Inventive scam, but you should still DIAF

[Mytical]

Actually ran into a new scam. One that had my mom panicked, and if not for the fact that she doesn't talk to people over the phone and I would not talk with or deal with them.. she'd have been ripped off.

So 3 days ago my mom received a 'notice' in the mail that she was in danger of being sent to jail for receiving stolen property. The 'legal representatives' have negotiated with their client, and if she gives him 500 he would not contact the police. All she had to do was call them and set up the payment. Our car was 'stolen', and if she didn't contact them by a deadline they would contact the police.. who would seize the vehicle and she would face potential jail time. Ignore the fact that we bought it from a car lot, paid for it for 3 years..and have had it almost 4 years.. the vehicle was 'stolen'. Ignore that the vehicle was expensive, 500 would 'satisfy' their 'client'. Ignore that if it was actually stolen, since it was worth way more then 500.. that the person would make much more by having the police come collect it already. Yep for just 500 dollars, they would make it all go away...

My mom is a bit gullible. I may have been born at night, but I was not born LAST night.

[Racket_Man]

I hate to say but that one and its varations are quite common. The forum boards over a 800notes.com are full of that one and countless versions through the mail and by phone.