SCAM ALERT!
“May none of us open our hands in need this year, but offer it only in friendship.”
Crazy story to share. I want to give everyone a heads up. Can’t believe it happened at my house!
David and I went to a friend’s house for dinner the other night and she was a bit spooked when we rang the gate bell. She began to tell us the story of a young man that paid her a visit that afternoon…
“A 20 something yr old boy rang our bell, the gate was open so he came to the door.” He said, “My grandmother lives just down the street and I have just come from your neighbor’s home, Mrs. Levy. He said I should stop by. My sports league has just won our tournament and we are trying to raise money to pay for our trip and championship uniforms. We are asking and hoping for any contributions you may be willing to give.”
My friend called for her husband, and was happy to write a check (she is very charitable), but her husband wanted more info.
He did not recognize the boy’s grandmother’s name. He asked him what the name of his money raising org was. He stepped away for a moment with the info to check online to verify it. He found nothing. Then he began to drill the boy for anything credible before he contributed…
“Quality Subscriptions Inc is the name of our group, Sir” said the polite young man.
“Just give me a moment,” my friend said to the boy.
He Googled that name and what he found was FRAUD SCAM!!! www.complaintsboard.com
“You better leave our neighborhood immediately before we call the police!” said my friend’s husband.
The boy left immediately and they followed him in their car to be sure he kept going and stopped at no other homes.
Wednesday, my doorbell rang…. I answered by phone from my bedroom.
“Hi, my name is Bill, my grandmother lives in the yellow house on the corner, I have just come from your neighbor’s house next door (she happily wrote him a check btw) and she suggested that I stop by. My baseball team just placed first in our league….could you come down so I can speak to you on person please, so I can explain?”
OMG, I thought! I quickly called David so he could handle it, we already knew the drill, but it was still so creepy. He had the fake southern accent that I remember my girlfriend imitated.
David answered the door. He strongly demanded, “What is your name?!?, Your last name?!? Which house does your grandmother live in?!? What is her name?!?”
The boy stuttered and had no accurate info.
David told him to leave our neighborhood, never come back and that he was calling the cops.
The boy ran off without a word! I spoke to my neighbors and they quickly began cancelling the checks they had written. The stories and pitch that this organization is using is compelling, convincing and backed with neighborhood details.
We were on our way out and saw the boy after he left our neighborhood. He was taking pictures on his phone of people’s car license plates. Who knows what he was up to and capable of. DO NOT answer your door for anyone! Even the boy in uniform with a great story…
People are desperate and will do anything to make money these days. It’s scary, but you have to be more aware than ever. Be careful of the sales scams. Ask a lot of questions and then go online in one minute and verify an organization. If the person is legit, they won’t mind waiting for 2 minutes while you check.
I am telling this story to open everyone’s eyes. If my girlfriend, who lives across town btw hadn’t shared with me, I would not have been prepared when the scam came to my house. This group is crossing the nation and we should all be aware.
