FIGHT BACK : LITTLE SHELTER FOR SENIORS WHO GOT SOAKED IN AD SCAM.Byline: David Horowitz
I'm sure you've seen advertising on those bus bench shelters. Some creative entrepreneurs saw a good investment opportunity to sell the advertising after they installed the shelters at bus stops. So, they sold investments in the venture mostly to senior citizens. Twelve hundred seniors invested about $46 million in the program out of their retirement funds in Southern California before they found out that the deal was a scam. The bus passenger shelters were sold at $10,000 apiece to investors who were promised a 20 percent annual return on sales Return on sales A measurement of operational efficiency equalingnet pre-tax profits divided by net sales expressed as a percentage. return on sales The portion of each dollar of sales that a firm is able to turn into income. of advertising. Fewer than half the shelters were installed before the company went bankrupt. The Internal Revenue Service stepped in, along with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and uncovered fraud and the filing of false returns. The con artists were arrested and convicted, and most got prison terms and must pay the victims restitution. When in doubt, before you invest any money, don't until you check it out, or someone might set up his or her own retirement plan with your money. Analgesic analgesic (ăn'əljē`zĭk), any of a diverse group of drugs used to relieve pain. Analgesic drugs include the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as the salicylates, narcotic drugs such as morphine, and synthetic drugs and alcohol risk Medical experts say that over-the-counter pain relievers that are used occasionally pose no risks for most of us. However, if you drink three or more alcoholic drinks a day, it's quite a different story. Then it can be dangerous to take pain relievers such as acetaminophen acetaminophen (əsēt'əmĭn`əfĭn), an analgesic and fever-reducing medicine similar in effect to aspirin. It is an active ingredient in many over-the-counter medicines, including Tylenol and Midol. , ibuprofen ibuprofen (ī`by  prō'fən), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that reduces pain, fever, and inflammation. , naproxen naproxen and naproxen sodium, potent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) used to alleviate the minor pain of arthritis, menstruation, headaches, and the like, and to reduce fever. or aspirin without consulting a doctor. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration got the makers of over-the-counter pain medication to warn users about liver damage after heavy drinking and also stomach bleeding in other people who might be sensitive to the advertised over-the-counter pain killers. The medical community now recognizes that even healthy nondrinkers who use high doses of these nonprescription non·pre·scrip·tion adj. Sold legally without a physician's prescription; over-the-counter. , anti-pain drugs can experience serious side affects. Such users need to be warned about the risk on analgesic product labels and the necessity of checking with a doctor when they are not sure of the risks. |
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