TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- It's a scam Tupelo Police Capt. Rusty Haynes says will usually surface 2 or 3 times every year.
"You don't know who you're dealing with at all," Haynes said.
For one resident in the All-America City, that day was Monday.
It started innocently enough, according to resident Bob Wadley. A young man knocked on Wadley's door, asking for help to raise money for a trip. The visitor said he was going to raise that money by selling magazines.
"He starts telling me about the point system they have with these magazines," Wadley said.
But Wadley started getting suspicious when the young man mentioned these points being donated to help sick children in Memphis or even troops overseas.
"I told him I never contribute to charities or buy anything from companies until I have a chance to look them over to see what they're about," Wadley said.
And that made the scammer uncomfortable, Wadley added.
The so-called transaction ended not long after that.
Once Wadley did his research, he realized it was a scam.
"Invariably, they're from out of state," Haynes said. "They're never from anywhere local that can be verified. Their erstwhile bosses, who are supposedly running the program, are in whatever state this originates from."
You see, legitimate solicitors -- or door-to-door salesmen -- are required to have a privilege license to operate in the city of Tupelo.
At the moment, only one -- a roofing specialist based out of Flowood -- is licensed, according to city records.
That means anybody else who comes to your door in Tupelo is not.
Haynes said when it comes to these scammers, the department's patience runs thin.
"Every time we run across [one of these individuals], somebody's going to go to jail, a car's going to get towed. It's going to start costing money," Haynes said.
As for Wadley, he says he's just glad he didn't give in.
"They're telling the story that they think you want to hear in order to sell the magazine. [Makes you feel] a little bit violated," Wadley said.
Haynes said if residents do willingly give these scammers money in exchange for these magazines, there's not much they can do about it, so use caution if approached.
