Scammers are finding new ways to reach potential victims, even appearing to support local fire departments. Recently, text messages were sent to people directing them to a website with merchandise for sale.
Recent scams included the Carver and Plymouth Fire Departments.
“No, we don’t sell T-shirts this way,” said Plymouth Fire Chief Ed Bradley. “The crews keep some at the stations. If they’re available, they’ll sell them to people who walk in. We don’t do anything by email, especially not by text.”
A WATD reporter received one of those texts, with a link directing people to a website — Trend Shirt Prime. The merchandise on the website include fire department logos and the words, “Stand for the Flag, Kneel for the Fallen.”
“With social media, there’s a lot of ways that people have found to try to sell their wares, make money, and be devious about it. You just have to be careful with anything that you’re clicking on or answering back,” said Bradley. “Obviously if they’re going to sell you a T-shirt, they’re also going to want your information, your address, and they’re going to get a credit card from you. You probably don’t want to be doing that.”
Currently, the Plymouth Fire Department does not have any ongoing fundraisers. They use Facebook and Twitter to get the word out.
“We are collecting non-perishable items for seniors in town, and pretty soon we’ll start collecting coats,” said Bradley. “Those are for other non-profits, they’re just using the stations as drop-off points.”
WATD reached out to Trend Shirt Prime to ask where proceeds from merchandise sales go to.
