Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for.
NANNY JOB SCHEME
A college student from Missouri thought she found a perfect summer job -— as a nanny for a 6-year-old boy. Instead, the job turned out to be a scam that cost her more than $2,000, the Better Business Bureau said in a recent bulletin.
The trouble started when the would-be employer asked the student to purchase a wheelchair for her son, who she said had been injured in an unspecified accident.
The woman, who said she and her son were moving to Missouri from Oregon, mailed the student a $2,775 check to cover the wheelchair and her first week’s salary of $375.
A few days later, the woman called the student and said she had made other arrangements for the wheelchair and asked her to return $2,400.
It turns out there was no job, the check she had deposited was worthless and the student had to repay her bank the $2,400 she had withdrawn.
If a potential employer asks for money, it’s often a scam, the BBB said.
GOLD COIN FRAUD
The former owner of a Santa Monica, Calif., precious metals company has agreed to pay $2 million to customers he defrauded, the Santa Monica city attorney’s office said in a news release.
The city attorney had alleged in a lawsuit that Bruce Sands and his company, Superior Gold Group, defrauded customers by persuading them to pay inflated prices for gold coins instead of gold bullion they had sought and, in some instances, failed to provide customers with coins they purchased.
As part of a legal settlement, Sands is prohibited from owning precious metals companies or using misleading advertising for any business.
