[Music] hi I'm detective Brandie George and I want to take a minute to give you tips to avoid online and social media scams stammers find creative ways to ultimately take your money or identity they can pose of anyone from anywhere they will get you to pay for a product or a service and then disappear once they have more cash this is me or what scammers want you to believe it states I'm selling puppies which I'm not they're using some form of my name and setting up an email and this scam has victimized dozens of people don't fall for it the victims thought they were dealing with me a Mesa police detective they even googled my name to confirm out with a police detective but didn't realize that my photo and bio were being used by someone outside the country for a scam it's always best to meet a seller in person Mesa PD has a designated spot for such transactions at our headquarters don't ever send money to someone if you can't confirm who they truly are ask for a phone number ask to FaceTime or Skype and again whenever possible meet in person you