Midlothian police issue scam alert

MIDLOTHIAN – Midlothian Police recently posted on its Facebook page about yet another scam to be wary of falling prey to these days.

This time it is fundraising candy.

It noted not all fundraising candy is real!

“The candy may be real, but the subjects selling the candy are not always legitimate,” the post warned. 

“There are numerous scams involving fundraiser / candy sales. The recent local trend is for a subject who is often a juvenile, to sell candy for a sports fundraiser. 

“The subjects will sell the candy for couple of dollars. The suspects will offer to take credit / debit cards to make the transaction. 

“They will possibly use a card swiper on a phone or other device. They will proceed to swipe the card a few times charging the original fee plus an additional $500 or more.”
Reportedly there have been instances where the subjects will have the victims send money using mobile apps like Zelle to send the money. 

The subjects will offer to assist those who don’t know how and have the victim hand over their phone. The subjects will then send the actual purchase amount plus an extra deposit of their choosing. 

MIDLOTHIAN PD TAKE AWAYS

• If you can, pay cash
• If you use a card, do it yourself
• Confirm the transaction amount
• Don’t hand your phone over
• Don’t send money to strangers
• Never respond to texts, emails, or calls, or share codes
• Always contact your bank directly
• Confirm what/who the fundraiser is for before buying anything
• If it doesn’t seem legitimate, call the police