🤬💸How my child fell for a $1 donation Zelle scam in Philadelphia

 ⛑️Consumer Rescue presents🛟

Tales from Consumer Advocacy Land

Real stories. Real rescues. Real advice.

Happy Thursday, friends! ❤️

Yikes, I know I’m a little late with this week’s Tales from Consumer Advocacy Land, but it’s been a fast-paced 10 days since I put my house on the market. I'll get to the latest in that saga — and why I might have cried just a little bit — in today's edition of Life, Lately — my (mis)adventures in downsizing and selling my house after nearly 27 years. As always, that’s at the bottom of the newsletter for those who are interested. 🤓

But first, of course, the stories from our advocacy files are front and center.

In today’s featured article, things get personal. I break down the anatomy of the Zelle scam that my daughter fell for on the streets of Philadelphia last week.

Spoiler alert: in a highly unusual turn of events, her bank protected her from the bad guys on the street who tried to steal $2,000 from her account.

🤬But the scam is a real threat to college students and is active in major cities across the country. Here’s what to know about the scammers on the street pretending to be collecting $1 donations for sports programs for kids.

Then over at Fodor’s Travel, I’ll tell you how to make sure that the summer heat doesn’t ruin your vacation.

Then I’ve got some other articles you may have missed.

Enjoy!

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Well, it’s been a weird 10 days. Since putting my house on the market, there has been a steady stream of strangers walking through my home. Because I have an elderly blind and deaf dog, our realtor told me I wouldn’t need to leave the house during the showings. Bentley and I have been staying in my office — Consumer Rescue headquarters — while potential buyers tour the property.

Many of the visitors stopped into my office to say hello and ask questions about the house. So I met a lot of the potential new owners. And each time I did, I imagined them living here and how they might enjoy this home as much as I have for nearly 27 years. Some had babies, some had young children, a few couples were just starting out with no kids yet to fill the house.

That’s how I first walked into this house — no kids, no pets — just a plan to fill it up and make a happy life. And that’s what we did. Babies, adopted children, friends, extended family, rescued dogs, cats, birds, and even guinea pigs.

In this town, my backyard was known as the Fun Backyard. Because I always worked from home and I was also a room parent at the school, all my girls’ friends could come over and hang out for hours every day. I would sit on the back porch and keep an eye on everyone while there was a constant demand for “Mom, watch this!” “Mrs. Friedman, look what we found in the yard!” or “Can you take us to Dairy Queen now?”

In the summer, I would put up a 120-inch movie screen in the backyard and stream movies. The kids and their friends would lie in the grass in their sleeping bags, watch their favorite shows, and eat snacks. I remember thinking how happy everyone was — including me.

I grew up in a chaotic household. I was born to two teenagers, so you can probably imagine the massive turmoil in our home — until my parents finally divorced. That may be a story for another day, but as an adult, I promised myself that I would make sure my kids had a stable life... or at least as stable as I could control.

And I think I accomplished my goal.

But last night, I was looking out my bedroom window, and I felt a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat. The emotion came over me suddenly. In June, in years past, the Fun Backyard would have been in full swing, with music and kids everywhere.

Now it’s quiet and empty.

We received multiple offers on our house, and I signed a contract today. Of course, this is just the first step toward actually selling the house. There are many more things to do, such as inspections, before we can close. But signing that contract today made things feel more certain, and I felt that lump in my throat again.

My hope is that this house will bring the same joy and happiness to the next family that it brought to my family. However, I’m afraid that the lump in my throat may be a somewhat permanent condition for the next several weeks. I guess we’ll see.

So yes, that was me crying — just a bit today — but that’s not a bad thing.

And that’s Life, Lately.

Until next time 😃

Don't forget! Consumer Rescue is just a click away. One of us is always here to answer your questions. 

Of course, you can always reach me at [email protected]