Rockford Residents Warn of Suspicious Nextdoor Scam Targeting Locals

If you use the Nextdoor app to keep up with what’s happening in your neighborhood and the Rockford area, keep your guard up. Several residents are sounding the alarm on a scam that could easily catch you off guard.

Nextdoor Scam Warning

I've had the Nextdoor app for over 5 years now, and although I don't use it often, I have found that it can be a valuable resource for reaching neighbors, reading gossip, unloading stuff you don't need anymore, or finding out important community safety information.

READ MORE: New Bus Cameras Target Dangerous Illinois Drivers

Earlier this week, I saw someone post a warning about a new homecare scam circulating around the Rockford area:

WARNING: ATTEMPTED SCAM! "Robert and Kate Kalson" are pretending to need homecare for Kate's father, and say they are moving to town and want you to purchase supplies for them in advance. They request your name, address, and phone number to mail you a check to do this work prior to moving here. They could not provide the address to which they were moving, had no background check requirement, and seemed completely sketchy. When I pushed for more details they stopped communicating. They are likely looking for personal details so they can hack your Zelle and other personal accounts. DO NOT SHARE THIS INFO WITH STRANGERS!!

Many people probably spotted this for a scam the moment they read it, but here is the part I find most alarming: the scammers are getting people's contact information through Nextdoor.

Several other Rockford-area users chimed in on the Nextdoor thread saying they’ve had very similar interactions, but with different names.

There is another post from 3 days ago just like this he was sent a check for 4,000 and return the rest. His bank said the check was fake.

This is happening all over Nextdoor Marketplace too. A “buyer” pressures a cash seller to setup a Zelle account because they can’t buy in Cash. For some reason. They want your full address, email, phone number, bank name.

The sad truth is, this scam idea is nothing new; it's simply happening on a different platform. Just remember the golden rule: never give a stranger your personal information! (or give them a bunch of false information...just for giggles.)

Stay safe out there!