SCAM!!SCAM!!SCAM!!SCAM!!SCAM!!
The Alleghany County Sheriff's Office was recently contacted by a local citizen who stated that she believed she had been scammed by person's claiming to have a business that sold firewood. Split & Stack firewood.
Our investigators were able to conduct some follow-up, but their efforts were met with no positive results. The following is what we were able to discover.
A recently created Facebook page advertising firewood.
Photos that appear inconsistent with a local firewood seller, including trucks with European license plates.
Claims of being local without any verifiable connection to the community.
Requests for personal information, including a full name, address, and phone number.
Requests for payment through Apple Pay, including a payment request sent from an iCloud email address.
Attempts to gain trust by claiming to be a reputable seller or using personal or religious statements. Quoting bible verses.
We provided the individual a fictitious location while posing as a potential customer, and they immediately claimed to serve that area. That mirrors what the victim reported and raises serious concerns that the seller is simply telling people what they want to hear to make the transaction appear legitimate.
We are warning residents not to send money or provide personal information to online sellers until they have independently verified who they are and confirmed that the business is legitimate.
We want the public to be aware of scams and suspect of all deals that seem to be too good to be true.
The below image is from their fake facebook page.
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