Magazine Sales Gimmick: Cash on the Barrelhead
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department issued a warning Friday of a possible door-to-door fraud scheme in which unsuspecting persons are duped into handing over $20 checks made out to “CASH.”
The checks thus can be cashed immediately by anyone, a sheriff’s spokesman pointed out.
According to the spokesman, there are 65 to 75 door-to-door solicitors representing a magazine subscription firm by the name of Circulation and Subscription House, with the acronym “CASH.” The solicitors ask that prospective customers give them $20 checks with CASH written on the payee line as a subscription deposit.
The solicitors also ask that the remittance be mailed to an address in Encinitas.
Details of the operation are sketchy. The sheriff’s spokesman said a business license for Circulation and Subscription House was issued Jan. 25 to Patty Mauer. However, Mauer’s answering service claims no responsibility for the actions of salespeople, describing them as independent contractors.
The sheriff’s spokesman said it is believed that the solicitation crews had been staying in a motel in Carlsbad but checked out Friday, moving to another, unknown motel in the county.
The Sheriff’s Department advises that any person contacted by questionable salespeople should contact local law enforcement officials.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
