If you have recently given a young man money for a youth baseball team trip to Japan or to buy children's books for a hospital, you may have been scammed. A man in his twenties has been patrolling Doyle Street on the East Side in the last two weeks, asking for cash or checks for a company he calls Prestige Sales USA, City Councilman Cliff Wood (D-Ward 2) told The Herald Monday.
The young con artist, who calls himself Michael, secured money from one couple on Doyle Street earlier this month and recently solicited money from another resident.
Wood said he was subject to the same scam attempt last year but did not bite. "This guy in his twenties shows up at the door and says he is raising money for a baseball team trip to Tokyo." Woods said con artists like Michael often supplement their pitch by saying they are washing windows to raise money. "Then you've got to give them money ... and then they disappear," he added.
Wood said he knew immediately that the pitch was bogus when "Michael" said he lived at a Providence address that did not exist.
A similar scam was reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader on Aug. 29.
Michael Moorefield of Tuscon, Ariz., was arrested Aug. 27 in Rye, N. H., for solicitation without a permit, according to the Union Leader. He was working with an accomplice, who was charged with possession of a controlled substance. One family cut Moorefield a check for over $200, according to the report. Both perpetrators were released on bail.
Moorefield's details were slightly different from those cited in Providence; for example, he said he was raising funds for a baseball trip to Hawaii. His scam was eventually uncovered for the same reason as the Rhode Island Michael: He said he lived in a house that did not exist.
Lt. John Ryan, whose District 9 office patrols College Hill, said that he has not yet received any complaints from local residents.
