[Vision2020] Pullman Police warn of door-to-door fraud attempts

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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Pullman Police warn of door-to-door fraud attempts

Pullman Police are warning city residents to be aware of a rash of door-to-door fraud attempts regarding magazine sales and other requests for donations.

In one reported incident, two college-aged men allegedly attempted to defraud an elderly woman of thousands of dollars but were stopped by Walmart employees and a neighbor.

The two men allegedly contacted the woman on March 31 at her residence on the 800 block of Southeast Spring Street and told her they were interviewing "influential people" for a communications project at Washington State University.

After talking their way inside the woman's residence, the two men allegedly said their project also involved donations and that if she gave them money, they would receive points toward their project and could earn a trip to Barcelona, Spain.

The men allegedly convinced the woman to drive them to the Moscow Walmart store, where she tried to buy them a $2,800 television, but the store refused to accept her check.

She then drove them to the Pullman Walmart store, where the men allegedly tried to get her to cash a check to donate money to a "wounded veterans' fund." That store also refused to accept the check, which had been made out to "Blue Diamond Sub."

When the trio returned to the woman's residence, a neighbor intervened and ran the two men out of the neighborhood.

One of the men was described as white, 5-feet-8-inches tall, with blond hair, blue eyes and a muscular build, and he was wearing a brown coat. The other man was described as possibly Samoan, 5-feet-8-inches tall and wearing a navy blue coat. They may have been associated with a blue van.

Also on March 31 and again this Thursday, police received several reports that door-to-door solicitors from Blue Diamond Subscription Services were attempting to sell magazine subscriptions.

Door-to-door salespeople must carry City of Pullman Itinerant Vendor Permits, but police say they have not issued those permits to any door-to-door magazine solicitors.

Police advise residents to not let salespeople into their homes and to avoid discussing personal issues with salespeople. Residents are asked to call the police if they are contacted by salespeople who do not have permits or who claim that their permits are with their "supervisors."

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"If not us, who?
If not now, when?"

- Unknown


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