July 19, 2011

We have recently learned of another scam concerning Assurity Life. Any emails with " We Assurity Insurance Company Are Contacting You In Regards Of Carl Modeling And Acting Agency Show In New York" or similar language are NOT from our company. It is easy for scammers to capture and use company logos in an attempt to make their messages appear legitimate. Please do not, under any circumstances, transfer any money or personal financial information to the addresses in these emails or others like them. The information below explains the acceptable methods of sending payments to our Company.

Finally, misspellings, grammar and punctuation errors in an email are generally indicators that it is coming from amateurs and NOT a reputable company. The internet can provide you with more information on how to recognize this kind of activity so you won't fall victim to it.

May 10, 2011

Assurity has been notified of an insurance scam which uses false documents that contain unauthorized copies of Assurity’s trademarks, including logos. PLEASE NOTE: Assurity markets insurance only through licensed insurance agents and by direct mail to select credit union customers.

Assurity only accepts payments by mail at its home office, primarily to its Lincoln, NE post office boxes – P.O. Box 82533 or P.O. Box 82448 – or to these two lock boxes:

PO Box 790397, St. Louis, MO 63179-0397
PO Box 957494, St. Louis, MO 63195-7494

Street addresses of 1526 K St. or 4000 Pine Lake Rd., Lincoln, NE are also legitimate. DO NOT send money to a different address.

You can confirm that you are doing business with a licensed agent by contacting the Department of Insurance in your state, or by calling Assurity at (800) 869-0355, Ext. 4262.

Please be aware, Assurity Life has been informed that some U.S. residents have recently received envelopes through the U.S. Mail containing checks that appear to be from Assurity Life. The checks are not authentic, but part of a scam.

In this scam, checks are being issued, allegedly from our company, for several thousand dollars higher than the agreed-upon price for items advertised for sale on Craig’s List or other Internet sales websites. The seller is asked to refund the amount of the overpayment by wiring funds back to the buyer.

Do not attempt to deposit the check or wire any "overpayment or fees." This is a scam. The senders are trying to steal money from you!

If you have received a suspicious delivery that contains a check appearing to be from Assurity Life, you should contact your state Attorney General's Consumer Fraud division or your local police department. If you have further questions, you may contact the Assurity Life Accounting department at (800) 869-0355, Ext. 3572.

The following is an excerpt from SmartMoney.com:

A Craigslist Scam You Might Fall For

Consumer Action by Aleksandra Todorova

A remote buyer feigns interest in buying your goods — sight unseen — and sends you a check or money order for more than the item costs. You are asked to wire the difference. Several days later, the bank discovers that the check is fraudulent and you're responsible for the balance.

The fake-check scam has become so common that several weeks ago Craigslist.com issued a scam alert and added a warning message that runs with each email generated through the site.

Be suspicious of any emails or letters that:

• Come from a buyer claiming to be located far away, usually in a foreign country or out of state, who is interested in your goods sight unseen and tries to work through a third party, such as a secretary or associate.
• The email conveys a sense of urgency for you to wire the money, but there are no questions about picking up the item for sale. These people never really attempt to get the merchandise. They never really make any shipping arrangements. They're not interested in getting the goods — they're interested in getting the money.
• You are sent more money than you're owed. If someone is paying you and as part of the deal they want you to wire money somewhere, it's a scam.

Variations of the check-fraud scam include a lottery or sweepstakes notice ("you are the winner of a cash prize, but in order to receive your winnings, you must pay a fee to cover taxes" and the like) and work-at-home offers (you have to process checks for clients, basically cashing checks you receive and keeping your share).

If you've been scammed, you should file complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, the National Fraud Information Center and the National Check Fraud Center. It won't help you get your money back, but it might help prevent others from suffering in the future.