Italian Men With Free Jackets? It's A Scam, Warns Wayland PD

WAYLAND, MA—Scammers, they're everywhere, remind Wayland's police.

The department recently shared on social media a post by a resident that happened recently in town.

"So yesterday, outside the Wayland Mini Market, two Italian guys in a white Jaguar SUV asked for directions to Logan, which I gave them," wrote the poster. "They were effusive in their thanks, mentioning they'd just done work for Armani at the Natick Collection (handing me business cards) and were headed back to Italy.

"By way of thanks for my directions, they offered me five free leather jackets—noting that these were samples that would cost them at customs, so they'd just as soon leave them here. They bagged them up and handed it over to me, standing in a parking lot. They then asked if I had a wife—and guess what? Miracle of miracles, it turns out they had one women's jacket, too. They turned to go, then added that I, by way of thanks for these jackets worth $4,000, could help them by giving a mere $500, which they needed for an iPad for a daughter's birthday. I laughed, handed back the jackets, and said goodbye."

The scam, it is reported, is well-known, and follows a script that has been used for years.

Whether it's men with free Italian jackets, a person who demands an IRS payment or a social security scam, that's what it is - a scam. Hang up. Walk away. Call authorities.