Marshall Helmberger
REGIONAL— Did you know your Amazon account has been frozen? And that a subscription for your computer security program just renewed at a price of $499 without your permission? Did you know you just won a fancy vacuum cleaner than can be yours for the mere price of shipping?
If any of these claims sound familiar, you’re in good company with the millions of other Americans who are bombarded almost daily with a seemingly endless variety of scams.
Some scams, like the now infamous Nigerian prince who wants to send you millions of dollars (and all you need to do is hand over your bank routing information) have become the butt of jokes. But for those who have been taken by far craftier cons, the loss, stress, and inconvenience is no laughing matter.
Just ask Steve Markkula, of Virginia, who spent $25,800 for a 1969 Hemi Roadrunner that he found posted on a car sales website that appeared to have a credible reputation. He emailed back and forth with the owner, who told him the car, title, and keys were already in the possession of an automobile wholesaler, who would hold his funds in escrow until he took delivery of the vehicle and found it to his satisfaction. All he had to do was wire the money, which Markkula had received as part of an inheritance, to the wholesaler’s account.
Even so, Markkula was wary, but when a staff member at his local credit union told him the account looked legitimate, he…
