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These scams are among the most despicable as they target vulnerable persons who have loved ones--often children--who have disappeared.
U. S. Postal Inspectors once investigated a promoter who was running a so-called "recovery bureau." The bureau attempted to collect $20,000 on the basis of fraudulent claims that it knew the whereabouts of a California man's missing former wife and children.
The Californian traveled to Michigan based on the promoter's promises that he could find and reclaim his family in that state. The man became suspicious when the contact he was sent to see in Michigan demanded a $20,000 payment before he would provide any information about the missing former wife and children.
Subsequent investigation by Postal Inspectors revealed that the ex-wife and children had never been in Michigan. The promoter had no information about the missing family members. In reality, he had only received a routine notice from a legitimate private investigator who was seeking assistance in finding the ex-wife and children.
Persons with missing children or loved ones should be skeptical of anyone demanding money for information about such missing persons. Specifically, local public sector law enforcement should always be notified of such approaches.
It should be noted here that many legitimate licensed private investigators conduct searches for missing persons and often charge substantially less than their going rates. Also, although it is not commonly known, there are a great number of P.I.s who conduct searches for missing children and others on a pro bono or gratis basis when funding is unavailable--or work as a part of a group on such projects. Ms. Ettisch-Enchelmaier, a well-known German private investigator has been often commended for her efforts in this area.
Even at Loss Prevention Concepts, Ltd. we have had some opportunity to assist others in such matters. For instance in one case, an elderly local woman had exhausted her subsistence funds and the public sector had produced no results in their attempt to locate her husband, who had disappeared while suffered from psychological problems. For close to a year, it had been assumed he was deceased. Due to his absence and a lack of proof of his death, the couple's assets were frozen for years and even the family home could not be sold.
A friend of this distraught woman called Loss Prevention Concepts, Ltd. as a last resort and explained the situation providing what little information was on hand. She was told that it was unlikely that we find anything, but that we would see what we could do--at no charge. We ran some basic on line searches and got lucky.
A card showing a cute little bear holding up a daisy was received a couple of days later. It was much more prized than a payment on an invoice. It simply read:
Dear (----)
I want to sincerely thank you for all your help. It seems in today's world there are very few people willing to help. It was my husband that you found.
Sincerely, (----)
______________________________
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