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A page devoted to reported scams aimed at counselors and therapists
around Washington State, the United States and the World
Beware of Scams Targeting
Therapists and Counselors
The Counselor-Therapist as a Victim of Fraud
Watch Out for
Spam Emails from Counselors & Friends
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Greetings:
I am sending this email out to all
Counseling Washington counselors and advertisers.
I would not normally
take this action, but the spam emails I am receiving from
counselors makes it clear that the virus is spreading quickly
through the counseling community.
Watch for (NO
SUBJECT) emails from counselors, other professionals and
friends--people you know and have exchanged emails with.
When you open the
email the only content will be a link to a website such as
"medhealthx_com." (I have taken the dot out of the address to make
sure you don't click on it.)
Do not click on this
web link. Clicking on the link may take you to a
website that may infect your computer.
If your computer is
affected and you do nothing, it may continue to repeatedly send
automatic emails over days or weeks.
Make sure your
computer firewall is up and that you have a good anti-virus
software on your computer.
Most important
step: If these emails appear to have originated from your
email address, DO NOT FORGET TO CHANGE THE PASSWORD TO YOUR
EMAIL ACCOUNT.
NOTE: I have
noticed that several of these emails have been from counselor's
old or seldom used email addresses. I would recommend, if you
are changing email addresses and not going to use the old one,
take the time to delete all the email addresses in the old email
address book so that those addresses can not be used by another
person.
And if you are a Mac
user, don't fool yourself. Apple viruses and Trojans are
showing up. Protect yourself.
Best wishes,
Floyd Else,
webmaster 9/6/2010
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Beware of Scams Targeting Therapists
Email Notice Sent: Mon 5/04/09 2:37 PM
from the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Member
Services
Dear Floyd Else,
We have been alerted to an email scam targeting therapists and other helping professionals.
A person posing as a prospective client, or who claims to represent a prospective client, will contact you to pre-arrange a series of
sessions. Often, they will claim the client is traveling to your area from another country and the client will be in your area
for only a short period of time. They describe a problem that is quite compelling, and ask for your help. They then propose
to pre-pay for the sessions. Upon your agreement, they send you a check. Shortly after, they cancel the pre-paid sessions and
demand an immediate refund. Only after you send the refund do you realize the original check was fraudulent and worthless.
There may be variations on the scam, such as the (fraudulent) check being written for an
amount far greater than agreed upon, and the refund request is for the overpayment. In some cases the check appears to come from
a third party agent in the United States. Other professionals, such as massage therapists, dentists, etc. have also been targeted.
Therapists are vulnerable because the situation described sounds plausible, and we want to help. It is also attractive because
the series of sessions/treatment requested amounts to a great deal of potential income.
Beware of anyone who requests to pre-pay for services before you have met them. Do
not issue a refund for payment before you are certain the payment has completely cleared your bank. These and other common sense
precautions will ensure that you do not fall victim to monetary scams.
If you (AAMFT members) happen to receive this kind of solicitation or suspect
something may be fraudulent, please forward a copy of that email to us.
Sincerely,
AAMFT Member Services Staff
See example directly below.
↓
Example of counseling
pre-payment scam email: (received
August 10, 2011)
Hello my name is
Ruth, I'm in the Phillipine for a year contract,
but I will be coming for my annual holiday in
the United States from the 25th of August to
September 25th and I will like to see a
counsellor because my fiancee just jilted me and
this is affecting me and I think I need a
counsellor to speak to. I have therefore
decide to attend about 4 to 6 hour sessions,
please let me know how much each session would
cost, Once am sure of the price, I will have my
associate in the United States send you a
cashiers check payment as I will like to make
payment and bookings in advance. PLEASE
SEND YOUR REPLY TO DOYEN00066@YMAIL.COM, AS THIS
IS MY PERSONAL EMAIL.
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[Webmaster note: I consider Reparative Therapy to be a misleading scam against homosexuals, their parents
and the legitimate counselors who serve the gay-lesbian community.]
"Reparative therapy, the psychotherapeutic process pioneered by Joseph Nicolosi and Charles
Socarides, is widely condemned by the vast majority of mental health professionals, including the American Psychiatric Association, the
American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling
Association. In addition, the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Association of Social Workers and the
Royal College of Nursing also have renounced it.
"The supposed need
for reparative therapy derives solely from this assumption, that homosexuality is a mental illness and, therefore, in need of
treatment. The fact that this assumption is based on spiritual-scriptural interpretation, rather than on scientific
research and evidence, is apparent in that most reparative-therapy practitioners and centers are financially
backed and supported by conservative Christian transformational ministries. They maintain that homosexuality is a socially
destructive and undesirable chosen behavior, and that change is necessary and possible." [ From " '
Ex-Gay Therapy' Leaders Confess to the Scam," August 23 2007, Mel Seesholtz. ]
To top--Scams Targeting Counselors and Therapists
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