A help wanted ad that recently appeared in both The Graham Star and Cherokee Scout has spurned into countless calls to law enforcement officials, complaining about the ad being a scam.
Graham County sheriff’s Capt. Jerry Crisp alerted the Star about the scam after receiving a complaint from a Robbinsville resident last week. Crisp has contacted countless agencies and found that other reports have been filed in both Cherokee and Macon counties relating to the ad.
The scam touted “caregiver needed” and stated the job was for “5 days a week, 5 hours per day,” at a rate of $20 per hour. An email address was listed for contact information and if an interested party replies, the wheels were put in motion.
“They pretended to be in the Cherokee County area,” Crisp said. “They said they would be buying property in the Topton/Nantahala area.”
During the email chain that followed, pleasantries are exchanged during initials conversations.
“Typically, that’s how these scams start; building trust and rapport,” Crisp said.
In the Graham County resident’s case, a request for a face-to-face meeting was denied. Instead, the hiring party asked for a resume to be emailed, the first of many red flags.
“If I’m going to hire you to come watch my mother, I want to eyeball you,” Crisp said. “That was the first thing that made them uneasy.”
The scammer then explained that he is in Australia with the mother – bear in mind, the one that he is trying to hire a caregiver for, stateside – before mailing a check for more than $3,000 to the interested party to buy supplies for the pending care. In this instance, an electric wheelchair is requested, with the remaining balance left to be taken out as the first week’s pay.
“They haven’t even been hired,” Crisp said. “The checks from the business are counterfeit; they have a pink background, while that business’ legitimate checks have a blue background.”
The checks come from a flagged account at a bank that has branches in our area. When the check is inevitably returned within a 10-day period – with the funds re-routing overseas – the banks will get their money back by reaching into the “new employees” various accounts, which can cause the loss of more than $3,000 in some instances.
Local businesses have also been targeted as of late, a trend that is all too familiar in larger areas.
“We just want to stop it and make people aware (of the scam),” Crisp said. “It’s just now making it to our area.”
If anyone feels they have been a victim of this or any other scam, call the Graham County Sheriff’s Office at 479-3352.