“Dear PoPville,
I just wanted to highlight a scam I recently encountered on Facebook Marketplace. I’m not sure how prevalent the approach is but thought I’d share in case others were targeted. (more…)
scam
Thanks to Jamie for sending: “Lmao guy driving around Chinatown in a black SUV. Says he is a tourist from Dubai and that he’ll give you his Versace gold ring and chain because he needs money for gas”
If you fall for this one, well…
photo by Eric P.
“Dear PoPville,
I wanted to send an update on these posts.
Thanks to the helpful posts I read on popville previously, I did not give any money to the scammer couple when they approached me… they seemed to have moved to operate at around the 14 and K Streets, NW area, (more…)
From Pepco:
“As the summer months quickly approach, and customers traditionally begin using more energy and become more reliant on their electricity to make their homes, businesses and lives more comfortable, Pepco reminds customers to be aware of scammers who may attempt to take advantage of them in new and different ways. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
Is it just me or has there been a rise in spam texts in recent months? I seem to receive one every other day from different numbers. I wanted to see if other DC residents have experienced this too.
Perhaps the freakiest text I’ve received recently was someone claiming that they met me at Artechouse DC and that they were in need of cash desperately ($500). (more…)
Shannon asked: “is this what renting is like in DC or am I being scammed? It’s from what I thought was a reputable company”
Survey says: (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
I encountered the scammers you’ve previously posted about on 14th between P and Church Streets. They took me by surprise by timidly saying ‘excuse me, can I ask you a question,’ which I figured would lead to asking directions or for a restaurant recommendation so I said sure. Instead they launched into the same backstory about having a car towed that others have experienced and rapidly overwhelmed me with info before asking for $45.
While asking for the money they kept trying to hand me a couple of phones as ‘collateral’ and I kept declining. At one point the man said he didn’t want me to question their integrity so they insisted I take collateral and help. (more…)
“Dear PoPville,
I wanted to flag for our community’s attention that with the summer season coming up, there are scary sophisticated scammers to look out for. I almost fell victim to one. My partner and I have been looking for rowhouses in DC and came across a beautiful one in the Adams Morgan neighborhood on Seaton Street NW. The pictures were real (corroborated by Zillow), the utilities were included, and the price was just right to convince us this was a great opportunity to jump on. (more…)
Kim let us know last week:
“FYI scam going around where someone tells you they just moved here 4 law school & is locked out of their apt, needs $. I’ve been approached by a couple in Logan Circle who asked for $80 and to follow me to an ATM for more-just now same scheme on U street.”
“Dear PoPville,
Just wanted to put it out there I got [the below] text this morning- and since I live right by the Glover Park WF that just reopened I could see someone in the area potentially falling for this and just wanted to let any tempted readers know its a scam.” (more…)