scam

“Sham Charities Recruited Children to Sell Candy to Fund Fake Scholarships While Executives Pocketed the Profits”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Lorie Shaull

From the office of the DC Attorney General:

“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, along with Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee, and former Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, today announced that two fraudulent nonprofits, Maryland Youth Club of America, Inc. (Maryland Youth Club) and Virginia Youth Club of America, Inc. (Virginia Youth Club), will permanently shut down and that their founder, Jule Huston, as well as other officers and directors, are banned from doing any business or soliciting charitable donations in the District. Huston is also barred from forming a charity or soliciting charitable donations in Maryland and Virginia, and from serving as an officer or director of any Maryland or Virginia charitable corporation.

The settlements resolve a joint investigation by the Attorneys General of DC, Maryland, and Virginia, and the Maryland Secretary of State, which uncovered evidence that Maryland Youth Club and Virginia Youth Club recruited school-age children from low-income neighborhoods to sell candy door-to-door, telling people that the proceeds would fund scholarships and enrichment activities for at-risk kids, when in fact the adults running the program illegally used the funds for their own personal benefit. (more…)

“Parking Garage Scam?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

My partner, a very meticulous person, had an odd thing happen over the holidays and it sounds like a scam. He parked in the parking garage under the Columbia Heights Target. When he went to exit the garage a short time later he put his ticket in the machine and it said the ticket was unable to be read. The staff person at the exit took the ticket and later came back to say the plate number on the ticket didn’t match the license plate of our car and she asked my partner to follow her to the parking office. (more…)

“Consumer Alert warning District residents to be on the lookout for gift card scams this holiday season.”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Erin

From the Office of the DC Attorney General:

“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today issued the below Consumer Alert warning District residents to be on the lookout for gift card scams this holiday season. The alert provides details on common tactics that scammers use, tips on how to avoid falling victim to a gift card scam, and instructions on what residents should do if they believe they have been scammed. (more…)

HVAC cleaning scam continues

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

A variation on the HVAC cleaning scam showed up AGAIN on the same listserve just now, and I saw it floated through a different listserve I’m on last week. Weirdly persistent. If you have recommendations of authorities to report them to, I’m all ears. Maybe Consumer Protection or the AG in DC or MD.“

“Local scam — HVAC cleaning”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

There is a local scam going around that has now appeared on several listserves I’ve been on. A person joins a listserve claiming to be a member of the group, e.g. “a 20-something who attends XXX congregation,” then claims that they have a “group rate” for HVAC cleanings of $150. There is indeed a company that shows up and does something if you sign up, but it is tantamount to doing nothing and they are misleading about what services they provide. The original poster then tries to pressure you into signing more people up for the pyramid scheme. More details below. (more…)

“MPD Makes Two Arrests in Gold Coin Scam”

By Prince Of Petworth

From MPD:

“The Metropolitan Police Department announces the arrest of two suspects involved in a first-degree fraud offense.

In June, MPD’s Financial Crimes Unit was contacted by a scamming victim. The investigation revealed that in February the victim’s computer crashed. and a pop-up message appeared advising the victim to contact a fictitious customer service number. The victim called the number and was connected to the scammers. Between February and June 2025, the scammers instructed the victim to make multiple wire transfers and purchases of gold bars and coins. In total the victim was defrauded over more than $640,000. (more…)

“New “MPower”-type scam?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

Just a heads up for the community. “Nordic Energy” has representatives out in Columbia Heights/Park View knocking on doors, claiming that folks on my street have complained about utility costs, and were pretty insistent on seeing our Pepco and Washington Gas accounts. (more…)

Scam Alert: DC AG Warns of Fake Toll Scam

By Prince Of Petworth

From the office of the DC Attorney General:

“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today issued a consumer alert warning District residents of a new scam in which threatening text messages, claiming to be from a government toll collection agency, are sent to residents as part of an illegal, widespread effort to steal individual’s financial information. (more…)

A New Scam in Town?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I think there might be a new scam in town. Yesterday by 14th and RI around 7:30am this woman walked up to me looking flustered and said her wallet and purse were just stolen, but she had her phone. She was asking for money to get a cab to Bethesda when I said I didn’t have cash she asked if I had cash app or Zelle (which I don’t). She was very insistent that I go to an atm with her 2 blocks up and when I told her I don’t have a debit card but we should stop into one of the surrounding businesses and see if they can call her a cab she was just very insistent that I give her money and reiterated the ATM. Once I told her I didn’t have a debit card again she kind of dropped the act and said “I’ll just keep asking people” and walked away. Anyway, I just walked past her again today carrying a wad of cash but in the same dress and talking on the phone. (more…)

View More Stories