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Tag: Narc That Car

  • DATA NETWORK AFFILIATES: Pitchman For License-Plate Database Cites AMBER Alert, Walmart, Church; Company Website Suggests AMBER Alert Falling Short On Child-Recovery Mission

    EDITOR’S NOTE: We have been experiencing intermittent website disruptions this morning and are working to resolve the problem. It’s not immediately clear how long it will take to fix the problem, which is causing the site to go down periodically and the database connection to time out. Our apologies.

    A pitchman for Data Network Affiliates (DNA) suggested church parking lots, supermarkets and Walmart were rich targets for members of the multilevel-marketing (MLM) company, which is soliciting prospects to write down license-plate numbers for entry in a database.

    Meanwhile — in a sales message on DNA’s website — the company suggested AMBER Alert was falling short in its efforts to recover abducted children and that DNA could help the famous national and state alert system recover abductees for less money.

    “ONLY 492 children Since (sic) 1997, has the AMBER Alert program been credited for safe recovery,” the DNA website said on its main page. “DNA could help in such safe recoveries at a fraction of cost (sic) of Amber Alert… If DNA help (sic) save ONE MORE CHILD it’s worth it? (sic).”

    The same sales message said, “Our mission is to turn data into dollars.”

    DNA, which says it is launching Feb. 16 and already has recruited thousands of people to record plate numbers, operates a business similar to Narc That Car, another MLM that recruits prospects to write down plate numbers while using AMBER Alert’s name.

    The DNA pitchman said famous retailers such as Walmart put the address of their stores “right on the receipt,” making it easy for DNA members who are shopping in the stores to enter the information in DNA’s database after they write down plate numbers in the parking lot.

    “You walk into the parking lot,” the pitchman said in a DNA conference call recorded Monday. “Guess what? You have vehicles all over the place. You can easily jot down 20 or 30 of them, literally in five or 10 minutes.”

    He did not say if DNA members were required to obtain the permission of retailers such as Walmart to record the license-plate numbers of its patrons.

    The pitchman, however, did say that 100 million license plates entered into the DNA database could become “the equivalent of just about $1 billion” in potential revenue for DNA.

    Another voice on the call said that “the press is going to pick up on this sooner or later.” Earlier, the man predicted a “million or 2 million” people would join DNA by the end of the year. He added that he was so excited that he was having trouble sleeping.

    Like Narc That Car promoters, the DNA pitchman in the conference call referenced the AMBER Alert program, imploring prospects to view DNA as an excellent tool for “law enforcement.”

    “We’ll be able to reunite families,” he said.

    The URL for the DNA was published on the old Golden Panda Ad Zone forum, now known as the Online Success Zone. Narc That Car also was promoted from the old Golden Panda Forum.

    Golden Panda is part of the AdSurfDaily Ponzi scheme investigation.

    Narc That Car charges a fee of $100 to join and requires members to submit 10 license plates monthly. DNA charges no fee and requires members to submit 20 license plates monthly. Web records suggest that some people promoting Narc That Car also are promoting DNA.

    Listen to the DNA conference call.

    See this report on Narc That Car on NBC 5 in Dallas/Fort Worth.

  • Now, A Narc That Car Training Video Shot By Promoter In Parking Lot Of Giant Eagle Supermarket Chain; ‘I’m Not Going To Talk To Anybody,’ Narrator Says

    A Narc That Car promoter recorded a video for the program in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle store. Giant Eagle is one of the largest grocery chains in the United States. Some Narc That Car promoters have recommended that members visit the parking lots of prominent retailers and restaurants to find a never-ending supply of license-plate numbers.

    UPDATED 11 A.M. ET (U.S.A.) A grainy video promotion for Narc That Car was shot in the parking lot of one of the largest grocery-store chains in the United States and posted on YouTube.

    The narrator in the video talked about the “countless cars that are in the parking lot” of a Giant Eagle store. Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle is one of the largest food retailers and food distributors in the United States, recording about $8 billion in annual sales.

    Narc That Car is a Dallas-based, multilevel-marketing (MLM) company that says it is building a database of license-plate numbers for use by banks and companies that specialize in repossessing automobiles.

    “This is how simple this business is, folks,” the narrator says, as a camera pans around the Giant Eagle parking lot and captures one car after another in video frames.

    “I’m not even going to talk to anybody,” the narrator says, noting he did not know the address of the particular Giant Eagle at which he was recording the video, but would obtain it online.

    Giant Eagle did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the Narc That Car video shot in its parking lot and the practices of Narc That Car and its promoters.

    The narrator cites Giant Eagle’s name in the video, panning on Giant Eagle signage and a nearby gas station.

    “I want to show you how simple and easy this business is,” the narrator intones. “I’m just going to jot down some public information of the license plates. That’s the way this works.”

    The narrator continues, “As a matter of fact, I don’t even know the address of this Giant Eagle. I’ll just look it up online and get the address when I get home. Or, [if] I’m at a gas station, I can do the exact same thing. So, this is really great how simple this business is. Come on and join us [via] Cash For Car Plates.”

    In the the video, which appears to have been shot on a dark and dreary winter day, the narrator raised no issues of propriety, safety, privacy or legality. The narrator did not, for example, instruct Narc That Car members if permission needed to be obtained from companies such as Giant Eagle to write down the license-plate numbers of patrons.

    Nor did the video provide any instruction on what Narc That Car members should do if approached by a store manager or patron while the Narc That Car promoter was writing down license-plate numbers or capturing them on video.

  • STOP THE MADNESS: Now, AmberAlertHelp.org; Narc That Car Promoters Continue To Link Company To Legacy Of Amber Hagerman

    Two days ago, we wrote about FindThatCar.org, a website with a red banner at the top that appeals to visitors to “Help us,” as though it were promoting a charity such as the Red Cross.

    FindThatCar.org actually is promoting Narc That Car, a Dallas-based multilevel-marketing  (MLM) company that is building a database to sell information to companies in the business of repossessing automobiles. Both Narc That Car and its promoters reference the AMBER Alert program in their sales pitches.

    Today we turn your attention to AmberAlertHelp.org. It, too, is selling Narc That Car. Here’s the AmberAlertHelp.org pitch on the site’s main page (italics added):

    Welcome to Amber Alert Help

    Our goal is to build awareness about an opportunity for you, your friends, and your family to get paid for helping build the Amber Alert system database simply by submitting 6 random license plate numbers per month online. It is so easy, and you can get started now.

    Here is the pitch on a secondary AmberAlertHelp.org page (italics added):

    We Joined Narc That Car and feel wonderful about having the ability to:

    • Help find and save missing children
    • Help build the very valuable Amber Alert system database
    • Make extra money easily

    AmberAlertHelp.org also has an AmberAlertHelp.com version of the domain. Both sites were registered Jan. 20, two days after the BBB in Dallas asked Narc That Car to explain its business practices. The inquiry is still open, according to the BBB website.

    The U.S. Department of Justice, which coordinates the AMBER Alert program, said Wednesday that Narc That Car is in “no way affiliated” with the program. On Thursday, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), which manages the Amber Alert Secondary Distribution Program for the Justice Department and 120 Amber Alert coordinators throughout the United States, said Narc That Car “is not a part” of the secondary program.

    Nine-year old Amber Hagerman was abducted 14 years ago while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas. She was brutally murdered. The AMBER Alert program — America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response — is her legacy.

    AMBER Alert is about keeping children safe. It is not about keeping the world safe for multilevel-marketing profits. AMBER Alert’s name should be accorded the same dignity accorded Amber Hagerman’s name, which is to say neither name ever should be made part of a pitch fest.

    That AMBER Alert’s name is being mentioned in sales pitches for Narc That Car is beyond the pale. AMBER Alert is about life-altering emergencies. It is not about MLM recruiting and pocketing commissions up to five levels deep.

    Good grief. Narc That Car promoters are using .org extensions — the same extensions used by the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and NCMEC for their noble purposes — to promote a business that is building a database for the repo man — and they are implying it is a public service.

    Today we call on Narc That Car to remove references to AMBER Alert from its marketing materials, including videos. We further call on Narc That Car promoters to do the same.

    Not only are some Narc That Car promoters repeatedly referencing AMBER Alert, they also are referencing government agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security as though the agencies have endorsed the Narc That Car program.

    One Narc That Car promoter claims the purpose of the program is “To help The US Dep’t of Homeland Security find terrorists.” Another claims, “We are backed by the better business bureau, the F.B.I., and the Amber Alert system . . . ” Yet another claims, “A company out of Dallas needs to grow a data base of license plates to use for Amber Alerts and other reasons.”

    Elsewhere, a website that uses a name similar to the famous ToysRUs trade name, references AMBER Alert and tells viewers that big money is possible through Narc That Car.

    “I went to Walmart,” a video narrator intones at the PlatesRUs.biz website. “It took me every bit of five minutes to write down 10 tag numbers randomly, go in my back office and log it into the national database through the company, and actually earn a check.”

    This madness must stop.

  • Narc That Car ‘Not A Part’ Of Secondary AMBER Alert System; National Center For Missing & Exploited Children Official Says Integrity Of AMBER Alert Name ‘Needs To Be Protected’

    UPDATED 2:39 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) Narc That Car is not affiliated with the AMBER Alert Secondary Distribution Program, an official said yesterday.

    Robert Hoever’s comments followed on the heels of a denial by the Justice Department that Narc That Car was affiliated with the AMBER Alert program — despite repeated claims by Narc That Car promoters that participation in Narc That Car benefited AMBER Alert.

    Hoever, associate director of special projects in the Missing Children’s Division of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), manages the Amber Alert Secondary Distribution Program for NCMEC and the Justice Department, and 120 Amber Alert coordinators throughout the United States.

    “Narc that Car is not a part of the AMBER Alert Secondary Distribution Program,” Hoever said.

    Given the inarguably high stakes when a child goes missing, Hoever said it was common for people and organizations to try to get involved and help — “[s]ome by pulling AMBER Alerts off the internet and posting them in various places.”

    But he cautioned that brand dilution and public desensitization can occur when AMBER Alert’s famous name is commercialized.

    “As you might imagine there can be accuracy issues as well as timeliness concerns,” Hoever said. “The integrity of the AMBER Alert program needs to be protected so that we do not over saturate the public, but rather send messages to targeted areas defined by the investigating agency. We do not want to desensitize the public by sending alerts that are commercialized, that do not apply to the recipients, are not completely accurate, or are not timely.”

    Promoters routinely reference AMBER Alert in sales pitches for the Narc That Car multilevel-marketing program, which charges participants a $100 fee up front and a website fee of $24.95 a month to become “independent consultants.”

    Narc That Car’s consultants are instructed to write down the license-plate numbers of 10 automobiles and enter the information into a database Narc That Car maintains. Participants get paid for entering information in the database, and are paid additional commissions if they recruit others into the program and minimum thresholds are met.

    Clients such as major automobile manufacturers, banks, automobile-repossession companies and others are interested in purchasing information from the database for $99, according to Narc That Car.

    Promoters routinely drop the names of AMBER Alert and make references to “law enforcement” in ads for the Narc That Car program, but the company does not publish a list of clients.

    Google search results include references such as this: (Italics/bold added.)

    “This program is supported by all the major vehicle manufactures, FBI, law enforcement and financial institutions to help locate and in some cases reclaim vehicles. Just having an address does not work, people ‘hide’ their vehicles and we provide a pattern of these vehicles movements. We recently allowed the Amber Alert program access to help in their cause when there is a need to track down a vehicle quickly that might be in the National data base.”

    (URL for above still current as of Feb. 4, 2010.)

    Here is another claim (italics/bold added):

    “This is an excellent business opportunity, very very simple, and very lucrative. It is a new business that gathers license plate numbers for various companies.

    Such as:
    *Major Auto Manufactures
    *Private Lien Holders
    * Banks
    *In House Auto Dealers
    *Commercial Vehicle Companies
    *Missing Persons
    *Law Enforcement & Government Agencies
    *Amber Alert

    (URL for above still current as of Feb. 4, 2010)

    Meanwhile, a Google search result includes this claim (italics/bold added):

    “I got my first check from Narc That Car. This is fun and easy, and I’m helping Amber Alerts!”

    UPDATE 2:39 P.M. The screen shot below is a miniaturized version of a logo that appeared today on a site called “FindThatCar.org.” The logo included an appeal to “Help us,” as though it were collecting money for a charity.

  • JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: Amber Alert System ‘No Way’ Affiliated With Narc That Car MLM Program

    Shooting down claims by affiliates of Narc That Car, the U.S. Department of Justice said this morning that the Amber Alert System is in “no way affiliated” with the Narc That Car multilevel-marketing (MLM) program.

    The denial comes on the heels of repeated claims by Narc That Car affiliates that the company, which says it pays “independent consultants” to write down license-plate numbers and enter the information into a database, had ties to law-enforcement agencies and the Amber Alert system.

    Narc That Car is in “no way affiliated with the Amber Alert program,” said Kevin Jenkins, a Justice Department spokesman who works with the component of the agency that coordinates Amber Alert.

    Narc That Car says it sells license-plate numbers to banks and companies in the business of repossessing automobiles, implying that it also has government clients for the license-plate data entered by its affiliates.

    Information on Amber Alerts, which are issued when a child goes missing, scrolls across the bottom of Narc That Car’s website, and affiliates have said the company was started in part to provide information to Amber Alert.

    Amber Alert is referenced in a promotional video put out by Narc That Car. It also is referenced in a video by an apparent Narc That Car downline organization known as Team Trinity International.

    Team Trinity International makes the claim that the Narc That Car program was started “to provide historical location data for lien holders, law enforcement and other entities such as the Amber Alert System.”

    Part of Team Trinity International Narc That Car promotion.

    A Team Trinity video promotion for Narc Thar Car says affiliates should go to the parking lots of famous companies such as McDonald’s, Best Buy, Piggly Wiggly and 27 other famous firms to find a ready supply of license-plate numbers to enter into the company’s database.

    Whether Narc That Car affiliates are required to obtain the permission of companies into whose parking lots affiliates venture to mine license-plate numbers is unclear. Also unclear is whether Narc That Car affiliates are required to obtain the permission of the vehicle owner before recording the license-plate number.

    Another open question is how Narc That Car affiliates are expected to behave if a person who does not want his plate number recorded calls police or an attorney. Yet another open question is how Narc That Car affiliates are expected to behave if a store manager calls police or shoos the affiliate off the premises.

    Jenkins said companies and individuals were not permitted to cite nonexistent Amber Alert ties in advertisements and promotional materials.

  • Video Ad For Narc That Car Claims Program Was Started For Amber Alert System; Prospects Told To Gawk At License Plates At Best Buy, Food Lion, McDonald’s, Others

    A promotional video for a multilevel-marketing (MLM) company that pays members to write down license-plate numbers says the program was started “to provide historical location data for lien holders, law enforcement and other entities such as the Amber Alert System.”

    The video, which appears to be a sales tool for an MLM downline organization known as Team Trinity International, reproduces the logos of 30 famous companies, offering their parking lots as places members of Narc That Car can go to find cars and license plates in plentiful supply to be recorded.

    Segmented by disciplines such as “Retail,” “Grocery Stores” and “Restaurants,” the famous names shown prospects include Best Buy, Kmart, Walgreens, PetSmart, Rite Aid, Bed Bath & Beyond, Food Lion, Kroger, Ralphs, Vons, Piggly Wiggly, Wegmans, Domino’s Pizza, Friday’s, Wendy’s, Red Lobster, Applebee’s, McDonald’s and more.

    It was not clear if the Team Trinity promoter had contacted each of the individual companies to determine if they would approve of Narc That Car members recording the license-plate numbers of their patrons.

    Such actions could lead to both privacy and safety concerns, putting the companies in the awkward position of shooing gawkers and explaining why people carrying pads and pens were continually appearing on private property and writing down plate numbers.

    The video also listed shopping centers, neighborhood businesses, convenience stores, residences and apartment complexes as prime spots to harvest data.

    A promotional video for Narc That Car says license plates can ge found aplenty at these stores.

    In a separate video, Narc That Car said it had recruited “thousands” of “independent consultants”  to write down license-plate numbers and enter the information in a database. Database entries are available to banks, financial companies and firms that specialize in repossessing automobiles, according to the company.

    Web records show that several Narc That Car affiliates are making the claim that law-enforcement agencies and the Amber Alert program have endorsed the company. No testimonials from law enforcement agencies or the Amber Alert program appear on the Narc That Car website, despite promoters’ claims.

    The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately return a call seeking comment on claims made by Narc That Car promoters. The Justice Department’s Office of Justice is the national Amber Alert coordinator.

    “The AMBER Alert System began in 1996 when Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters teamed with local police to develop an early warning system to help find abducted children,” the Justice Department said in an FAQ document on the program.

    “AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response and was created
    as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped while riding her bicycle
    in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered,” the Justice Department said.

    The Narc That Car business is simple, the company says.

    “Narc a Few Cars,” the company instructs in a video. “Teach Others How to Narc Cars.”

    NarcThatCar does not list the names of any clients on its website. Nor does the company disclose information on how many database clients it has and how many of them are paying fees to receive a report on a target vehicle.

    License-plate consultants are required to act in a “lawful, ethical and moral manner” and perform “with honesty and integrity,” NarcThatCar says, noting it provides instruction on federal and state privacy laws and “fundamental training on the the proper way to gather information.”

    The Dallas branch of the Better Business Bureau says that it contacted Narc That Car Jan. 18 “to request that it substantiate some claims made in its advertising.”

    Narc That Car responded to the inquiry, and the matter was “still pending” as of Feb. 2, the BBB said on its website.

    The Team Trinity International promo is hosted on Blinkweb, a company that provides free hosting space and web-page creation tools.

  • NarcThatCar: Site Operates As MLM, Says Members Earn By Writing Down License-Plate Numbers; Links Itself To Amber Alert Program

    NarcThatCar wants you to pay it $100 up front. For that fee, you become a “consultant” qualified to write down the license-plate numbers of 10 cars per month, input the information into a database and earn multilevel commissions by recruiting. After you pay the $100, you’re then charged $24.95 a month for a website, according to Narc That Car.

    Some members of AdSurfDaily and Golden Panda Ad Builder now are promoting the NarcThatCar program, which says clients such as major automobile manufacturers, companies that have private liens against cars, banks, car dealerships that do their own in-house financing and commercial vehicle companies are interested in purchasing information from the database.

    If the repo man, for example, is looking for a car and the owner is hiding it, NarcThatCar — relying on the input of its team of license-plate gawkers — will sell him a database entry on reported sightings of the car for $99 — and even provide a map of the reported sightings.

    The repo man also has the option of offering a “finders fee for information which leads to the location of your collateral,” Narc That Car says. “This option sometimes helps the process along.”

    NarcThatCar labels its license-plate gawkers “independent consultants.” It appears as though any independent consultant hit by a car or otherwise injured while while gawking at license plates and recording their numbers would need to rely on his or her own insurance.

    The NarcThatCar website does not explain how consultants should proceed if, say, a local merchant calls the police to complain that a strange person appears to be walking around the parking lot and writing down license-plate numbers.

    Who else can use the Narc That Car database?

    “Law-enforcement agencies, government agencies, missing persons and the Amber Alert program,” Narc That Car says in a video to recruit prospects.

    Information on Amber Alerts, which are issued when a child goes missing, scrolls across the bottom of the NarcThatCar website.

    The U.S. Department of Justice, which celebrated the 14th anniversary of the Amber Alert program Jan. 13 and maintains an official website on the program, did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the NarcThatCar program.

    NarcThatCar does not list the names of any clients on its website. Nor does the company disclose information on how many database clients it has and how many of them are paying fees to receive a report on a target vehicle. Also unclear is whether Narc That Car imposes a fee if the government or the Amber Alert program wanted to use its database.

    Narc That Car, however, does disclose that it has rounded up “thousands” of consultants to write down license plate numbers, enter the information in a database and potentially earn MLM commissions at least five levels deep.

    The business is simple, Narc That Car explains.

    “Narc a Few Cars,” the company says. “Teach Others How to Narc Cars.”

    The company says members are required to act in a “lawful, ethical and moral manner” and perform “with honesty and integrity.” NarcThatCar adds that it provides instruction on federal and state privacy laws and “fundamental training on the the proper way to gather information.”

    On “the online success zone,” a forum once known as “The Golden Panda Ad Zone,” a Narc That Car sponsor is promoting the program in a thread titled, “ANYONE CAN DO THIS…write down 10 license plates a month get paid.”

    The Amber Alert program is referenced in the first sentence (18th word) of the Narc That Car pitch.

    “A company out of Dallas needs to grow a data base of license plates to use for Amber Alerts and other reasons,” the pitch begins.