Greg's Corner

Scammers don’t care if you’re rich or poor

By Greg Collier

If you’re a regular reader, you may have noticed many scammers often target high-dollar victims. We often post stories about victims who have lost thousands of dollars to scammers. That may cloud someone’s judgement into thinking low-income families aren’t targeted as much by scammers than families in a higher income bracket. Nothing could be further from the truth. Lower income families are targeted just as much, if not more, than higher income targets.

Think about it for a moment. People in low-income situations are often living paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately, this also means that when something goes wrong, like a car breaking down or needing a place to stay, they can find themselves in a desperate situation. Scammers live off this desperation and count on it when looking for victims to scam.

For example, a single mother from Ohio was finally able to save up enough for a used car. It may have only been $800, but for many, it takes a long time to save up that kind of money. She found a 1997 Honda Civic for sale on Facebook Marketplace. She met with the seller who sold her the car, but afterward, she noticed something was wrong with the title.

The seller allegedly forged the name of the car’s previous owner on the title. That person had recently passed away after taking their own life. It’s believed the seller stole the car from a deceased man’s family before selling it to the victim. Unfortunately, police had to seize the car as evidence, leaving the single mother with no car and no money.

If you find yourself in a situation like this where you’re in a time-critical situation with your finances, please keep in mind there are plenty of people looking to scam you. While it may be time-consuming, you’ll save yourself plenty of headaches if you research the situation before handing over any money.

For a used car, you’ll want to research the car’s history to make sure the seller is who they say they are, and they’re not selling you a lemon. When it comes to finding a new place to rent, you want to make sure you’re not handing money over to someone who doesn’t actually own the property. A quick search of the property’s address should reveal plenty of information about the property.