Small Business Owners Nationwide Falling Victim to Oregon Internet Marketing Scam

The company listed 3760 Market Street NE, Salem, as it’s office with the BBB, which turned out to be a very, very small office -- it was a post office box.

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(SALEM) - When small business owners from Massachusetts to Oregon signed up and paid for a program to increase their business' web traffic, they say they were taken for a ride.

Jan Margosian with the Oregon Attorney General's office says they are looking for more businesses nationwide who may have fallen victim to Top Rank Marketing Inc. which listed it’s home office as Salem.

According to the Better Business Bureau, the company called their victims and promised to help their small business develop online marketing strategies by providing ideas and guaranteeing sales increases.

In some cases, complainants claim that once they agree to use the services and pay thousands of dollars in fees, Top Rank sends out an initial marketing packet, but fails to provide services beyond that.

Last year, the company contacted Laura Schell of Philomath offering to help with her company’s website marketing.

“After paying for a one-year contract, I did not receive the services I had been promised,” said Schell. “I contacted the company several times to complain, but either got no answer or was told that the representatives I originally talked to had left the company. They finally offered to extend my contract, but I still have not received any services and have yet to hear from them.”

The company also uses the names Top Rank Consulting, and Top Rank Placement.

The company listed 3760 Market Street NE, Salem, as it’s office with the BBB, which turned out to be very, very small office -- it was a post office box.

Margosian says that mail drop is now closed.

Of the five complaints that have come in to the Oregon Attorney General’s office so far, the small business owners have lost on average about $2,400 Margosian said.

Top Rank Marketing also provided a counterfeit BBB Reliability report on their website, falsely claiming that they had no complaints and had a satisfactory record with the BBB.

To date, the BBB has processed 19 complaints from consumers in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, and Virginia.

Margosian says they have forward the cases to the Federal Trade Commission in Seattle for further investigation.

She says they aren’t sure if it was a legitimate business that went under, or if it’s criminal activity, because they can’t locate a company representative to talk to.

Because this is a business to business issue, there is little the Oregon Attorney General's office can do about it, except to get the word out and find more victims, and forward those complaints to the FTC.

Margosian added that they are seeing more and more misleading companies getting into the web design arena.

If you think you may have fallen victim to this alleged scam, call the Attorney General's consumer hotline at (503) 378-4320 (Salem area only), (503) 229-5576 (Portland area only) or toll-free at (877) 877-9392, or online at www.doj.state.or.us.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following tips when considering Internet-related business offers and promotions:

• Consider the offer carefully and get all service claims and earnings in writing. If they guarantee a sales increase, they must provide the number and percentage of previous clients who achieved the earnings.
• Be wary of high-pressure sales tactics and consult an attorney, accountant, or other business advisor before putting any money down or signing any papers.
• Contact the Better Business Bureau, Attorney General’s office, and state or county Consumer Protection Agency both where the company is based and where you live to find out whether there is any record of unresolved complaints. Do not rely on a reliability report or complaints record you receive directly from the company.
• Make sure to obtain contact names and phone numbers as well as the physical street address of the company. Deceitful companies often change names and locations to hide a history of complaints or fraudulent actions.