Kathie Grealish owns a rental home at the beach with a beautiful view of the water. She was shocked when she recently got a call from a woman who thought she had a signed contract to rent the place.
“She said, ‘our family is coming and we’re looking into renting bicycles.’ I said, I don’t, this name does not sound familiar,” Grealish remembers.
Kathie lists her home on a popular vacation rental site. A scam artist hacked into her email, and posing as her, sent a forged contract. It listed a foreign bank and told the renter to send more than a thousand dollars.
That’s just one of many ploys con artists use to get away with your money, according to Tobie Stanger of Consumer Reports.
Sometimes, the problem is just getting there. Schemes involving free airline tickets are on the rise. As always, according to US Postal Inspector Pamela Durkee, there’s a catch.
“Here comes the high pressure sales pitch and the presentation that you’re going to miss an opportunity if you don’t sign up for this travel club. There’s a lot of pressure to sign up and it’s well over $10,000,” she adds.
In many cases, victims will never get their money back.
NewsChannel 3 is taking action to expose the brand new tactics scammers are using right now. Plus, we reveal the best ways to protect yourself and your money.
Tune in tonight to NewsChannel 3 at 11 for the full story.
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