Buying And Selling A Boat Are Fertile Grounds For Scammers

By: Michael J. Deem, Esq. of R.C. Shea & Associates

If you are considering buying or selling a boat, then you should be aware that the market is full of bogus buyers and sellers. When it comes to buying or selling a boat, if anything seems unusual then proceed with caution. While fraudulent transactions apply to both purchase and sales, this article will focus on the seller’s side of the transaction.

If selling your boat is not difficult enough, these days the last thing you need is to encounter someone, somewhere, trying to trick you at least once, if not two or more times as you try to complete the boat-selling process. Because fraud comes in all shapes and sizes, it is not possible for us to focus on one type of transaction, so we will concentrate on the most common red flags.

Obvious poor punctuation and grammar. These scammers crank out a thousands of their “inquiries” every day and many of them have a poor grasp of the English language. Also, pay attention to their use of multiple phone numbers (and/or multiple email addresses) from the same individual.

Everything the alleged buyer asked about was thoroughly detailed in your listing. Some of these scammers operate through robo or computerized forms of communication like e-mail or texting. So, if the potential purchaser is asking you for information that is already in your listing then this should raise a red flag and you should proceed with extreme caution.

Enlisting a third party to pick up the boat without the buyer ever having inspected it. Boats are not cheap. No credible buyer will purchase a boat sight unseen. A credible purchaser will at least obtain a boat survey, which is similar to a home inspection. In addition, most honest buyers will be present when the boat is picked-up, rather than sending an agent to do take possession of your boat.

The offer to pay by cashier’s check and pick up the boat after it had been cashed. This seems like a reasonable show of good faith, but scammers have become very good at printing fake checks so realistic that banks initially accept them. It isn’t until days or even weeks later that the scam becomes apparent, and then the bank can pull those funds right back out of your account. Check with your bank to confirm its policy regarding final acceptance of funds.

Paypal or Venmo variation of payment. The phony buyer will ask for your PayPal ID in order to send you a payment, possibly for substantially more than the purchase price. Shortly after that, you will receive a fake confirmation from PayPal with your user ID for more than the agreed purchase price, and the buyer will contact you asking you to forward the extra money to a shipper. Again, you’ll lose whatever money you’ve sent. An unwillingness to provide basic proof of identity such as a photo of their driver’s license. If they are who they say they are then there should be no issue with providing proof of their identity. Automobile dealerships will obtain proof of your identify when you try to purchase one of their vehicles. Strangers routinely share this basic information when they are involved in motor vehicle collisions, so it should not be sacred during the purchase of a boat or a car.

R.C. Shea & Associates is a full-service Law Firm. We are located at 244 Main Street, Toms River. Visit our website at www. rcshea.com.

Jackson Recreation Summer Camp Job Fair

JACKSON – Make a difference in the life of a child while having the time of your life! Jackson Recreation is now hiring for their 2023 summer camp. The job fair will be on March 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Jackson Senior Center, 45 Don Connor Boulevard.

Nights of weekends! They are seeking staff candidates for the following positions:

• Camp Counselors

• Camp Leaders

• Camp Head Leaders

• Bus Drivers

• Monitors

The minimum age to apply for any position is 14 years old. Applicants who are 18 and older and are hired will be required to complete a background check. Learn all about the summer camp job opportunities available this year. Call 732928-1260 for more information.

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Continued From Page 5 you know this is unreasonable. I am very disappointed in both of you for doing this.” In a statement provided to The Jackson Times, Burlaga explained his version of the interview. “Committeeman Cuozzo opened the floor with questioning Ms. Tallon asking her: ‘Why do you want the position? Do you agree with the full Republican Party? If you dissent anywhere, can you say where?’”

“Ms. Tallon answered both questions respectfully, yet she never stated a point of disagreement with the Republican platform. After she answered Cuozzo’s question she then graciously asked if he would not ask her any more questions because there was history between the two of them,” Burlaga said.

Burlaga said Cuozzo agreed, and didn’t ask Tallon any additional questions. “I followed up the next question and asked, ‘If selected to fill the position, we also expect you to be Committeeman Cuozzo’s running mate (as Calabrese was) and support him in the 2024 election?’”

“After I asked the question. I immediately cited a Facebook post Ms. Tallon made in June 2022 where she publicly accused Committeeman Cuozzo of ‘preaching against women working, women leading, and women having voices’ and again, ‘he [Cuozzo] has a very disturbing view of how the world should be run.’”

Burlaga said he cited her post “for the sole purpose to show Ms. Tallon that I doubt she could be able to support Cuozzo. Then I finished my question with asking if she still stands by her post and if she can support him. Ms. Tallon then responded that she could not support Cuozzo, nor would she be his running mate.”

He followed with another question that he also posed to other candidates to which Tallon answered that she is pro-choice. “I then followed up with a second question, when you were asked by Cuozzo what positions you disagree with on the Republican platform, why did you not state your position on abortion?”

Burlaga said his party at large holds to pro-life beliefs. “Ms. Tallon responded with the reason that she did not consider it, since the subject of abortion is not handled at the municipal level.” He said his questions were planned in advance and maintains that he nor anyone on the board asked inappropriate questions, nor ridiculed people for their positions and answers.

“The Facebook post I quoted I received from a citizen in my district as she expressed concerns about Ms. Tallon, and she wanted to use her right to inform me, which as a County Committeeman, is my job to hear the concerns of the people in my district who I represent.”

Burlaga maintains that he nor any of the nine people who sat on the screening committee ever attacked Tallon. “She was neither mean, condescending or aggressive towards us, nor were we to her. From my point of view, it was a simple interview process, and that was all.”

The pastor said he asked the question on abortion because “I believe it carries more weight at the municipal level since the Supreme Court’s

Decision on Roe versus Wade. With the decision it transfers legislation onto the state level.”

He said he asked four of the nine candidates in total (including Tallon) to give their position on abortion. “There were others I didn’t ask that question to, for the reason that I either knew their position already, or assumed their position, just by the answers they gave on other questions.”

Cuozzo said two of the candidates screened, Tallon being one, requested that he not ask them any questions during the process. “I did not say a word to Kate Tallon at the time of the interview except to welcome her into the room. She asked that I not speak, and I did not.”

Mayor Bowen confirmed that Cuozzo did not speak to Tallon. “I was informed the day after the meeting by the County Committee about the question about abortion was asked to a few of the candidates. I asked the person who asked those questions (Burlaga). I was not aware that Kate had shared her experience with others and that folks knew of it.”

“When I heard that, I was obviously, deeply concerned that the question had been targeted to her on purpose,” the mayor added. “I agree that would be totally inappropriate.”

Bowen said he contacted Burlaga and asked him about that question. “I asked him were you aware that this particular person (Tallon) has had a personal experience that she has shared with others so it is public knowledge that it was a medically necessary and obviously a very difficult situation. He said to me he was not aware.”

Tallon responded to Bowen saying that Burlaga did have her social media post on his phone and had showed it to her during the interview. “He had my Facebook post with my miscarriage story in it. I watched him hold his cell phone at me.”

New Committee member

The three candidates who emerged for Township Committee review that night were Michael Hammerstone, Anthony Mannino, and Karen Lamphere. Each were asked several questions by the Township Committee members and a motion was put forward and approved for Hammerstone’s selection. He was sworn in by Township Clerk Jennifer Witham a few minutes later during the special meeting.

A Call For Change

Township Deputy Mayor Herb Marinari, noting the comments made from members of the Committee and members of the audience throughout the evening, tearfully said, “to see this community the way it is now is just disheartening. I’ve never seen this town this way. There is a lot of anger. There is a lot of venom in this community right now.

“I don’t know if it can be done but let’s just start anew. I don’t know what we’re going to do here,” Marinari said. He noted that Township Clerk Witham has a copy of a resignation letter he wrote. He did not submit that letter.

“We all have to try our best. If there are issues let’s bring them forward and talk about them. This is not the community that all of us knew. This has to change. I don’t know if there is an answer. This whole world has turned upside down. Can’t we work a little bit together. Life is way too short believe me,” Marinari added.