I never answer my door, except this one time, and I am kicking myself in the pants for being so very gullible. Two boys (early twenties) came to my door; they spoke very enthusiastically about being apart of a summer program that helps them with their communication skills (they said they were in school for journalism). They were in a competition against "the girls" and were only 800 points away from winning. They asked my occupation and I said nurse; they were so happy because they got extra points for medical professionals, teachers, and military. They also got additional points for the number of years I have worked. They said they were so close to their goal and now it was my turn to help: I could purchase books for children in the hospital. It was a double win; they got additional points and I got to help the kids. They assured me that I would get a thank you card from the kids and asked for my favorite color. I asked how much the books would be and they said an outrageous amount that I could not spare. So, they said I could get the smallest package which is $40 plus $15 mailing fee. That seemed reasonable for 24 children's books. They tried pressuring me into purchasing four orders (two for each of them) and I said I didn't have that much money since I am saving for a house. They also said it was tax deductible. They finally asked if I could get two orders because I could cancel one within three days. I could do that via mail or online. They told me that they could get in trouble for telling me this, but they had his sister do the same thing. He showed me the form and the address to send the receipt to. It all seemed very legitimate in the moment and I complied because I was tired after having completed a 12 hour shift and was not thinking clearly. They thanked me and asked if I knew of anymore cool people who would help them go to Italy. It was only after they left and I was studying the receipt that things didn't add up. I went online to cancel both orders and found that the site stated this action was invalid. Everything else on the site was locked or for authorized personal only. I got super curious, so I goggled the site and found this scambook site. I have since canceled both checks and submitted a police report since I am in a secured complex with no soliciting allowed. Let me just say that I feel totally conned. If you are reading this, you are not alone. It is just horrible that these people ruin it for the real legitimate companies.
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