Members of Jessup Hose Company #2 thankfully caught the scammers before any money was lost.
JESSUP, Pa. — Setup is underway as members of Jessup Hose Company #2 prepare to welcome thousands to their yearly carnival in Lackawanna County.
“All the funds from this event go back to the host company for buying equipment, gear, stuff like that for our members. So this event is a huge way, especially this day and age with the rising cost of everything, for us to be able to fund and protect our community and the community, and other communities we serve,” said Captain Bobby Berta Jr of Jessup Hose Company #2.
But a week before all the festivities, Berta says a post on the hose company’s Facebook page looked like it was taking advantage of those wanting to be a part of the fun.
“We’re notified by one of our members at a local business was contacted by a phishing account on Facebook,” said Berta. “He notified the department, and we took the following steps to make sure that everything was corrected. There were no issues, no money was transferred, anything like that. Also, over the following weeks, we’ve been really heavy on our event page on Facebook. There’s been a lot of phishing attempts and things like that in the comment sections, or people reaching out, and they see who’s commenting.”
Thankfully, no money was exchanged, and the post was deleted before anyone else could fall victim.
This kind of scam is not uncommon, and they’ve dealt with it before.
“Obviously, there are bad people out in the world like this, and they’re trying to extort the good people that want to donate to us, and it’s just something that we have to counter and deal with,” said Berta.
Organizers advise anyone interested in working with the carnival or in learning more about it to call the fire company directly.
And if you’re looking to support first responders and not scammers, the 34th Jessup Hose Company Number 2 Annual Carnival starts May 20th and ends May 25th.