I just recieved a notice to pay for my FWW subscription from “Platinum Publishing Service” out of Oregon. I wrote the check and was going to mail it today but set it aside and checked Tauntons home page under subscriber info and they have an alert that this is a fake.
Woodworkers instincts
Bill
Replies
I've received the same thing for FWW and several other magazines.
It's just unbelievable how many people there are out there trying to scam consumers.
It's just unbelievable how many people there are out there trying to scam consumers.
Didn't they used to horse-whip and/or tar and feather these rascals? Seems like another lost noble tradition that should be re-established.
Jeff
This subscription scam has been an ongoing problem, not only for Taunton Press, but for other publishers as well. Taunton does not yet know for certain how the people behind it run the scam, but is actively pursuing a solution through legal channels in Oregon, where they operate. The problem first surfaced in April of this year, when they did a mailing to our subscribers under the name “Publisher’s Marketplace.” The “Platinum Publishing” name is a new one used by the same people. They are not authorized to solicit our subscribers, nor have we provided them with any personal information about our subscribers. As the Publisher said, the only sure way to stop them, unfortunately, is through the vigilance of subscribers recognizing that the phony renewal notice was sent by someone other than Taunton Press. If you’ve been victimized by these people, you can file a complaint with the Oregon Dept. of Justice. To learn more, go to the top right corner of your screen and click on the “Customer Service” bar. That will open a page of more choices. Click on the first entry, “Subscriber Alert!” at the top left of that page.
I personally believe "home security" should start at ......... well, home.. I rarely wait for someone else to fix the leaking faucet. Others may see it from another set of eyes. Magazine scams and shyters have been around far longer than I. "Pronounced Guilty" if you can prove it beyond a reasonable shadow of a doubt, basically means hand slapped ane go set up another scam.
In Ga. we used to have the "chain gang". Of course we are more civilized now and substitute "bed and breakfast", TV and stereo, weight lifting and have sub-contracted making Ga. auto license tags and busting rock to an outside company with low bid. Even if sentenced, I had it worse in the military.
I miss "Cool Hand Luke"...
sarge..jt
Edited 11/21/2003 11:46:01 AM ET by SARGE
It seems obvious to me that they did not get the subscriber's names and the fact that they subscribe to FWW by going through our trash. This is a security breach that has nothing to do with us. The cause of the leak is, well, Taunton. Somehow their subscriber list was released, sold, stolen, downloaded, or otherwise made available to these crooks.
Indeed, to the extent that any customer suffers a loss through these guys, it ought to be Taunton that honors this fake subscription.
I am sorry if I am bashing Taunton on this, their BB, but really guys, this is their fault. They let the cattle out of the barn. They need to: (1) Notify customers that only direct mail from Taunton is an appropriate way to renew subscriptions; (2) Identify the clowns in Oregon; (3) Prosecute them criminally; (4) Sue them civily; (5) Stop selling subscription lists; and (6) Take responsibility for their mismanagement of the subscription sale program.
Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
At the very least, Taunton should make it more apparent to its subscribers that they sell their subscriber list and should give people a readily visible opt-out. I'm sure you can opt out now, but I've never noticed such an option on any of my subscription cards.
I got the "Plantinum Publishing" letter just a couple days ago. I figured it was one of those companies that sell subscriptions to hundreds of magazines, but because it wasn't from Taunton and it just felt a bit odd, I ripped the thing up and tossed it. Chalk up one for the gut instincts.
Hopefully Taunton gets these guys (and I'm sure they're making a good effort as any business cannot afford to have its image tarred that way).
Jesse
P.S. Boris, glad to see that woodworking has adequately filled the void caused when you lost the presidency of one of the world's great powers. I for one would trade the oval office for a well equipped shop any day. :-)
>> At the very least, Taunton should make it more apparent to its subscribers that they
>> sell their subscriber list and should give people a readily visible opt-out.
Every magazine sells, or more accurately rents, its subscriber list. If you're claiming you didn't know that, and you're more than 12 years old, please consider yourself mocked. Where did you think all that woodworking related junk comes from? If you think Taunton should just forgo the revenue from renting the list, would you prefer to see the subscription price go up or count of magazine pages go down?
Every issue of the Taunton magazines contains a statement with the masthead saying that they sell the list and providing a phone number, (800)477-8727, for subscribers who want to opt out. In FWW #163, the first one I happened to pick up, it's on page 7. I don't know how Taunton could make it any more apparent than that, except by printing it on every page of the magazine.
Excellent points, Dunc. And thank you for pointing out the opt out provisions. I don't typically pay much attention to the masthead.
Jesse
I agree with Boris; this is the responsibility of the publishers who sell OR EXCHANGE mailing lists. I believe that a subscriber should not have to opt out of a list but rather the publisher should have to get permission to send my personal information to another source.
When I subscribe I am only contracting to receive a magazine for a period of time, not to allow my personal information to be released; while Taunton may not know specifically how the scammers got the info, if Taunton, or any publisher, has sent address lists to another source and, as a result, I answer a subscription notice, Taunton should , as a minimum, recognize the subscription.
In this age of stolen identities, anyone that gives out my personal information WITHOUT MY PRIOR PERMISSION, should be responsible for the consequences. I can assure you, that would put a stop to freely passing out information.
Hello All, Here is the copy that we have just added to our site regarding the subscribner alert.
SUBSCRIBER ALERTALERT UPDATE – November 25, 2003We have received numerous calls from subscribers to Fine Woodworking magazine concerning "Notice of Renewal /New Order" cards they have recently received from a company called "Platinum Publishing Service" at 355 Industrial Circle, White City, OR 97503-1096. We want our subscribers to know that this organization has no relationship with Fine Woodworking magazine or The Taunton Press. We never authorized this company to solicit any subscriptions on our behalf nor did we provide them with a mailing list of our subscribers. If you receive any requests from this company, we would appreciate it if you would forward these requests to our Customer Service Dept, P O Box 5506, Newtown, CT. 06470. If you receive solicitations from any company identifying themselves with a name other than “Platinum Publishing” but at the same address, we would like these forwarded to us also. If you ever have any questions about any subscription solicitations you receive for renewals or new orders for any of our magazines, do not hesitate to call our customer service department at 800-477-8727.
Edited 11/25/2003 3:32:56 PM ET by SYSOP
Will you publish this posting in the other Forums?
Did you sell or rent the subscriber list to another company that inturn sold your list to Platinum?
I am on file with Customer Service at Taunton that my information is not to be released.
I have recieved renewal notification from Platinum.
Also for unexplained reasons I have been recieving unsolicited wood working associated junk mail as in the last couple of months.
Would this be a good time to look in house?
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
We do not plan to publish the posting in our other Forums because the only subscribers who have been contacted by Platinum are those who subscribe to FWW. Our subscriber alert, however, has been posted in the subscription section of our other magazine websites.
We do not know how Platinum Publishing got our subscriber names. They did not get a list from us. We are trying to determine how they got it. They deny having our list. They say there are other means of obtaining names.
I have confirmed with Customer Service that your your name and address will not be released to anyone.
I assure you and all others who are concerned that we are pursuing every option possible to ensure that this company nor any company affiliated with it no longer is able to solicit subscriptions to any of our magazines. This will take time however. In the meantime, should you have any questions regarding any solicitation you receive for our magazines, do not hesitate to contact our customer service dept. at 800-477-8727 M-F from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. EST.
Thank you.
The other "junk" mail I recieved is more than likely Platinum's doing. I have subscribed to FWW and FHB both for LOTS of years. I didn't differentiate between the two at the time the notice arrived. My error.... Sorry...
The thing I found amazing was that I've been on the do not release list for some time prior to all this. I still recieved their subscription renewal notice.
All I'm trying to say is use this prior piece of information as FYI and or food for thought.
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
Bill, in all due respect, you're side-stepping the underlying issue. To wit: under the suggested Customer Service tab the so-called "Privacy" message is clear, first and foremost: "we take your privacy very seriously...." We as long-time subscribers say "thank you."
The next statement says "we do not make the list... available." Great.
But then in the next breath (within text lines that follow, a.k.a. "the fine print") restate reality: "from time to time we may make our list of names (available)..."
Plain and simple: our names and addresses are being sold. "Because everybody does it" is not the answer, particularly in context of when the the FWW website Customer Service comments noted below clearly dances around the issue... and then finally admits, yes we do sell 'em, your names and addresses are not private.
What is Taunton's Privacy Policy
At Taunton we take your privacy very seriously. Please read our Privacy Policy.
Do we rent our lists?
We do not make the list of The Taunton Press customer/member email addresses available to any other companies. From time to time, we may make our list of customer names and postal addresses available to companies whose products or services we feel might be of some interest to you, unless you have asked us not to. If you do not wish to be on this mailing list, please click here to go to the Privacy Option Form.
THANK YOU! i had pitched the one for FWW because i knew i had recently re-upped for 3 yrs but had another fake on my desk pending action for Popular Woodworking. looked their website and there was a list of the scam artists.
m
I just had an episode with so-called "spy-ware" that had been surreptitiously downloaded onto my computer, and I'll tell you, tar and feathering would be too good for those people.
I'll tell you, tar and feathering would be too good for those people.
Thus, horse whipping.
As yet I hav'nt heard from Platinum but how about we all send them our pizza coupons and other junk mail .Normally I send my junk mail on via any prepayed envelopes ,as this a) gets rid of it. b) makes money for the post office. c) keeps postal workers employed.But now Platinum, they merit special treatment, I think its worth the price of a stamp!!
If you have problems with "spy-ware" ending up on your PC check out these guys_
http://www.safer-networking.org/index.php?lang=en&page=start
freeware that helps eliminate this problem. Has worked well for me so far.
Good luck
Thanks. I had downloaded and used a similar free program called Adaware, which found more than 400 "items" on my computer and deleted them all.
What had happened, I later realized, is that a "normal" ad had popped up on my screen that looked like an official notice telling me my IE was out of date. Stupidly, I fell for the con and downloaded the "update," which of course turned out to be all these spyware programs. Fortunately they're all gone now.
The most important thing you should know is that we have NOT sold our subscriber list or any part of it to the company in White City, Oregon that is soliciting these unauthorized "renewals." They probably are getting lists of woodworker names from another source. There are many woodworker lists floating around among retailers, magazines, catalogs and manufacturers. We are aware that the Oregon company sends these "renewal" notices to people on these lists of woodworkers to many magazines, whether the recipient is a subscriber or not.
Here is some further information that I was asked to post regarding this situation:
We are aware of what they are doing and we are pursuing our own in-house investigation trying to figure out who they are working through or with, so that we can put a stop to it. We have also been pursuing for some time what our legal options are to stop this company from making unauthorized contact with our subscribers. We will continue on this path and we are hopeful we will prevail in the end. Unfortunately, these things take some time.
If you have any questions at all regarding the legitimacy of a renewal notice for any Taunton Press publication, please contact our Customer Service Department with your questions or concerns. We'll be happy to give you any information we might have.
Call 800 477-8727 or click here to contact
Edited 11/26/2003 1:47:14 PM ET by SYSOP
Well, just for starters they are violating your copyrights and trademarks. Assuming you have registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, you are entitled to all kinds of statutory remedies as well as the right to have them ordered to cease and desist immediately. Once you know who they are, it shouldn't take much time to force them to stop.
I would have thought the difficulty would be in identifying them behind a maze of corporate storefronts. These folks are like cockroaches, disappearing into the floorboards when you shine light on them.
So is the subscription renewal I just got from FWW with a return address of newton, Ct bona fide?
Frank
If it says Newton than that is incorrect if it says Newtown then that is correct, and yes we are in CT. Thanks for asking. If you have any more questiopns please don't hesitate to ask.
-Mark
SYSOP[email protected]
CT? That means y'all are Yankees!
Gee I don't know about this. . .
Yankees Yes, Yankee Fans Definitely NOT!SYSOP[email protected]
BC.... I kiddnapped your posting and hauled it over to BT...
Who ever invented work didn't know how to fish....
BC
I got it also. I just re-newed in Oct. and forgot I renewed. Sent another check to Taunton in Nov. so I have now payed for two years. Then the platinum notice shows up.
Scams are scams and scamer's are scamer's. A convoy of "hitmen" have been dis-patched. ha..ha..
Regards...
sarge.jt
Proud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Sarge, I'll bet Taunton's customer service would give you a break on that 2nd year if you ask. I think they have special dispensation for 2-year subscriptions and people who suffer from "Senior Moments" ROFL!! http://www.taunton.com/pages/about_contact.asp
Ya just never know.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
How did these crooks have the subscription information from the subscribers? FWW moderator, please provide information on this if you read this.Regards,
Boris
"Sir, I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow" -- WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
Boris
I am not totally sure, but it is common for companies with mailing list to sell them to other companies. They don't give out phone numbers, e-mails, etc. but mailing addresses are sold. You can usually call, write or e-mail a company and request that you are excluded from having your address sold as such. A couple of key-strokes on the computer in your account takes care of it from their end.
You might e-mail Mr. Duckworth and ask him to respond to your question in this post so we will all know the answer. I am also curious.
Regards...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Sarge mentioning about phone numbers reminded me that this fake subsription notice asked for my phone # for " processing purposes " and I even filled it out !
Lucky I didn't send it
Bill
Bill
Yes you are. But in the end, you were very alert. I noticed the Platinum thing and knew that all corespondence comes directly from Taunton. At least it has in the past.
You may have saved some about $35 or more with your thoughtfulness to scrutinize and alert everyone else. I recognized it as junk and just dis-carded without even thinking many more may have recieved it.
Thanks for the heads-up to post...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I once got an unlisted phone number for the kids phone when living up in Tulsa. About a year later a 3rd party published a phone book and guess what! The 'unlisted' number was in that book. Southwestern Bell told me that I had not request for them to not sell the listing; just not to publish it in their phone book.
I made the phone company provide a new number free of charge and requested that it not be published by them nor sold to anyone else. To my knowlege, that 2nd number was not listed anywhere.
It's interesting that a company would provide a forum like this, where their reader community can get together and hob-nob, and then do something like sell subscription lists. DUH!
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood
Boris, Sarge, et al--I don't know the answer to your question, but I'll find out and get back to you tomorrow.
Bill
Thanks....
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
FG
On my list of "to do's" already. Have to wait to see if I get both checks back deposited first. Have the first one already, but the second is in limbo. Could call my bank, but have more priorities elsewhere. I'll probably just wait.
"Senior Moment"....... You'll pay for that!! Come to think of it you probably already have over-paid at this point. I'll just debit it to your account. ha..ha..
Have a great day...
sarge..jtProud member of the : "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled