This is strange. Get a text asking if I do lawn care and take credit cards. Ummm, business name has “lawn care” in it. I ask the address. He gives me name of town. I ask for street address. Turns out it’s out of my service area. Tell him that. He asks what my service area is. I tell him. Immediately sends me another address, this time in my area. Tell him I just need his name and email address to send estimate. He gives me first name only and says to text the estimate. Then asks my name (also in the business name) and if I’m the owner. My alarm bells are going off like crazy and I’m getting ready to run, not walk, away from this. Anyone have something this weird happen? I’m assuming it’s leading up to some sort of scam.
I've heard of a similar scam, not sure how it works but it is a scam. I think you service, he pays with stolen card then he gets a refund by you sending a check because some thing wasn't right. Card is later declined and you're out money.
it's a scam. i get them all the time. i think they get your name and number from facebook or other online places. they always ask me if i do tree work and if i take credit cards. i just respond with NO. they go by your cell phone number. they always want me to do work in the city i first bought my cell phone in like 15 years ago. that is the city my number is linked to but i no longer live there. i haven't lived there in a very long time.
Just wondering if anyone knows the exact details of the scam so I know what to look out for. They want to screw you with a credit card some how but whose house would you be doing the work at? The actual scammers?
They offer to send you a couple hundred over the estimate, and ask if you can pay the plumber, electrician etc... Scam. They use a stolen CC then you end up being the one out the money. I always ignore it or tell them it’ll be like $200,000 or whatever if I’m bored.
I've gone along with the cheque cashing one before, the guy sent 4 $500 travellers cheques and they looked so real except for the hologram/watermark. I ended up tossing them, but a foreign guy called to harass me about the money a few times. Was mostly just curious about the scam and lived in a rented house at the time, 9-10 years ago.