Local resident finds fraud, scams rampant

Another Odessa person was very nearly the victim of a scam recently, but fortunately for her she was cautious enough not to agree to giving out any money or trying to cash the fraudulent checks she was sent.

Mary Van Rijn of Odessa often rents rooms in her home to those in need of low-cost housing. A friend convinced her to put an ad on Craigslist when one of the rooms became available for rent. She was soon contacted via email by a young woman who claimed to be someone who traveled a lot in her capacity as a worker for the Red Cross assisting flood victims. She said she needed the room for wo...