Face to face scams can be some of the most frightening to be a victim of. Instead of anonymous hackers, the victim is brought face to face with the thief.
The way these scams typically work is using a pretense to meet at a specific location for any of a number of purposes. It could be to repay a debt owed by a family member or perhaps bail for a loved one in trouble.
The victim of the face to face scam either is defrauded of the funds or is placed in a position where they have to give the funds to the perpetrator or else they – or a loved one held ostensibly for ransom – will come to harm.
Sometimes a face to face scam will involve cash, other times the victim is asked to hand over a debit card and their PIN.
These scams are some of the most brazen, but also the most traumatizing to the victim. Learn more about them by watching this space. See below:
How the scam works: New York has a famous diamond-trading centre, located on 47th street. If you have heard about it and decide to visit the area, be careful never to buy jewelry at the street level of the trading centre. The legitimate trading at wholesale prices takes place only in high security offices. The … Diamonds in New York Read More »
Door to Door Magazine Subscription Fraud: How It Works (with video below) You're sitting at home watching the tube when a young girl knocks on your door. She tells you she's working to raise funds for a church trip (or even for the soldiers abroad) by selling magazine subscriptions and any little bit will help. … Door to Door Subscription Read More »
How the scam works: Scammers go to department stores and fill a shopping cart with absolutely everything from DVD players to sports equipment. They line up and pay for their purchases like anyone would, but once outside the store, the person who paid gives the receipt to their partner. The partner then goes into the … Double Shopping Cart Read More »
Electronics for Sale – White Van Scam: How It Works (with video below) It's amazing how this scam continues to happen day by day. Let's say you are in a parking lot and are just getting out of your vehicle when a white van pulls up next to you. Inside are a couple of … Electronics for Sale Read More »
How the scam works: Scenario 1. Crooks approach new immigrants in town by claiming they are working for non-profit organizations that host ESL classes (English as a Second Language). After they get the victims’ personal information, the scammers call them and inform them that they didn’t qualify for the free classes and now have to … ESL Classes Read More »
12 Funeral Scams Everyone Should Be Aware Of Are you looking for cheap coffins for sale or trying to buy caskets online to help with funeral costs? Beware of several funeral scams out there, whether it's about pine, wooden, baby or pet caskets. Let's take a look. Most of the time, funerals are organized … Funeral Casket Offers Read More »
How the scam works: (with video below) You might come across a campaign –online or in stores as donation boxes– that’s fundraising money to pay for a baby’s funeral. This is a real tear-jerker. There’s a picture of the baby and you really feel upset. Thousands of dollars get into the hands of scammers pulling … Funeral for a Baby Read More »
How the scam works: Scammers approach their victims anywhere, especially in stores, where people can spark up a conversation easily. A woman tells you a family member is in the hospital and needs urgent surgery, but she doesn’t have enough cash. That’s why she is selling her last resort for rainy days – a gold bar. … Gold Bar for Sale Read More »
How the scam works: Be aware of a new grocery voucher giveaway scam happening these days. There are several marketing companies that use this trick to get people into paying for something that might come as an unbelievable shopping experience. You are promised a $500 grocery coupon if you participate in a so-called survey and … Grocery $500 Giveaway Read More »
How the scam works: Small gyms in neighborhoods might announce a grand opening coming as soon as they complete a renovation. Flyers advertise new membership rates at this gym after the reopening. Even more good news –if you join in advance, you’ll pay half price. This way, the money will go towards the renovation and … Gym Before Renovation Read More »
Beware of the Little Dirty Gym Tricks (with video below) The first few months of the year is when thousands of people in your city start going to the gym after setting up the world's most common New Year's resolution: losing weight and being healthy. Just like an unfortunate school of fish heading exactly … Gym Membership Add-Ons Read More »
How the scam works: This is one of the biggest scams in the industry. You go to the shop and look at a deck board – which is a book that has a large piece of carpet on the front, and all the smaller samples and available colors inside. Let’s say you look at three … Carpet Ordering Read More »
My2020Census Gov Scam: How It Works Beware of a new Census fraud in the United States called Mycensus2020 Gov Scam. Be also careful of the fake census agents going around, both in neighborhoods and online. Let’s explain. The new census in the United States is on, while Canada, UK and Australia have theirs scheduled for … Beware of Fake Census Agents Read More »
How the scam works: Scammers advertise themselves as chimney repair specialists, dropping flyers in your mailbox advertising free evaluations and clean-ups. You hadn’t thought about it before but now you start wondering if you should have the chimney inspected, so you call them in. The scammer comes in and starts cleaning up your chimney. As … Chimney Repair Read More »
How the scam works: It has been reported that this scam is growing rapidly, especially in the United States. The crooks organize beautiful neighborhood presentations, advertising great cooking systems and high end cutlery. They really are, but only the ones displayed at the presentation, not the ones delivered. Once the victims order a set of … Cutlery Presentation Read More »
How the scam works: Crooks advertise the “carat total weight” of diamonds in a ring, but avoid mentioning the individual weight of the center piece. How is that important? A big diamond is worth much more than the 7 small ones around it that equal it in weight. If you are considering buying, always ask … Diamond Weighting & Lighting Read More »
How the scam works: A couple of young and polite people show up at your door carrying great paintings, telling you they are art students and are trying to raise funds for their tuition and art supplies by selling their own pieces. The paintings really look good and they are asking “only” $40 for the works of … Art Student Paintings Read More »
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