Ever want to be the subject of an art piece? The Stafford Sheriff’s Office reports that scammers are using that in an attempt to obtain money by false pretenses.
The Sheriff’s Office says on Monday afternoon Deputy J.E. Cordes responded to a scam report. The victim said he was contacted by someone on Facebook named “Lovely.” She told the victim she had a client that would like to purchase rights to use the victim’s likeness in art portfolios and licensed work. As the conversation progressed, the victim was offered $1,000 for his image to be used.
The scammer said she would issue the victim a “digital check” that was determined to be a bad check. The scammer would then request the money back. Since the check was bad, if the victim sent money to the scammer, it would come directly from his account. When the victim did not comply with the scam, the scammer advised he was actually an assassin with a cartel. The scamming assassin threatened to harm the victim if the victim did not comply. The victim ceased contact with the scammer and reported the incident.
The Sheriff’s Office says scams like these use fear tactics to get the victim to act quickly or face consequences. If you receive messages like these through social media, do not comply and report the incident.
