We get 'Dr. Phil' on Channel 7 on CableOne here in Independence each
> weekday at 3:00 PM. It just now came on today, and the good doctor
> is complaining that his name and reputation has been ripped off by
> some Nigerian-407 style con artists. Someone got a toll free 800
> number listed as 'Doctor Phil' and when anyone calls 800 directory
> assistance for (the real) Dr. Phil, the directory robot operator
> gives them the number for the bogus 'Doctor Phil'. The person on the
> other end claims to be the producer of the show, and asks for money
> to set up an interview with him. Naturally, the money (at least a few
> hundred dollars, typically a thousand or more) has to be wired to the
> con-artist on the spot. He has an FBI investigator and others looking
> into it. Thus far, it has been traced to somewhere in Houston, TX,
> where the calls terminate on various phone lines. Two victims thus
> far have wired money to the scammer in Houston, each of them from
> desparate elderly people who were convinced to send large amounts of
> money to the bogus 'Dr. Phil'. On television they are trying to lure
> the con-artist out into the open. The scammer claims the money should
> be wired to 'Esther Hernandez' who is (the bogus) Dr. Phil's secretary.
> More details on this in the next issue of the Digest. Now I want to
> go in and watch the rest of it on television myself.
> PAT
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am amused by your comparison. :) You are probably correct. On the Wednesday show, Dr. Phil was outraged by this ripoff; he spent the entire hour dealing with it, and it will be continued on today's show. The imposter is apparently not all that sophisticated; the wo(man) claiming to be his producer/secretary is sort of crude, but smart enough many of his would-be guests were decieved by the trick. It has all been traced thus far to Houston, TX, at least that's where Western Union wires money to the imposter. I do not know which I like better on the afternoon television lineup around here: Dr. Phil, Judge Judy or Jerry Springer. Maybe I will stick with the classical music programming on KOSU, along with the NPR newscasts. PAT]