Contact 6 says con artists playing on people's passions

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Think about all the things that you and your children love to do. FOX6's Contact 6 says con artists are always looking for new ways to get you to fall for their scams, including playing on your passions.

Harold Beard is an artist who says he never imagined his passion could make him a target for a scam.

"She said 'I really like them. Can you get me a price on them?'" Beard said.

The call came from a woman who said she saw his pieces online and was interested in buying some of his art before moving to South Africa. Beard thought it sounded suspicious, so he proceeded with caution -- especially when she asked for Beard's address.

"I`m immediately thinking I`m not going to give her this address. I go to the UPS store to open a P.O. Box," Beard said.

Then he got a note from a shipping company.

"I immediately looked up the shipper and it was a legitimate website and I`m starting to get a little stoked about this. I`m thinking this is looking really good," Beard said.

Joy turned into disappointment when Beard learned from other artists in his own league that they were also being targeted. Postal inspectors call it spear phishing -- when scammers zero in on a specific group of people who know one another.

"When they converse, it makes the artist really excited -- 'oh this is someone who really knows about artwork and they want my art,'" U.S. Postal Inspector Ricky Vida said.

"When you get something like this, they are really playing with your emotions," Beard said.

When Beard got a $3,000 check, he knew the whole thing was a scam. The scammer said she accidentally sent too much money -- would Beard mind cashing the check, taking his share, and sending the rest back?

"They use this urgency to have them send the money right away or before they talk to other people," Vida said.

The con artists rely on the victim depositing what is a bad check, sending them a share as well as the merchandise.

Then, two weeks later, the victim is on the hook for the check, and the goods are gone.

The warning from Beard's art league got to him just in time.

"I like to think I would have caught on, but I`m not sure and it kind of scares me," Beard said.

Beard framed the $3,000 check and keeps it in his studio to remind him to always be cautious.

"I`m going to consider it a scam until it`s seen differently," Beard said.

The members of any club or organization with a common interest like -- let's say the parents of kids going to the same school can become an easy target for con artists.