A new scam has hit Simpson County and it came to town by way of the newspaper.
An advertisement was emailed to the newspaper office with proper billing information. The newspaper commonly receives legitimate advertisements by email. The ad was slated to run two weeks, but after receiving several calls voicing concerns the Magee Courier/Simpson County News removed the ad after one publication.
The advertisement in question reads, “Seeking experienced caregiver and driver for elderly woman with dementia. Start immediately $400 per week, 3 hours per day, flexible schedule. M-F. Please send an email to ajeff198@gmail.com.”
This has been proven to be a scam. Sheriff Donald O’Cain shed some light on the situation. O’Cain said, “They ran an ad in the paper wanting help, but it involves them sending a check and wanting you to cash it. They get you to cash it and send some of the money somewhere else.” Investigators with the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office received a report from a victim. They explained that the victim was sent two checks in the mail. The victim was then instructed to cash the checks and keep their first payment for the job, and mail the remaining balance to an address in Florence, SC. The checks were sent from an address in San Antonio TX.
Local banks have already experienced situations involving victims of this scam attempting to cash these checks. The Magee Police Department has also had reports of the same ad scam in their jurisdiction.
O’Cain said that the Simpson County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Attorney General’s Office on investigating the scam. He said, “We have already begun working on it and we will turn over what we have to the AG. Douglas Tyrone runs their scam division and he is really good.”
O’Cain encouraged citizens to avoid these situations and said, “They come up with all kinds of stuff to cheat people. Please don’t accept any of these bad checks.”
