Here’s My Story – Getting ‘Swept Up’ in Cleaning Scams

phone scam sign Since arriving in Arizona from Montana and setting up my business down here, I’ve experienced something so frustrating and annoying I could pull out my hair, the rest of it that is left, that is. 😂

I get text messages and emails asking for my cleaning help … but they are anything but legit.

Emails are easy to ignore, but the texts? — Not only are they not easy to prevent, they are not easy to get rid of either. I tried blocking the text’s phone number, but that does not solve the problem. Why? Because these scammers sometimes don’t send the text to just me, they like to include something like 12 to 18 other people as well.

And, of course, when one person responds to the text, we all get texted back. So, I took the time once to block all 18 of the other text numbers, including the originator of the text. That took so much time, I decided not to take the time to do it again. So I’m stuck getting the text messages and just pulling out more of my receding hair.

And then there are the emailers. What they do is text you a message first. At least, for these kinds of text, they only text me, not 20 other people. The texter asks me if I am still in the cleaning business and wants to connect with me for a cleaning job. They usually leave their information and ask me to get back to their wife by email. So, I respond to their text by sending the requested email, and a bit later, I get an email back.

cell phone

Some of the emails that I get tell a tale of how the person lives out of town, but will be moving to such and such an address soon and wants me to clean their apartment (it’s never a house). Not only for one time but monthly.

They want to set up a contract with me for $500 a month (It’s always $500-$550, and sometimes it’s paid weekly). Then they ask for my phone number, address, and the last curious question — what is my line of business? What? Didn’t they just ask me to clean their place every month?

Fortunately, I have never responded to their emails, but it took me a while to stop responding to the originating text messages.

It’s amazing to me the scammers out there. This reminds me of when one of my friends told me on Facebook messenger that he had just received a federal grant for $250,000 and that I should request one too. I won’t even go there with how that was a scam. A scam I fell for, by the way.

scam signs It’s amazing to me how people take the time to sit around and figure out how to cheat people of their money or personal information. They must not know the law of karma.