A new scam has made its way to the Mid-State, and the criminals are finding their victims on Facebook. One man almost fell for the scam that would have cost him $2,000.
It all started with an advertisement on Facebook two weeks ago. Scammers posing as Heineken representatives hope someone falls for the trap. Michael Huse responded to the Facebook ad, excited to cash in.
"They put a vinyl wrap on their vehicle, $500 upfront, and $500 a week. All they have to do is drive," said Huse.
He received the check in the mail on Friday, and noticed some red flags.
"At one spot where it should say void after a certain amount of so many years, it says valid. I knew right then the check was fake," he said.
But that wasn't it. Something else was out of the ordinary.
"I checked the numbers that I've been texting the guy from, and they register to California. The check came from Mississippi, and I checked with the address on the envelope, looked that business up, and called them, and that was a computer company that didn't have anything to do with graphics or anything like that," said Huse.
That fake check also came with a letter filled with spelling errors, no letterhead, and faded ink. It instructed Huse to cash it, keep $500 and send them a cashiers check for the wrap installation.
Huse is warning others not to fall for the scam.
"If I was one who almost got caught up in it, there's a lot of younger people out there saying this is easy money, so I would hate to see that happen to somebody else," said Huse.
If you have fallen for this scam, or have been in contact with one of these scammers you are urged to file a report with the Better Business Bureau.
