A local man thought he was getting the deal of a lifetime and found out the hard way that he was duped out of his dough by a scam that has been making the rounds across North America over the past few years.
Jake was approached in the parking lot at North Hill Centre about a week ago by a man asking for directions to the airport.
He says the man was a smooth talker and said he worked in the fashion industry in Italy.
“Italian guy, Italian accent,” said Jake. “He was a really nice guy and I was driving away and he stopped me again.”
The man told Jake he had designer leather jackets, valued at about $2000 each, that he was selling because he couldn’t take them back to Italy without paying duty on them.
Jake says the jackets looked legitimate so he offered the man $1000 for all four jackets.
He thought he was walking away with a deal and would be able to recoup the cost and then some by reselling the coats online.
Jake says he started having second thoughts right away so he did a little research and soon learned that the jackets were not leather and definitely not designer.
“He can tell when you’re having second thoughts about it and he'll quickly change the subject and divert you and stuff. With all the tags and the bags it all seems pretty legit,” said Jake.
There are dozens of complaints online about similar scams occurring across North America dating back to about 2011.
The Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta says door-to-door scams are plentiful right now.
“When people are coming door-to-door, you want to make sure they are who they say they are. Get credentials, beware of pressure, high-pressure sales tactics. A legitimate business is going to give you time to think about it before making a decision,” said Camie Leard, VP Marketing and Communications for the BBB.
Leard says to avoid being duped get estimates in writing and don’t make door-stop decisions.
Jake says he learned his lesson and now he just wants to get the word out so no one else gets ripped off in this faux fashion scam.
