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Scam

Police & Fire
Fake Cop Scammed Elderly Couple Out Of $30K In Bucks County: Authorities Fake Cop Scammed Elderly Couple Out Of $30K In Bucks County: Authorities
Fake Cop Scammed Elderly Couple Out Of $30K In Bucks County: Authorities A fraudster claiming to be a Warwick police officer shook down a township couple over the weekend, according to officials.  Township police said the scammer called an elderly couple in the Hidden Ponds neighborhood and claimed he had arrested their adult daughter.  The victims handed over more than $30,000 for a "cash bail," investigators said.  "Unfortunately, this is a common scam," township police said. "We will do everything we can to try and recover our victims' lost money, but we have little evidence. Please be alert, and share this information with friends and relativ…

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by Mac Bullock
News
Philly Car Salesman Ripped Off Wheelchair-Bound Buyers For $2.5M, Feds Say Philly Car Salesman Ripped Off Wheelchair-Bound Buyers For $2.5M, Feds Say
Edward Scott Rock Stole $2.5M From Car Buyers, Feds Say A used car salesman in Philadelphia faces federal charges for allegedly scamming $2.5 million from his customers, authorities say.  Edward Scott Rock, 47, is accused of mail and wire fraud, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.  Between 2019 and 2023, investigators claim Rock accepted payment for about 120 cars equipped for wheelchair users or people with disabilities, but never delivered the vehicles.  Authorities say he took $2.5 million from victims across 36 states, about two-thirds of whom were either physically disabl…

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by Mac Bullock
News
Grieving NJ Woman Victimized By PA Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure' Grieving NJ Woman Victimized By PA Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure'
Grieving NJ Woman Victimized By PA Gravestone Scammer: 'People Can't Find Closure' Barbara Kalmus was still reeling from the death of her sister last May when she was preyed upon by Gregory Stefan, Jr. The Bridgewater resident was one of several people authorities say was grifted by Stefan, who was recently arrested on a warrant by police in Vineland for scamming customers out of thousands of dollars through his company Colonial Memorials, not long after it was revealed he had been doing the same with his father and brother with their Pennsylvania company, 1843 LLC. Following her sister's death due to cancer, Stefan reached out to Kalmus about getting a headstone for he…

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by Sam Barron
News
Gravestone Scammer Barred From Practicing In PA Targets Murder Victim's Mom Gravestone Scammer Barred From Practicing In PA Targets Murder Victim's Mom
Gravestone Scammer Barred From Practicing In PA Targets Murder Victim's Mom A New Jersey mom who fell victim to a headstone scammer just after she buried her 31-year-old son last year is sharing her story in hopes of putting a stop to a man she says should've been stopped long ago. Nearly a month after Luz Vasquez's son, Chad Stuart, was killed outside of a Vineland bar in September 2022, she was contacted by Gregory Stefan, Jr., who explained he was the owner of Colonial Memorials, a headstone company.  And he wanted Vasquez as a client. Vasquez set up a meeting with Stefan in her Vineland home on Oct. 21, 2022. "He was a professional man, and seemed sympatheti…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
NJ Boardwalk Operator Banned 10 Years For Using Overinflated Basketballs, Posting False Prizes NJ Boardwalk Operator Banned 10 Years For Using Overinflated Basketballs, Posting False Prizes
NJ Boardwalk Operator Banned 10 Years For Using Overinflated Basketballs, Posting False Prizes A Jersey Shore game operator was banned from business for 10 years and fined $15,500 for over-inflating basketballs and displaying prizes that couldn’t be won, state authorities said. Some basketballs at games owned by Christine Strothers on the boardwalks in Wildwood and North Wildwood packed up to three times the amount of required pounds per square inch of inflation, state Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. This, as most players know, can make a ball ricochet wildly off a backboard or rim, the attorney general noted. Strothers also broke New Jersey’s amusement games lic…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Scammers Sold Victim Pickup Truck With Phony Papers: Bensalem PD Scammers Sold Victim Pickup Truck With Phony Papers: Bensalem PD
Scammers Sold Victim Pickup Truck With Phony Papers: Bensalem PD Bensalem police are looking for three scammers who sold a pickup truck to a victim on a false paper tag and a phony bill of sale, authorities said in a release.  The three suspects were caught on security camera at a gas station, and police are asking the public to keep an eye out for the men in the footage.  Anyone with information should call the Bensalem Police Department at 215-633-3719, or submit an anonymous tip at the Bucks County Crime Watch webpage. 

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by Mac Bullock
News
$400G GoFundMe Scam: NJ Woman Serving Federal Time Gets 3-Year State Sentence $400G GoFundMe Scam: NJ Woman Serving Federal Time Gets 3-Year State Sentence
$400G GoFundMe Scam: NJ Woman Serving Federal Time Gets 3-Year State Sentence UPDATE: A woman who helped pull a notorious scam that conned 14,000 GoFundMe donors nationwide was nearly 150 miles away when a judge in South Jersey sentenced her to a plea-bargained three years in state prison on Friday, Jan. 6. Katelyn McClure, 32, of Bordentown will be released in July after completing a federal sentence at a low-security prison in Danbury, CT, for scamming well-meaning donors out of $400,000 to purportedly help a homeless veteran. At that point, the year and a day federal sentence will be deducted from her state term and a determination will be made whether she shoul…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Andrew Bucklandon Is NOT Missing: Here's How Social Scammers Get You Andrew Bucklandon Is NOT Missing: Here's How Social Scammers Get You
Andrew Bucklandon Is NOT Missing: Here's How Social Scammers Get You A boy named Andrew Bucklandon hasn't gone missing. He didn't leave for school and not return. He doesn't even exist. For those who've seen -- or, worse, shared -- the Facebook post about a purportedly missing boy the past couple of days, here are a few questions: Does the post include a town? A link? Contact details? It doesn't. Because it's bogus. Like any good phishing scam, the missing boy ploy tugs at the heartstrings and plays on the fears of those who want to help. They're actually helping the scammers find more victims. Phishers threw their latest line into social media waters on…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Scammer Stole Thousands From Bucks County Grandmother, Police Say Scammer Stole Thousands From Bucks County Grandmother, Police Say
Scammer Stole Thousands From Bucks County Grandmother, Police Say A scam caller who stole thousands of dollars from a Bucks County grandmother is now facing jail time, according to authorities.  Police in Falls Township charged Christopher Mauricio, 19, of Philadelphia, with two felony counts of theft and receiving stolen property, the department announced.  Investigators say Mauricio ran an elaborate scam involving multiple assumed identities and phony paperwork to steal $5,000 from a woman in her 90s.  Officials said a caller contacted the victim on April 25, claiming to be her grandson. He told her he was in jail in Allentown and needed…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
Elderly Berks Man Scammed Out Of $194K On Facebook: Police Elderly Berks Man Scammed Out Of $194K On Facebook: Police
Elderly Berks Man Scammed Out Of $194K On Facebook: Police A Berks County man was defrauded out of more than $194,000 of dollars by a scammer on Facebook, according to authorities.  The victim, a 65-year-old Hamburg resident, was befriended on the social networking site by a user posting under the name Sharon Bobby, state police said in a release. Over a period of weeks, investigators said the scammer worked to earn the victim's trust before asking his help to "pay for the release of a large amount of gold as an inheritance from her late father in the United Kingdom," officials wrote.  "Through many months of communication through text m…

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by Mac Bullock
Police & Fire
ID Sought For Pair That Scammed More Than $3K In Gift Cards, Items From Lehigh Valley Kohl’s ID Sought For Pair That Scammed More Than $3K In Gift Cards, Items From Lehigh Valley Kohl’s
ID Sought For Pair That Scammed More Than $3K In Gift Cards, Items From Lehigh Valley Kohl’s Recognize them? Authorities are seeking the public’s help identifying two people that allegedly scammed thousands of dollars’ worth of gift cards and merchandise from a Lehigh Valley Kohl’s store. The couple — pictured above — scammed $3,200 in gift cards and other items from the Kohl's on Easton-Nazareth Hwy. in Easton on Saturday, July 30, Colonial Regional Police said. They are also suspected in similar thefts at other Kohl’s stores in the area, according to police. Anyone with information about the suspects’ identities is asked to contact CRPD Officer Font at 610-861-4820. All tips can…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Federal Convict Who Hatched $400,000 GoFundMe Scam Gets NJ Prison Time, Too Federal Convict Who Hatched $400,000 GoFundMe Scam Gets NJ Prison Time, Too
Federal Convict Who Hatched $400,000 GoFundMe Scam Gets NJ Prison Time, Too UPDATE: A New Jersey man already serving federal prison time for a GoFundMe scheme that conned 14,000 donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran got a state prison sentence, as well. The plea-bargained five-year term approved by a Superior Court judge in Mount Holly on Friday will run at the same time as the 27-month federal sentence that Mark D'Amico of Trenton received in April. The difference is that there's no parole in the federal prison system, which keeps D'Amico in the medium-security United States Penitentiary in Lewisburg, PA for more than…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time
NJ Woman Who Pulled $400,000 GoFundMe Scam With Homeless Vet, Ex-BF Gets Federal Prison Time UPDATE: A New Jersey woman who helped pull a scam that conned 14,000 GoFundMe donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran is headed to federal prison. Katelyn McClure, 32, of Bordentown got a far lighter sentence under the terms of her plea deal with the government than did her former boyfriend, Mark D’Amico, who concocted the cruel scheme. McClure was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Camden on Thursday to a plea-bargained year and a day in a federal penitentiary. D’Amico, the "mastermind," earlier this year got 27 months in a fed pen in exchange …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Bail Scam Artist Needs Bail After He Tried To Scam PA Grandma Out of $15K: Police Bail Scam Artist Needs Bail After He Tried To Scam PA Grandma Out of $15K: Police
Bail Scam Artist Needs Bail After He Tried To Scam PA Grandma Out of $15K: Police An 82-year-old grandma nearly lost $15,000 to a bail scam artist on Monday, June 13, police say. Engerbert Perez Jimenez, 26, of Reading, called the Lancaster County woman and pretended to be her son’s lawyer claiming her grandson was in a serious car crash and was in the ICU and needed $8,000, according to the release by the Northern Lancaster County Regional police department. The woman quickly went to the bank and withdrew cash and met the man in Warwick Township and surrendered the cash, but then he called her back and demanded another $7,000 in cash claiming he need bail money for her…

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by Jillian Pikora
Business
‘Devious:’ PA Pool Shop Owner Scammed 26 Clients Out Of Thousands For Years, DA Says ‘Devious:’ PA Pool Shop Owner Scammed 26 Clients Out Of Thousands For Years, DA Says
‘Devious:’ PA Pool Shop Owner Scammed 26 Clients Out Of Thousands For Years, DA Says A Pennsylvania pool shop owner was slapped with dozens of charges Tuesday after an investigation found that he had spent years scamming at least 26 customers out of thousands of dollars, the district attorney announced. Roger Kornfeind, of Bethlehem, faces 26 counts each of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, as well as 23 counts of home improvement fraud, Northampton County District Attorney Terence Houck said. Kornfeind — the owner of Hydro Dynamic Pools — has been defrauding customers at locations in Pen Argyl, Northampton County; Slatington, Lehigh County; and Oley, …

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by Valerie Musson
News
Detectives Turn Tables On Scammers Who Thought They'd Conned Bergen County Grandma Detectives Turn Tables On Scammers Who Thought They'd Conned Bergen County Grandma
Detectives Turn Tables On Scammers Who Thought They'd Conned Bergen County Grandma GOTCHA! Two gutless 20-year-olds from the Bronx thought they'd conned a Woodcliff Lake woman out of $6,000 with the "grandson in trouble" scam -- only they ended up being the ones who got punked. A caller claiming to be her grandson told the intended victim that he'd been arrested and needed bail money, WCL Police Lt. Chad Malloy said. The caller gave the grandmother the name and number of someone who he said was an attorney. That person would come to her house and collect the $6,000 from her, then bring it to court to secure his release, he told her. Grandma knew better, though. She went …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
FACT CHECK: Do Carjackers Put Plastic Bottles In Wheel Wells To Distract Drivers? FACT CHECK: Do Carjackers Put Plastic Bottles In Wheel Wells To Distract Drivers?
Fact Check: Do Carjackers Put Plastic Bottles In Wheel Wells To Distract Drivers? Despite what someone you know might have shared, carjackers aren't going around shoving empty plastic bottles between motorists' tires and wheel wells as a distraction. Next month marks four years since the mythical "warning" emerged out of Africa and worked its way around the globe. The idea, it's said, is you'll hear the sound of the bottle being crushed and get out of your car to investigate. At that point, the carjacker robs you of your ride. The bogus alert begins: "PLEASE READ Police warn: if you find a plastic bottle near your car, you may be in danger." You won't and you're not, a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
BEWARE: 'Amazon' Phone Scammer Cons NJ Victim Out Of $10,000 BEWARE: 'Amazon' Phone Scammer Cons NJ Victim Out Of $10,000
Beware: 'Amazon' Phone Scammer Cons NJ Victim Out Of $10,000 A Glen Rock resident lost more than $10,000 in an Amazon telephone scam, authorities said. The victim had just made an Amazon purchase when a text arrived from a purported “customer service representative” claiming there’d been a $1,490.97 purchase that the resident didn’t make, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said. The scammer then gave the victim a number to call to dispute the charge, he said. The victim called and was directed to buy gift cards “to fix the security breach,” the chief said. “Over the next five hours the victim purchased over $ 10,000 in gift cards from NIKE, TARGET and E-B…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam
NJ Man Admits Hatching $400,000 Homeless GoFundMe Scam The mastermind of a GoFundMe scheme that conned 14,000 donors across the country out of $400,000 to purportedly benefit a homeless veteran admitted in federal court in New Jersey on Monday that he and his ex-girlfriend pocketed most of the money. Mark D’Amico, 42, formerly of Bordentown, admitted concocting a bogus feel-good story about the supposed victim coming to the rescue of Katelyn McClure after she ran out of gas on Route 95 on her way home to New Jersey from Philadelphia. Both McClure and the homeless man, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., were in on the scheme, authorities said. Together, D’Am…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
NYC Crew Conspired To Scam Atlantic City Casinos Out Of $1.12 Million, Authorities Charge NYC Crew Conspired To Scam Atlantic City Casinos Out Of $1.12 Million, Authorities Charge
NYC Crew Conspired To Scam Atlantic City Casinos Out Of $1.12 Million, Authorities Charge A group of New York City con artists conspired to scam five Atlantic City casinos out of $1,120,000 by exchanging bogus bank checks for gaming chips, authorities said. The Hard Rock casino rejected a check and the Golden Nugget permitted only incremental amounts, Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Thursday. But Caesars, the Borgata and the Ocean Casino Resort all honored $284,000 checks, losing a combined total of $852,000, he said. The New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau and the Division of Criminal Justice Specialized Crimes Bureau began investigating soon a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
FBI: NJ Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Tix Biz FBI: NJ Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Tix Biz
FBI: NJ Stockbroker Scams Investors Out Of $600,000 With Bogus Tix Biz FBI agents busted a now-former stockbroker from Jersey City who they said ran a side hustle that scammed victims out of more than $600,000 through a fictional ticket-reselling business. Michael J. Clarke, 62, lost his job once it came to light that his promises of getting discounted tickets that he could later sell at premium rates for concerts and sporting events -- as well as seat licenses to the U.S. Open -- were lies, authorities said. Clarke, who was a licensed municipal securities trader, promised victims who fronted him the money for the purported ticket brokerage that they'd get a …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
NY Man In Custody, Second Suspect At Large For DelCo Contracting Scam NY Man In Custody, Second Suspect At Large For DelCo Contracting Scam
NY Man In Custody, Second Suspect At Large For DelCo Contracting Scam Two men were charged Thursday for their alleged involvement in a contracting scam targeting Delaware County senior citizens, authorities said. John Cassidy, 48, of Yonkers, NY, and Thomas Kenny 23, were charged with violations of the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act and theft for pressuring residents into paying them for faulty contracting jobs, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer and Brookhaven chief of police Michael Vice said. Cassidy, an Irish national, is in the country on an expired visa. He is in custody while Kenny is still at large. A…

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by Nicole Acosta
News
SCAM ALERT! Police In Central Pennsylvania Warn Of Fake Hostage Shake Downs SCAM ALERT! Police In Central Pennsylvania Warn Of Fake Hostage Shake Downs
Scam ALERT! Police In Central Pennsylvania Warn Of Fake Hostage Shake Downs Prank calls have been taken to a scary new level, with callers claiming to have kidnapped and holding a family member hostage, according to Lower Paxton Township police. Multiple central Pennsylvania police departments are warning the public of scammers calling people from unknown numbers saying they have kidnapped family members. Frequently the callers will have enough information to sound believable, such as your name, address, phone numbers, and names of extended family members. Then the callers claim to have taken a family member hostage. Next they ask you to obtain cash and meet th…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
SEEN HIM? Northampton County Paver Accused Of Scamming Elderly Bucks Woman Out Of $5.5K SEEN HIM? Northampton County Paver Accused Of Scamming Elderly Bucks Woman Out Of $5.5K
Seen HIM? Northampton County Paver Accused Of Scamming Elderly Bucks Woman Out Of $5.5K Hilltown police have issued a warrant for the arrest of a Northampton County paving company worker accused of scamming a local elderly woman out of $5,500. The 83-year-old woman was outside working in her garden on Aug. 25, 2020, when members of Saveway Paving approached her and said they had leftover black top, authorities said. The workers offered to repair cracks the woman had in her driveway and use up the remaining material. The resident was under the impression the cost would be approximately $300, but upon completion of the work, she was presented a bill for $5,500, authorities said.…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
SCAM ALERT: PA Courts Warn Of Callers Threatening To Put People On Sex Offender Registry SCAM ALERT: PA Courts Warn Of Callers Threatening To Put People On Sex Offender Registry
Scam ALERT: PA Courts Warn Of Callers Threatening To Put People On Sex Offender Registry The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts is warning the public of a phone scam that involves the caller threatening to add people to a sex offender registry if they do not share payment information.  When people receive the phone call, they are told they have unpaid court fines and outstanding fees, and if they don’t give payment information over the phone the caller threatens to contact the police and have them placed on the Pennsylvania sex offender registry, says AOPC. AOPC says they will never place calls or solicit payment by credit card, gift card or any other means of …

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Newtown Police Warn Residents Of Scammers Posing As Arrested Family Members In Need Of Bail Newtown Police Warn Residents Of Scammers Posing As Arrested Family Members In Need Of Bail
Newtown Police Warn Residents Of Scammers Posing As Arrested Family Members In Need Of Bail Local police are urging residents to be aware of any calls from scammers posing as arrested family members in need of bail money. A Newtown resident told police that she had received a phone call around noon on Monday from someone who claimed to be her granddaughter, according to the Newtown Township Police Department. The scammer apparently used the granddaughter’s actual name and claimed she was arrested after a car accident and needed bail money, police said. The scammer then put “her attorney” on the phone who said that bail was set at $18,000, police said. The "attorney" explain…

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by Nicole Acosta
News
Ex-AC Mayor Who Spent $86,000 In Youth Sports Donations On Himself Gets 30 Days In Fed Pen Ex-AC Mayor Who Spent $86,000 In Youth Sports Donations On Himself Gets 30 Days In Fed Pen
Ex-AC Mayor Who Spent $86,000 In Youth Sports Donations On Himself Gets 30 Days In Fed Pen UPDATE: Former Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam was sentenced Thursday to a plea-bargained 30 days in federal prison, 11 months of house arrest and 200 hours of community for scamming donors out of $86,000 that he told them was going to a youth basketball team. Frank Gilliam, 49, used the money on fancy clothes, expensive meals, and trips that were “completely unrelated to the operation of a youth basketball team,” Acting U.S. Attorney Rachel A. Honig said. “I stand before this court a fractured human being,” Gilliam told U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez via videoconference in Camde…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
If Lt Mark Richardson Calls You About Missing Jury Duty, Hang Up If Lt Mark Richardson Calls You About Missing Jury Duty, Hang Up
If Lt Mark Richardson Calls You About Missing Jury Duty, Hang Up It’s the phone scam that won’t die: A caller who claims to be from the local sheriff’s office threatens to arrest you if you don’t pay fines for ducking jury duty. He says his name is Lt. Mark Richardson. Heading into what will be its fifth year, the scam is still fooling people throughout the U.S. Hoping the scare tactic works, the caller warns that you’re in big trouble because you failed to report for jury duty. Then he offers you a way out: Just buy Amazon or iTunes gift cards for such-and-such an amount, then give him the numbers on the back of the card. "Yeah, right," you say. …

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by Jerry DeMarco