Original subtitles

I'm preston Wainwright and this is my

Mom amanda; she's a united States postal inspector,

Which means she solves any Crime that uses the mail.

My dad was an inspector Too, one of the best,

Until I lost him and the Use of my legs in a car

Accident.

Now I'm following my own Dream with an internship

In the crime lab and the Help of my best friends.

Together we are The inspectors.

Hello and welcome To the inspectors on cbs.

Hi, I'm charmin lee and I Play dr. Georgia darby,

The director of the National forensics

Laboratory, or Simply the crime lab.

Today we're looking back On two cases that involve

Failure to render scams.

Now these are some of the Oldest and simplest frauds

In the book.

They happen when scammers Offer products which they

Don't even have in their Possession or services

Which they don't provide.

As you'll see in this First story, a failure to

Render scam targets an Unsuspecting bride-to-be.

Now let's see how the Inspectors put a stop to

The criminal who's making The happiest day of the

Victim's life Anything but.

Please enjoy “wedding Bell blues.”

Yes, the Bagley/smith wedding,

This is madison bagley.

Bagley/smith?

I'm sorry I'm checking my Files and I don't see a

Wedding under that name.

What?

I have no Record of the event.

What do you mean You have no record of the

Event?

The wedding planner said That everything was all

Set.

Honestly I've never Even heard of wedded bliss

Planning.

You've Never heard of them?

No, None of us have.

Just check Your records again.

I gave the deposit to Wedded bliss planning and

Then they gave it to you.

I'm really Sorry ms. Bagley.

Please, what Am I supposed to do?

I can't get Them on the phone.

I've tried calling Like two dozen times.

And you contacted Wedded bliss after you

Received this Brochure in the mail?

Yes.

They seemed Completely legitimate.

When I met with janice, The owner, she had a

And florists and bands and

Venues.

I even spoke to someone Whose wedding they did

Before.

My gosh, that was Probably fake too.

And how Much was the deposit?

We wrote a Check for $9,000 dollars.

Unfortunately this Isn't the first time we've

Seen a scam like this.

No, it's called “failure to render.” they

Make promises, they take Your money and then they

Just never deliver.

If we don't get That money back I'm gonna

Have to call off The whole wedding.

Unfortunately Madison I can't guarantee

That we can get Your money back.

But I can promise you that We'll do our best to find

Whoever did this and Prevent them from doing it

To someone else.

Hopefully along the way we Can recover some of your

Losses.

Well, looks like She's still leaving people

At the alter.

That's her, That's wedded bliss

Planning.

Wedded bliss Did a good job on these

Brochures, I'll give Them credit for that.

Oh yeah, they Pulled pictures of local

Florists, restaurants, Caterers, country clubs

Off the internet.

Yeah, that's How they run their scam.

They tailor them to each City before they strike

And then get out of town Once they reach their cash

Goal.

Yeah, well I'll Get this flyer processed

For prints but It's a longshot.

Hey boss lady, Check out these brochures

Returned from a local post Office undeliverable as

Addressed.

Lavender butterfly Weddings, creative.

These are the exact same Photos that were in the

Brochure madison Got for wedded bliss.

Yep.

And the text is Verbatim as well.

Definitely The same outfit, just a

Different name, phone Number and website.

It would appear so.

Well then I have a Proposal for you mitchell

Meyer.

Will you make me the Happiest inspector in this

Domicile and help me Catch these criminals?

Yes I will.

Okay, we need to Get our story straight.

We've been together for...

5 years.

Wow, way To string me along.

What, it's how long I waited before I proposed

To my ex-wife.

Let's Just say 2 years.

Hey, do you ever Miss being married?

Well, you know, I Miss having somebody to

Wake up to in the morning.

I mean sarg is great and Everything but it's really

Hard to get very Comfortable about somebody

Who drinks out Of the toilet.

Did he Learn that from you?

Yeah, what is This our first fight?

Okay, Come on, focus.

Where did we meet?

They're gonna ask that.

Well, my ex-wife And I met at a county

Fair.

We were contestants In an amateur rodeo.

Yeah, I don't Think I can sell that.

Let's go with the Old blind date thing.

Alright, fair enough.

Chicken or steak at The rehearsal dinner?

Fish, Keep it classy.

You're assuming Everyone's gonna eat fish.

Mitch, There is no everyone.

Not if You serve fish.

Speaking of family, I have some bad news.

What?

My fake uncle Is allergic to the fake

Seafood we ordered.

Well tell it to The fake wedding planner.

Are you ready?

Yeah, go for it.

Amanda called The suspect and posed as a

Bride-to-be in need Of a wedding planner.

Hello, hi, yes, I Saw your flier and I was

Hoping that you could Plan our wedding for early

Spring.

The perp took the Bait and the trap was set.

Our suspect Ran her scam on the

Inspectors who pretended To trust her every word

About their big day.

Unbeknownst to the Criminal, mitch and amanda

Weren't the only ones There to catch her in the

Act.

Oh I love them, That's exactly what I

Wanted.

No, blue.

Gotta be blue.

Or periwinkle.

Oh honey, the Color of the flowers

Really doesn't matter.

Well Maybe not to you.

For better Or worse, right?

Just let me know When the better starts.

Periwinkle, please?

Undercover Inspectors were recording

The conversation and our Team was able to use that

Evidence to obtain a Warrant for the scammer's

Arrest.

Oh, I've Ran out of checks.

Oh, you see What I have to deal with?

Would it be okay If I sent you a check?

Don't worry, you'll get What's coming to you.

You know, you Led us right to her.

Your testimony and that of Her other victims, she's

Looking at a Minimum of 5 years.

Thanks for coming In madison, and thank you

Again for all of Your assistance.

I'm just glad I Could help you guys out.

There's just so much time Wasted and now I have to

Start all over.

Don't worry about The past, focus on your

Big day.

Yeah.

And you've gotten Your money back so now you

Get to plan your wedding All over again, right?

Yeah.

Hey, have you Decided what you're going

To serve?

Oh go with fish, It's always so classy.

No, no, no, no, no, Go with chicken, everybody

Loves chicken.

Hey, what about a Nice prime rib, the people

Love a prime rib.

Yeah but there's People that don't eat

Meat.

You're right, Maybe just fish and

Chicken, just Stop right there.

No, but then That's added expense.

If you just go with the Chicken then she doesn't

Have to spend That kind of money.

Have you Thought about the cake?

I would do cupcakes.

Think about that.

She can spend that Extra money on dessert.

Oh, yeah.

Imagine This, you finally go on

Your family vacation at a Beautiful resort but when

You arrive thousands of Miles from home they have

No record of Your reservation.

This is another example Of a “failure to render”

Scam.

Now there are plenty Of legitimate timeshare

Companies that provide You and your family a

Wonderful getaway.

But some criminals pose as These credible companies,

Gain your trust And take your money.

This next story follows a Family that was targeted

By this type of Failure to render scam.

Here's “for whom The bell tolls”.

This Makes no sense.

How can we not Be in the system.

Keep checking.

We paid for this timeshare A month ago, I have the

Confirmation number.

There must be a mistake.

We flew 5 hours to get Here and the entire island

Is booked.

So you sent a Check to timeshare savers

And they confirmed you Had a week at the resort?

And then when We got there, nothing.

They had never even Heard of timeshare savers.

So I tried to call Them but the line was

Disconnected.

So I went to the police And the fraud division

Sent me to you.

Well you're not Alone, there are 22 others

In the same position.

But I Checked this company out.

They had a website, Reviews, they looked

Legit.

Can't you just go There and arrest them?

Well there probably Is no “there.” most likely

They've pulled up stakes And moved to another

Location.

This vacation Was a big deal for me.

What do I do now?

You can help if you Can provide us with the

Canceled check you Wrote to timeshare savers.

It'll help get Their bank information and

That's a good start.

I know you don't want To hear this but it's

Unlikely we'll be able To get your money back.

Well just Please get these people.

We need to get Those bank records from

Timeshare savers.

I'm already on it.

Bank manager is Emailing them today.

Good.

Today, march 8th.

Yep.

It's a week From march 15th.

What do you Know about march 15th?

Ides of march!

Mmm hmm...

Okay, okay, word Around the campfire is

That you have your final Meeting with inspector in

Charge downing about the Promotion on the 15th.

Wow, word travels Fast around that campfire.

Yes, I have one More meeting.

Oh, so you'll Be in town that day?

That's nice.

Huh?

So if you get the Promotion you gonna take

The job?

Oh, if I had a Nickle for every time

Someone has asked Me that I'd...

Hey, we're Partners, right?

We share.

Ask me, ask me anything, I am an open book.

Really?

Well then, okay, I will Tell you if you tell me

Why you became a letter Carrier after the army.

No, That's personal.

What Happened to the open book?

It turned Into the library.

Timeshare savers Opened their bank account

11 months ago.

And you would not believe How many vacations they've

Sold in the last Quarter alone.

I'll bet these Customers all had similar

Experiences to The wellsborns.

Look, it's in the bank Records; they cash the

Checks and then Drain the accounts.

Yeah, exactly, There's nothing left.

There's An address here.

Let's see if Anyone's home.

Nothing here.

You sure this Is the right address?

This is the Address the bank had on

File.

Nothing in here But an empty coffee cup.

Why are there always Empty coffee cups in these

Places?

Something To remember them by.

We gotta contact the Landlord, get in there,

See if we can get some Prints off that cup, maybe

Get some leads to Where they went.

So hey, if you take The job and it doesn't

Work out do you Get to come back?

Mitch...I think we Should play the no talking

Game in the car On the way back.

Okay.

We can listen To the radio.

Fine.

Great, what kind Of music do you like?

What, classical?

Rock?

K-pop?

Any word From the landlord at the

Timeshare saver office?

No, she Doesn't know anything.

They didn't give her any Real information, just

Fake names, fake id's, Fake, fake, fake, fake,

Fake, fake.

The only prints that Georgia could get off the

Coffee cup were partials And they were too small to

Put into the database.

Another dead end.

Keep looking.

Okay.

I'll reach out to Joanne wellsborn, see if

There's something she Might've forgotten to tell

Us.

What's going on here?

All sugar diet?

No, I just...I Couldn't decide so I got

One of each.

Mmm...

Help Yourself, have one.

Really?

Yeah.

I love red velvet.

Red velvet huh?

Is that German chocolate?

I said one.

Okay.

No, I'm sorry mrs. Wellsborn, there's nothing

New to report.

Seems the trail Has gone a bit cold.

But I will Keep you posted.

Well thanks For staying on it.

Oh one more thing, we've Been contacted by a law

Firm.

We signed on to be part Of a class action suit

Against timeshare savers.

Mrs. Wellsborn, Can you hold the line for

A minute?

Okay.

Hey mitch, I have Joanne wellsborn on the

Line.

She said there's now a Class action lawsuit

Against timeshare savers.

Well it's not the First time I heard about

Against timeshare savers.

Well it's not the First time I heard about

That scam huh?

Why hit them once when you Can hit them twice, right?

Mrs. Wellsborn, We're going to need all

The information you Have on that law firm.

I think the trail may Have warmed up a bit.

Swift Legal associates.

Sounds like criminal-ese For don't draw attention.

How much you wanna bet That law firm is the same

People behind Timeshare savers?

What kind of law firm Would file a suit against

A company that Doesn't exist anymore?

Tulips?

Yeah, you know, I had a coupon that was

About to expire so...

What, you like tulips?

No, they're okay.

I've always been Partial to lilies.

Lilies smell nice.

And roses.

Who Doesn't like roses?

Peonies are pretty.

Okay, but you Like lilies, right?

Oh yeah, They're my favorite.

And where do I Send the money for the

Retainer?

Let's concentrate on Getting your money back.

I'll be mailing you a Packet with all the

Information on the class Action suit as well as

Where you can send Our retainer fees.

That sounds fine.

You did great.

Well they put on A good show, but all the

Evidence points to the Fact these are the same

People trying to scam You all over again.

Just remember To continue to act as if

Everything is normal.

I will.

And when that Packet arrives in the mail

You get it to us Immediately, alright?

3 hours And no activity.

It's gonna be A long night.

Oh, wait a minute.

Yeah, someone's coming...

...Oh, never mind, it's Just the cleaning crew.

So what's your Favorite color?

Blue.

What, just blue?

Like what, navy blue?

Cobalt blue?

Azure?

Indigo blue?

Cornflower blue?

I had no Idea there were so many

Options.

What's your Favorite color?

Blue.

Still nothing But the cleaning crew.

Looks like they do a Pretty good job though.

Thorough.

Hey, hey wait.

Who cleans offices wearing A giant diamond ring?

Hi, united States postal inspectors.

Mind if I Look through your trash?

With a ring like that you Must really be cleaning

Up.

So how did the Final interview go?

Good.

Great actually.

So if you Get the promotion...

Mitch, please.

No, no, no, no, no, I was just gonna say that

If you get the promotion You should celebrate, it's

Something to be proud Of, it's a big deal.

Look, I don't know What's gonna happen with

The job but I'm Asking you...

Yeah...

Mitch, I'm begging You, please do not make a

Big deal of this.

Okay boss, Whatever you say.

Thank you.

Happy birthday!

Surprise.

Oh...

How did you know?

Well I Am an inspector.

Preston told you.

Yeah.

Mitch, I can't Get over all of this.

Yeah, and it's All your favorites.

There's blue, Like blue balloons.

And lilies and your Favorite music...

Mitch's seemingly Innocent questions

Throughout the Investigation had an

Ulterior motive.

Turned out he was Gathering some intel of

His own in the service Of planning a perfect

Surprise party for Amanda's birthday.

But there was one Thing he had forgotten.

Listen, um...With All the preparations for

This party I just...Well I plumb forgot to get you

Something for Your birthday.

Oh mitch, you Don't have to do that.

No, no, no.

And so you've been asking About it so I thought, you

Know, I'd just...I'd tell You why I became a letter

Carrier after The military.

You see, while I was Deployed overseas every

Day I saw how important a Letter or a care package

From home could be to a Soldier who was...Who was

Tired or scared or Was missing home.

And I just...It made All the difference in the

World.

And I knew that when I got Home I wanted to be a part

Of that smile every day.

So happy birthday.

Hey birthday Girl, chief downing had to

Take a flight so he asked Me to give that to you.

Oh, wow.

Birthday card From the chief.

What?

I got The promotion.

As you've seen Today, the united states

Postal inspection service Takes immense pride in

Protecting you.

For the inspectors I'm Charmin lee, and remember

You might be a target But you don't have to be a

Victim.

Thanks for watching.

Today's episode is About one of the simplest

And oldest frauds, Failure to render.

Shopping for goods and Services either through

The mail or online opens Up a whole new world of

Choices, but it also opens Up a new way for scammers

To steal money.

While many internet Promotions are legitimate,

Innovative con artists Also use the internet to

Conduct Fraudulent schemes.

Some sellers offer Descriptions of products

They don't even have In their possession, or

Services like the wedding Planner, that they don't

Even provide.

Don't get taken.

Know who you're dealing With and what you're

Purchasing.

Doing research on the Front end can save you

Time and money In the long run.