A Magnolia Voice reader wants to warn neighbors that there appears to be a magazine sales scam taking place in our neighborhood.
?Please tell Magnolia area residents to beware there is a young- late teens or early 20’s, white male with blond hair going door to door asking for money for magazines for service people stationed overseas. The name and phone number he gives are fake. Police have been notified. He sweet talks his way into the house, asks for something to drink, asks to use the bathroom etc. He obtains a check, then says he lost it and wants another one. Then says cash is better because he will qualify to earn more points for a trip to Europe. He says he just needs one more person to give him cash so he can go to Europe. When he leaves, he says he tore up the checks and put them in the wastebasket. Of course after he is gone the waste baskets are empty. This happened today (Friday) 6/24 at about 3:30pm in the 2400 block of 25th Ave West.?
google “mag crew”.
Freaky :-(? Looks like they recruit kids, move them halfway across the country so they don’t have family/friend support, then take advantage of them and even abuse them, especially if they don’t sell enough … so some turn to stealing from people that let them inside so they can use what they steal to buy magazine subscriptions to make quota.
First off they don’t abuse people if they don’t sell anything.
Second I don’t understand why people assume things. Have you ever stopped to ask a sales person why they do it or why they still do it. I bet you have ex agents living in your neiborhood. Ever thought about that? Ever thought that maybe the kid needed to be shown a different side to life. It’s a risk game. It’s all about pride it’s all about confidents. It makes a person have character! Trying something new. There are always going to be people selling magazines. But look at where you are. Is your neiborhood look like the ghetto? No probably not. So just be friendly to people if you decline than you decline. But don’t be rude to them.
We had one show up here, too.? I took a photo of him and his friend with my phone if the police are interested.? I NEVER believe that nonsense.?? He told us he was a neighbor’s son who recently completed homeschool….
?Could you upload the picture somewhere so we can all know what they look like?
Doesn’t matter what they look like.? They’ll be somewhere else next week and it’ll be different kids in Magnolia next week.? Check out http://www.magcrew.com for the horror stories.
You might want to call the polie non emergency phone line and let them know you have a photo. That might help put an end to this scam! 206 625 5011
This same person was in the 4700 block of West Roberts Way at about 2:45 yesterday. ?He was accompanied by a hispanic female with long, dark, curly hair about the same age. ?Their story was that they were UW communications students, fundraising for an internship abroad. ?Police were notified and reportedly stopped the couple, but later let them go because they seemed legitimate to the responding officer. They are definitely *not* legit – a phone call to UW communications dept confirmed that this is indeed a scam.
This same person was in the 4700 block of West Roberts Way at about 2:45 yesterday. ?He was accompanied by a hispanic female with long, dark, curly hair about the same age. ?Their story was that they were UW communications students, fundraising for an internship abroad. ?Police were notified and reportedly stopped the couple, but later let them go because they seemed legitimate to the responding officer. They are definitely *not* legit – a phone call to UW communications dept confirmed that this is indeed a scam.
I got approached by a young man in 20s…asked if I was the ‘queen’ of the house as I walked across my front yard and he said he lived on 41st…got the same spiel about mag sale for trip to Europe and was going on and on about how he had to work on communication skills…he weirded me out. We live in 38th Ave West. He had brownish hair and bad teeth..that’s all I remember.
Something like this happened at my place near Discover Park a few years ago.? The young man said, “Have a safe night” when I refused to buy a magazine in a tone that was rather threatening.
…The suspect with the same description above was on 28th Ave.?W. on thursday the 23rd…He said he a was journalism student and the son of? my neighbors…Since I have NEVER seen him before I knew he was full of it and asked him to leave…Very strange guy, lock your doors fellow neighbors!
They were also on 39th Av W
Guy was on 43rd, also last Thursday, said he was a “neighbor” talking with neighbors for a school assignment. Did not identify himself or his school. Seemed odd. Was sarcastic when I told him I was busy.
Man I think they got me last night. What am I going to do with 40 subscriptions to VIBE?
That’s a lot of magazines. How much did that cost you?
I was hit up by a young girl at my door…asked for practice talking and communicating for her debate class; she had a point system for this–the more she communicates the more points she gets.? I said ok, and?after talking to her for 5 min she then tried to sell me mags, telling me that she wouldn’t get the points unless she sold me magazines.? I asked her what school she went to since she told me initially that she lived in the area, but her reply was that she was “home-schooled”.? Looking back, that should have been a major clue.? Probably should have asked her what zip code we are in or what her address is and that I would like to cross-reference really quickly on the internet if she would just wait outside the door for me.??? Reading through that magcrew.com site I can see how these tennagers get sucked in.? Needless to say I did not purchase magazines.
Thanks for posting that link. ?I’ve had these kids come around before and I never knew the story behind what they’re doing. ?Next time one of those kids shows up at my door, I’ll offer to buy them a bus ticket home instead.
This crew is working the 32nd and 332rd Ave. W area and along Govt. Way as of Mon. the 27th. While walking on the other side of the street I listened as the blonde fellow delivered his spiel. Yup, they’re still at it.
Saw him last Thursday afternoon @ 37th/W Tilden knocking on a door. When there was no answer, he turned, saw the group of us neighbors chatting down the street, and briskly but calmy walked toward us and passed us on the sidewalk making quick eye contact, and then looking down. Blue t-shirt, lighter colored faded blue jeans, thick green-ish notepad in his left back pocket.
My review my sound
like a very proud grand-parent raving about their grandchild, but that shows
the esteem I have for this magical series. I watched from the very first
episode at 14 years-old with my best friend until the series finale in my
apartment during my sophomore year of college (with the same friend by my side,
traveling 700 miles so we could seek it together) . I have loved every moment,
and will steal this residence in a heartbeat.
?
My review my sound
like a very proud grand-parent raving about their grandchild, but that shows
the esteem I have for this magical series. I watched from the very first
episode at 14 years-old with my best friend until the series finale in my
apartment during my sophomore year of college (with the same friend by my side,
traveling 700 miles so we could seek it together) . I have loved every moment,
and will steal this residence in a heartbeat.
?