Tag: free government cell phones

Fraud alert: Here’s why we hate the free government cell phone program

WTF? Can someone explain to us why someone can afford a house full of fancy electronics yet still qualify for a free government cell phone?

We’ve run numerous articles about the Safelink Wireless free government cel phone program. As we’ve said many times, it’s a program that’s ripe for, and undoubted rife with, fraud.

Of course, the articles we’ve run are always followed by dozens (sometimes hundreds) of comments from people who call us cold-hearted bastards who lack even a shred of human decency.

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They may be right about that, but we’re right about the potential for fraud. Want proof? Check out the following police incident report from ENCtoday.com, which calls itself “Eastern North Carolina’s source for news and information.”

Incident reports

The following incidents were reported by the Kinston Department of Public Safety and the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office:

… On June 9, a woman on Norline Drive, La Grange, reported someone broke into her residence and stole the following: A Dell computer valued at $200; a 50″ Panasonic flatscreen TV valued at $1,000; a Wii game system valued at $250; an RCA stereo system valued at $100; a Belkin wireless router valued at $70; a Safe Link cell phone valued at $0.

WTF? Can someone explain to us why someone can afford a house full of fancy electronics yet still qualify for a free government cell phone?

Or is there now some free government 50” flatscreen TV scam, too?

Source: ENC Today

Scam I am: ReachOut competes with Safelink in the government cell phone for the poor scam

Safelink Wireless has competition. Now we can add the ReachOut wireless to the list of companies that take your dollars and magically convert them into cell phones for the poor.

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Safelink Wireless has competition. Now we can add the ReachOut wireless to the list of companies that take your dollars and magically convert them into free cell phones for the poor.

We know the routine. We do an article on this subject and apologists immediately bombard us with comments saying, “This isn’t a government program.” Nonsense. ReachOut admits as much on its blog.

Did I mention that you can get a free cell phone? Believe it or not, if you are considered “low income”, you can. Low income families have it hard. Working hard, paying off bills, and taking care of everyone’s needs is a difficult task. Thankfully, the list of government-assisted products and services now includes a free cell phone.

reachout wireless free government cell phone
Free phone! Free minutes! Every month! You pay, they get it free!

Here’s how the ReachOut Wireless website describes the program:

REACHOUT WIRELESS™ service is U.S. government supported program for Income eligible households provided by Nexus Communications, Inc. In order to participate in the REACHOUT WIRELESS™ service, persons must meet certain eligibility requirements set by each State where the service is to be provided. These requirements are based on a person’s participation in a state or Federal support programs or by meeting the Income Poverty Guidelines as defined by the U.S. Government. REACHOUT WIRELESS™ service is limited to one person per household.

It’s nice to see that competition has been introduced into this program. Now Safelink and ReachOut will slug it out to see which company can give away more of your hard-earned dollars.

Capitalism at its finest.

Source: ReachOutMobile.com

The horror: Jerry Brown to disconnect 48,000 cell phones given to state workers

In a desperate cost-cutting move, California Governor Jerry Brown is disconnecting 48,000 cell phones used by state employees.

In a desperate cost-cutting move, California Governor Jerry Brown is disconnecting 48,000 cell phones used by state employees.

He’s cutting off Californians’ cell phones? Why this is outrageous. It’s a violation of their civil rights. Next thing you know, he’ll cut off their no caf, non-fat, extra shot, double lattes.

jerry-brown-cell-phone
There's one state-issued cell phone Jerry Brown won't cut off

The Los Angeles Times has the cell phone specifics:

Alarmed at discovering that the state pays for 96,000 cellphones, Gov. Jerry Brown issued an executive order Tuesday seeking to cut in half the number of devices being billed to taxpayers.

Requiring 48,000 cellphones to be turned in by June 1 will save the state about $20 million a year.

“It is difficult for me to believe that 40% of all state employees must be equipped with taxpayer-funded cellphones,” Brown said. “Some state employees, including department and agency executives who are required to be in touch 24 hours a day and seven days a week, may need cellphones, but the current number of phones out there is astounding.”

The new governor is looking for ways to cut waste to help him dig the state out of a $25-billion budget hole, which has also required him to propose asking voters to extend some existing taxes.

While we applaud Governor Moonbeam for taking this step, we really have to wonder if the remaining 48,000 state-issued cell phones are really necessary. Can’t the state employees use their own cell phones? And do you really expect anyone to believe that they don’t use those state-issued cell phones for personal calls?

One other thing, Governor Brown. Have you heard about this Safelink free cell phone program? The state’s broke, so it would probably qualify to get those 48,000 cell phones for free.

Source: LA Times

“Teléfono gratuito de los contribuyentes estadounidenses.”
Translation: Toll Free from U.S. taxpayers

Los teléfonos celulares son caras. Muy caro. Pero ahora usted puede conseguir uno libre. Usted no pagará ni un centavo porque los contribuyentes estadounidenses pagarán por ello.

Los teléfonos celulares son caras. Muy caro. Pero ahora usted puede conseguir uno libre. Usted no pagará ni un centavo porque los contribuyentes estadounidenses pagarán por ello.

Diga “Gracias, Tío Sam.” O dicen “Estos gringos están locos.”

Lo que sea.

Safelink cell phones paid for by the overburdened, under-appreciated American Taxpayers.

Translation:

Cell phones are expensive. Very expensive. But now you can get one free. You won’t pay a cent because the American taxpayers will pay for it.

Say “Thanks, Uncle Sam.” Or as they say, “These gringos are crazy.”

That’s what they say.

Repeat after me: “IHateTheMedia.com does not give away free cell phones”

We are not SafeLink Wireless. We are not affiliated with SafeLink Wireless in any way. We don’t like their service. We don’t approve of their service. We don’t sell cell phones. We don’t give away free cell phones. We have nothing to do with cell phones. You won’t find a free government cell phone here. Absolutely nothing.

cell-phone-safelink-scam
Get this through your head: IHateTheMedia.com does not give away free cell phones

Waaaaaay back in March 2009, we ran a story headlined Safelink Wireless: Exposing the government’s cell-phones-for the-poor scam. Is there anything in that headline that would make anyone think we support this gross giveaway?

It was all about a company called SafeLink Wireless and the fact that they will give you a free cell phone and free monthly minutes as long as you’re already receiving other government assistance.

For some reason we are apparently unable to comprehend, this is our all-time most popular story. Day in and day, 365 days a year, it’s our one of our top five most read and most commented on stories.

But even more amazing, we constantly get emails from readers who think IHateTheMedia.com is giving away these phones, or that we are Safelink Customer Service.

For example:

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From Pamela: i have a safelink phone u sent me and 1 it was someones phone b 4 I got it & 2 now its saying i have to reapply, so i tryed and it wont let me. so how can u say u are helpping people by giving them free phones now i have no phone im almost 60 and im disabled and live alone so if i need help ill just have to sit here and die cuz i cant use a safeliknk phone to call for help. lets see what our gov, thinks of all this mess u done now. thanks for not helping me.

From Raymond D****: my name is raymond d**** i misplaced my cell phone please send a reply asap sincerely raymond d****

From Raymond O: i am from Ghana life in my village is really not good i really need you to help get a handset

And so it goes. Dozens of requests for a free cell phone. One after another, they just keep rolling in. Everyone want a free government cell phone.

So, just in case we haven’t made this clear, let us be blunt:

We are not SafeLink Wireless. We are not affiliated with SafeLink Wireless in any way. We don’t like their service. We don’t approve of their service. We don’t sell cell phones. We don’t give away free cell phones. You won’t find a cell phone from the government here. Absolutely nothing.

We’re hanging up now.

Click.

Wireless welfare: Free cell phone for the poor scam expands

More free cell phones for the poor. This time from TracFone Wireless in Colorado, not Safelink Wireless.

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In March 2009 we did a story about a wireless phone plan that provides free cell phones for the poor through Safelink Wireless. Much to our surprise, it’s generated more controversy and more comments than any other story we’ve ever done (you really should read some of the thousands of comments. Frankly, it’s astonishing).

TracFone Wireless follows Safelink Wireless in giving free cell phones to the poor

free cell phone
Anyone who thinks this is a good idea should have their head examined

Now Colorado is thinking about enrolling its poor in the same program.

The Denver Post reports:

“If approved, the plan by TracFone Wireless in Miami would make Colorado the 17th state it has settled into with free cell service for the indigent, a form of wireless welfare that proponents say taps into one of the last untapped markets for the telecom technology.

“Our hope is to have it up and running by September,” said Jose Fuentes, TracFone’s director of government relations. “Historically, it’s a very underutilized service, and we’d like that to change.”

In Colorado, it’s called LITAP — the Low Income Telephone Assistance Program — and is available to anyone receiving aid from any of six welfare funds…

The bad news is that you’re paying for this via the Universal Service Fund, one of those mysterious line item taxes listed on your monthly phone bill.

The good news is that you soon won’t have any money left and you’ll qualify for a free cell phone.

Congratulations!

Source: DenverPost.com

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