kids...it's all for the kids." Somehow, that just didn't wash.

Would those be the same kids who seemed thrilled to have us take their pictures for the site and who've been coming to justFRED.ca by the hundreds to look at and download the free photos and videos we put online?

And it's not like the Delta didn't know we were coming. We called the hotel's marketing manager on Monday and left a detailed voice message about our plan which she's yet to answer.

We have justFRED stickers plastered all over our camera. We've been shooting events at the Delta for months, including the FHS prom parade the evening before.

If you have any idea what brought this on, by all means visit our http://www.justfred.ca/contact_form.html">contacts form and send us a note. We'd love to know what you think.

Is it the Delta? Is it Leo Hayes? Our breath? Is a single photo in the local paper what the kids really want?

Cheers,
George
justFRED.ca

OK, so we don't really mean it. Compared with mid-February when we were scouring town for anything that resembled activity other than falling snow, this time of year is a dream. But the activity has been non-stop for weeks now culminating in three local high school proms in 24 hours.

That's on top of one weekend event after another: the day-long Fredericton District Soccer Association's annual skills & drills day with 1,200 youth players, Riverfest 2007, the 2nd Annual Maritime Countryfest, the open house at the new Remax offices and Jim Gilbert's Family Fun Days. This weekend, the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra is in town preparing for their trip to China while bluegrass fans will be taking in the first annual festival at Woolastook Park sponsored by RV World.

Our cameras are nearing meltdown, but in general, it's been a great experience: we've met dozens of friendly, talented people of all ages who make this one of the best places in the world in which to live and work. (Yeah, yeah, you've heard that before, but this is coming from a guy who's lived in five countries and more than a dozen towns and cities. This place is a gem...)

So to all of you who've supported our efforts, helped us get into our eighth month of operation, and given us such useful advice and feedback along the way:

Thanks, Fredericton (and Oromocto and Lincoln and New Maryland)....all of us here at justFRED.ca take our hats off to you. Now take a well deserved bow.

Cheers,
George
http://justFRED.ca">justFRED.ca

The telephone scam that promises to reduce your credit card rates hasn't generated many complaints in the Fredericton area, according to Detective Sara McElman of the Fredericton City Police, but has generated a pile of complaints to Phone Busters, the national clearinghouse for telemarketing scams.

"There's a big push on now using that type of pitch," Detective John Schultz of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) who works at the Phone Busters operations center in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

The scam - which we detailed http://blogs.justfred.ca/justfred-news/2007/06/05/latest-telephone-scam-to-hit-town/"> in a blog posting yesterday - involves telemarketers convincing you to pay them an advance fee that will supposedly lead to reduced credit card rates for you.

But according to the Federal Trade Commission in the US, the most you're likely to get for the fee of more than $500 is a three-way phone call with you, the telemarketer and your financial institution in which the telemarketer requests the reduced rate and the credit card company says 'No'. Oh, and you might get an envelope in the mail with some tips on how to reduce your credit card rates.

Det. McElman says that local residents who receive what they think are fraud-related phone come-ons should report them to http://phonebusters.com/">Phone Busters. If you've fallen victim by actually paying money or handing over your credit card information, contact the Fredericton City Police.

She says the most common telemarketing fraud in the Fredericton area targets seniors and is what's known as the Advance Fee Lottery Fraud. This is where you receive a phone call or email saying you've won a lottery that you never entered and to collect your prize, you have to pay a service charge or similar fee.

"If you're a winner, you're a winner," Det. McElman says. "You don't have to pay a fee or service charge afterwards."

Cheers,
George

The phone rings. You pick it up and hear a recorded message that promises to reduce your credit card rates if you just press 1.

Press 1 and you'll get a human telemarketer claiming to work for MCS Programs and for a fee, promises to help you reduce your credit card rate.

Ask who they are, where they're located and how they got your personal information and you'll soon hear a dial tone.

The Canadian Marketing Association has never heard of MCS Programs. Would MCS be short for Mastercard Services? Mastercard Canada say they've never heard of these people either, and that they're not engaged in any credit card related telemarketing.

But Phone Busters recognizes the pattern. In fact, there's a link from their http://phonebusters.com/english/legal_2007.html">web site to a http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/02/sms.shtm">media release on the US Federal Trade Commission site tdescribes this made-in-Canada scam and how it worked to defraud American consumers.

The telemarketer promises to help the victim reduce his or her credit card rates, but first, you have to pay a fee to the telemarketer. And for that, you're asked to provide your credit card information. Don't do it.

Here's the FTC's explanation of how this works:

For $675 plus $20 for shipping and handling, the complaint alleges, the defendants send consumers promotional materials with more promises to substantially reduce their interest rates, and a “financial profile form” for consumers to complete and mail back. The form asks consumers to list the current balance, credit limit, interest rate, and suggested minimum payment for each of their credit card and other debts, as well as their social security number and other personal information.

After receiving the completed form, the defendants initiate three-way telephone calls with consumers and their credit card companies and ask the companies to lower the consumers’ credit card interest rates. The requests typically are denied, and that is often the extent of the defendants’ services. The complaint also alleges that the defendants do not honor their policy of giving refunds to consumers who do not experience the promised substantial savings.

The telemarketing scheme has raised its head in Fredericton. There's no telling if this is the same group that the FTC took to court to stop them bilking American consumers.

We called the Fredericton Police Department to find out if other local residents and businesses have received these calls and filed complaints, but have yet to get a call back.

So, as always: Be careful with your money and your personal information. For more details about this an other telephone scams, visit the Phone Busters web site.

Cheers,
George

PS - We now have http://blogs.justfred.ca/justfred-news/2007/06/06/update-on-the-telemarketing-scam/"> an update on this story with information from Phone Busters and the Fredericton City Police.