SCAMMERS ARE PROWLING!

By Deb Miller, West Virginia Senior Legal Aid Contributor 

We have all heard that there are plenty of scammers out there, but we don't usually know when they are zeroing in on us.

Alice was in the midst of selling vintage family clothing on a free website that listed items for sale. It was easy to use, and she was happy to think of making some money.

One morning she got a response about selling a lightweight lady's jacket. A person named Paul Varto said it was a very good price, and he wanted to buy it.            

She wondered why a man would want the jacket, but didn't ask him. When Alice replied that she could meet in a public place that afternoon for the sale, he was agreeable. For personal security reasons, she never met anyone at her house for a sale.

He then asked that she send him a photo of her wearing the jacket. She had posted two photos of the jacket with the listing, so that was unusual.   

Actually, it was a red flag.

Alice was nervous about doing anything like that because she was aware that is how predators work. She emailed that she wasn't able to do that because she was not at home.           

Then Paul replied that he was sorry to hear that she couldn't do that, but he thought Alice probably had cute feet and could she send a photo of them?         

Double red flag!

Many who would really like to make a sale then comply. After all, if that would result in money, it would be OK, right?           

But the bottom line is that there will be no money. This predator is simply collecting victims. This type of scammer does not intend to make a purchase, but for their strange reasons, they want strangers' photos.

Alice then challenged him by saying that no one else on this sale website had ever asked for such a photo. Did he really intend to follow through with a purchase? He then said well, have a happy weekend.

Alice did feel upset, but was so glad she hadn't taken any photos for the creep. She hoped she would never hear from him again.        

She very well could. He would just use another name and try the same ploy. 

Dishonest people don't mind victimizing others.   

Some might look the other way if they think they could make a sale by complying with the scammers' requests. But the scammer isn't going to spend any money because then they would reveal who they are. Besides, they can get people to comply for free. 

Alice checked the Internet on whether there were any fraud remedies on the site itself, but the company didn't do any investigating or enforcing.         

She had not lost any money, so she didn't feel law enforcement would get involved.  

Although she could file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, they also do not investigate individual situations.  

All in all, from her reading about such scammers and their devious ways for years, Alice was happy that she was prepared when one tried to take advantage of her. 

For free legal assistance with a non-criminal matter, West Virginia residents age 60 or older may contact West Virginia Senior Legal Aid at 800-229-5068 or info@seniorlegalaid.org.