Job Seekers Targeted in Water Filtration Job Scam, Part 1

The Perfect Scam

AARP

True Crime, Aarp, Fraud, Society & Culture, Scam, Crime, Bobsullivan

4.5 • 980 Ratings

🗓️ 26 September 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Job seekers all over the country answer ads for sales positions at a water filtration company. The offer is promising, and the contracts look professional. The only catch is the initial $5000 investment in a water purification unit. However, when the prepaid units never arrive, people begin to realize they are victims of a scam. They form a Facebook group, band together, and convince investigative journalist Lou Raguse to take up their cause. Will they get justice?

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week on The Perfect Scamp.
0:04.3	I created a Facebook group, and it took off.
0:09.3	They all had same story, right?
0:11.1	They all had the same story.
0:13.2	Different names.
0:14.5	He used different names.
0:16.5	All the same story.
0:18.3	Obviously, we're talking about the same guy.
0:21.3	The hardest part for me was listening to some of the other people on Facebook.
0:26.3	And there were some people that did not have the money that had borrowed this money.
0:30.6	One was actually trying to pay medical bills for a sick child.
0:35.6	How warped can you be to take money from someone who's trying to support medical bills for a sick child, how warped can you be to take money from someone who's trying
0:38.7	to support medical bills for a very ill child?
0:46.3	Welcome back to The Perfect Scam. I'm your host, Bob Sullivan.
0:53.1	You have to spend money to make money.
0:56.0	You've probably heard that before, and there's truth to it.
0:59.8	It's also true that entrepreneurs have to take risks, and they don't always work out.
1:05.5	That's why we call them risks.
1:07.8	However, criminals can use these sentiments against you, and today's story illustrates how
1:13.2	even savvy, experienced business investors can get ripped off by criminals telling tall tales.
1:19.6	I like this story a lot, however, because the victims band together and a dogged journalist
1:24.0	takes up their cause, and they all spend years chasing down justice.
	...

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