This is the time of year when many scams begin to emerge to try and take advantage of holiday shoppers. APD will be highlighting some of the more notable scams as a reminder that the scammers are out there and shoppers need to be wary.
Here's an item from Pittsburgh
Two Pittsburgh-area men are accused of running a nearly $2 million scam on thousands of victims who thought they were buying magazine subscriptions to benefit charity.
An indictment unsealed Monday says Samuel Cole and Larhon Buchanan, both of Larimer, hired young men and women to sell fake subscriptions across the country. Investigators say the men ran the scheme in western Pennsylvania, Seattle and Dallas from February 2007 until last year.Authorities say more than 21,000 people were victimized in the scheme. The indictment says the men instructed their sellers to tell victims they were single mothers or convicted criminals looking to get back on their feet. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports both men were arrested Nov. 11 and remain in custody.
We have groups of door to door magazine salespeople every year in Anacortes. If you are thinking of buying something from anyone that is going door to door make sure that you check out their credentials and the company that they work for thoroughly.
Reputable companies and salespeople will carry resources with them that you can verify before you buy. If you are pressured to buy "right now" or there is no way to get a hold of anyone to verify the salesperson and their products are legitimate then you should assume its a scam and keep your money in your pocket.
The City requires door to door salespeople to register with the State and obtain a business license prior to going out to make sales. The license will have a City of Anacortes endorsement on it and salespeople are required to show that document upon request. If a salesperson cannot show a State business license with a City endorsement then they should not be conducting sales in the city. Please call 911 and an officer will contact them.
If you are curious about whether or not a company or salesperson has a proper license you can contact the city Finance department at 293-1900 and they can research the company for you.