SCAMMERS, Please Be Aware!
It seems there are trolls out there scamming our members using the GOCI website. Blaze Frauenholz has an ad on the "wanted" section. He was contacted by a person who supposedly had the parts he was looking for. Blaze sent the guy the money through Western Union. This is a classic scam that gets people all the time especially older folks.
As a law enforcement officer and a member of this club this just makes me mad. I know we can't stop these scammers but it would be nice to make members aware of this and take some precautions.
1.) Never send money through Western Union. Western Union payments can be redeemed almost anywhere and with no trace of who picks up the money.
2.) Never send money using Green Dot Cards. These are prepaid cards you can buy at Walgreens and other similar stores. Scammers will attempt to convince the victim to purchase these cards and give them the number off the back of the card. As soon as this happens the scammer redeems the cash and the scam is complete.
3.) Members should only make payment using Pay Pal. This site has protection built in to protect both parties. Of course you can always send a check or money order.
Most scammers will not accept these payments because they can be traced back or because they are not using a real name so they can't cash the check or money order.
4.) Even though you speak to a person on the telephone this does not mean they are legitimate and they are not trying to scam you. Scammers are complex crooks and take the time to do their homework. They may sound very knowledgeable about Graham cars and parts but this is all part of their job.
As a law enforcement officer and a member of this club this just makes me mad. I know we can't stop these scammers but it would be nice to make members aware of this and take some precautions.
1.) Never send money through Western Union. Western Union payments can be redeemed almost anywhere and with no trace of who picks up the money.
2.) Never send money using Green Dot Cards. These are prepaid cards you can buy at Walgreens and other similar stores. Scammers will attempt to convince the victim to purchase these cards and give them the number off the back of the card. As soon as this happens the scammer redeems the cash and the scam is complete.
3.) Members should only make payment using Pay Pal. This site has protection built in to protect both parties. Of course you can always send a check or money order.
Most scammers will not accept these payments because they can be traced back or because they are not using a real name so they can't cash the check or money order.
4.) Even though you speak to a person on the telephone this does not mean they are legitimate and they are not trying to scam you. Scammers are complex crooks and take the time to do their homework. They may sound very knowledgeable about Graham cars and parts but this is all part of their job.