Obama bill-paying hoax sweeps up victims nationwide: Plain Dealing

A myth that President Obama is giving people money to pay their bills has prompted thousands of people across the country to try to pay for utilities, phone service and loans using bogus bank routing numbers.

United Way of Cleveland's 2-1-1 changed its answering machine Monday to say rumors of the Obama program were false after fielding dozens of calls.

Later that day, a United Way employee was on an RTA bus when a rider stood up and announced to fellow passengers that Obama was paying people's bills. The rider told people they could use the red numbers on the backs of their Social Security cards to tap into the government money. Steve Wertheim of United Way said the woman claimed she had successfully paid her electric bill using the technique.

Such unprompted testimonials are spreading the hoax through entire communities, putting consumers, at minimum, at risk of late payment penalties and service disruptions.

In some iterations, the bogus "Obama program" appears to be an identity theft scam. According to news reports, uniformed con men with clipboards went door to door in a handful of states, signing people up by collecting Social Security numbers and then giving them phony bank routing numbers to use to pay their bills.

People aren't asking for anyone's Social Security numbers. They're passing along bogus routing numbers, apparently in the belief they're real.

Fox channel 2 in San Francisco interviewed 3 women 3 days ago about being ‘victims’ of this scam. 1st woman told the 2nd—2nd told the 3rd, etc.

They had to give up personal information such as Soc Sec numbers & their bank account routing numbers to get “their utility bills paid by Obama”. Their bank accounts were cleaned out.

Need I tell you they all were from Oakland & that they all were black?? I would guess their ages between 28 & 45.

The 1st one said she “would NOT vote for Obama this NOvember because ‘he took my money’”.

First, they are dumb enough to fall for this scam & second, they are equally dumb enough to blame Obama for ‘taking their money’.

The entertainment factor for me when watching the activities in the Bay Area are myriad and endless.......

Optimism?...optimism? why sure..here's some quotes from true believers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI
OBAMA'S GONNA PAY FOR MY GAS...
Millions like her voted... SCRIPT:
"It was the most memorable time of my life. It was a touching moment because I never thought this day would ever happen. I won't have to worry about putting gas in my car. I won't have to worry about paying my mortgage. You know, if I help him, he's gonna help me."
- Peggy Joseph Oct 30, 2008

Obama’s Stash (Oct 8, 2009)
new audio today from Ken Rogulski of WJR. Detroit Free Press: "'Cobo a Scene of Desperation' --
"Some were treated by emergency medical workers on site," as they showed up to pick up Obama money. "It was one of the most dramatic signs to date of how deeply joblessness and the home foreclosure crisis have pushed people from the lower and middle ends of the economic scale to seek help wherever they can.
ROGULSKI: Why are you here?
WOMAN #1: To get some money.
ROGULSKI: What kind of money?
WOMAN #1: Obama money.
ROGULSKI: Where's it coming from?
WOMAN #1: Obama.
ROGULSKI: And where did Obama get it?
WOMAN #1: I don't know, his stash. I don't know. (laughter) I don't know where he got it from, but he givin' it to us, to help us.
WOMAN #2: And we love him.
WOMAN #1: We love him. That's why we voted for him!
WOMEN: (chanting) Obama! Obama! Obama! (laughing)
ROGULSKI: Did you get an application to fill out yet?
WOMAN: I sure did. And I filled it out, and I am waiting to see what the results are going to be.
ROGULSKI: Will you know today how much money you're getting?
WOMAN: No, I won't, but I'm waiting for a phone call.
ROGULSKI: Where's the money coming from?
WOMAN: I believe it's coming from the City of Detroit or the state.
ROGULSKI: Where did they get it from?
WOMAN: Some funds that was forgiven (sic) by Obama.
ROGULSKI: And where did Obama get the funds? BR> WOMAN: Obama getting the funds from... Ummm, I have no idea, to tell you the truth. He's the president.
ROGULSKI: In downtown Detroit, Ken Rogulski, WJR News.

Hence the Obama voters run from scam to entitlements to temporary safety net to permanent hammocks:

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