Something new…

I decided to add a category called “Something New”. This will be a section where I talk about something I learned or experienced that is new to me and probably some other stuff to fill in the blanks.

The first “Something New” I want to talk about is a scam. At its core, it’s an oldie, but a goodie.

I received a text about needing a Notary, but someone purporting to be Mary and even gave me an address. She asked if could notarize the following documents:

Full mortgage package

Lease Agreement

Wills and trusts and

Medical documents

and asked me what I charge. I was immediately suspicious just because this is such an ackward combination of documents. But, I didn’t want to accuse Mary of anything, so I thought I would see where this went and offered a price.

Long story short, Mary insisted on paying me through her Financier who would send me a Cashier’s Check. The check arrived for significantly more than I asked for. Next came the request to just deposit the check and bring the balance in cash to the Signing. All the while, I was asking a variety of questions, including who the Title Company was – repeatedly and I was being stonewalled. Are you selling a property? Are you buying a property? Will documents be coming to you or shipped to me? None of my questions were answered and at some point, I was just being amused by it all. Then I got bored.

I think it was at that point that Mary started trying to guilt me into giving her cash, but no dice. I still have the check and am considering framing it.

Don’t fall for this stuff. Listen to your gut – if it tells you something is off, there is probably something off. Remember the old adage that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.