Worthington police issue caution on 'Pay to Hold' scams

A recent scam known as a Pay to Hold scam has been showing up around the area recently.

This scam, according to the Worthington Police Department, typically starts off with an item posted for sale or rent online, with a price that appears too good to be true.

When the potential victim reaches out to the seller, the seller will offer to hold the item for a day or two, if the potential buyer is willing to pay a down payment or fee to hold the item.

The seller will usually try to pressure the potential buyer to leave the deposit by claiming someone else was looking at the item, but they would be willing to hold it if they pay a fee.

The seller will often offer to refund the money when the buyer shows up or buys the product. In most of these cases. the item does not exist and the scam comes from the free to hold the item. Many of these scams come from Facebook Marketplace and have included items for sale and rental property.

People are advised to never send money to someone they don't know.