Georgia Man Loses $80K In Publisher’s Clearing House Scam
Scams are happening every single day, and scammers are finding more ways to trick people. Like this Georgia man who loses $80K in a Publisher’s Clearing House scam.
The man is from Roswell, Georgia. According to the Alpharetta Roswell Herald, he alerted police about the scam on April 10th. He apparently lost around $80,000 after believing he had won $10.5 million and a car in the scam.
The man was contacted by someone claiming to be with Publisher’s Clearing House. Then, the victim was asked to send money to cover taxes and other expenses. The man did send money, which totaled $120,000 before he realized he’d been misled. In all, he was able to cancel $40,000 worth of the checked and has given police the names and addresses of where he sent the checks.
Most Targeted Cars in Georgia For Catalytic Converter Theft - The Top 5
Catalytic converter theft isn’t a new issue. It’s been a threat to anyone who owns a car for years. But, according to Carfax, there are way more thefts than may have been reported. Their data shows as many as 153,000 thefts in the U.S. in 2022. And each state seems to have vehicles that are more likely to be a target than others. Below, we’ll look at the top 5 most targeted cars in Georgia.
Catalytic Converter Theft
It seems no one is immune to catalytic converter theft either. Parking lots, car dealerships… thieves are boldly looking for these crimes of opportunity. It wasn’t long ago that even the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile had its catalytic converter stolen.
And the bad news is, if yours is stolen, it’s not a cheap replacement. It can run from $2,000 to $3,000.
But Why?
Catalytic converters contain valuable metals like platinum, palladium, and rhodium. The metals are expensive, in high demand, and limited in supply. For a standard catalytic converter, thieves can make cash in to make anywhere from $25 to $300. But the ones from hybrid vehicles are even more valuable and can sell for up to $1,400.
Nationwide – Top Cars Targeted
- Ford F Series Truck
- Honda Accord
- Toyota Prius
- Honda CR-V
- Ford Explorer
Year over year, the most targeted vehicle list stayed mostly the same as the previous year, but the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Explorer did see a bigger increase over the last year.
Most Targeted Cars in Georgia
Now let’s take a look how Georgia’s most targeted cars compare to the national list! A few of these vehicles saw pretty significant jumps in thefts from 2021 to 2022. These are considered the top cars targeted in the South, which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
“Cody” Blaine Jackson is one half of the Kicks Wake Up Krew on Kicks 99, and also serves as the Digital Program Director for Beasley Media Group in Augusta. She’s a Georgia native but currently resides just across the river in South Carolina. She started in the radio industry as a part-time board operator, and moved up through various roles, including on-air positions and program director for multiple stations. Her passions include fitness and anything to do with animals, as she has two fur babies, her dogs Harley and Waylon. Cody likes to write about pets, fitness and Augusta local events.
