DES MOINES, Iowa — With the holiday season in full swing, a usual Scrooge is back —holiday scammers.
Des Moines resident, Judi Coppock decided to sell her late father's mobility scooter. She posted an ad online, using Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. After originally having no luck, someone finally reached out, But the would-be buyer set off some red flags, Coppock said.
"He said that he was going to send us a cashier's check for more than the amount because he would have to have some to give to his shipper," Coppock said.
Coppock said she was wary of the buyer from the start but wanted to see how far he'd go, so she told him where to send the check. When it arrived, more warning signs came with it. The buyer kept asking about exactly when she intended to deposit it.
When Coppock brought that check to the bank, the teller confirmed her suspicions; the check was fraudulent, and there could've been some serious consequences for depositing it.
"If I had deposited that check, somehow he would have had a way to figure out how, where it got deposited, and then he'd have my bank account information," Coppock said.
Officials with the Iowa Office of the Attorney General told Local 5 that they usually see an uptick in scam reports around the holidays.
"If the person you're contacting says, I need to get this done today, you know, that's usually a red flag too. There's a reason they want it to happen so quickly," said Ashlee Kieler, Communications Specialist for the Iowa Office of the Attorney General.
While Coppock followed her instincts and managed to avoid giving up her account info, she hasn't always been so lucky. Coppock's credit card has been hacked twice before around the holidays. She hopes sharing her story helps remind others to stay on their guard.
"It's sad that we can't trust people. I want to be able to trust people, but you just have to take care of yourself," Coppock said.
Contact a local law enforcement agency, if you believe you may have been scammed. You can also file consumer complaints at the Iowa attorney general's website.