The Josh Innes Show - Scammers

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

Some Jamoke in California may go to jail for a long time thanks to his part in a memorabilia scam. I'm not in favor of scamming people. But, how is it people get scammed so easily? Also, why do people want memorabilia? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello, friends. What's going on? It's Josh. Glad you are with me today on the old podcast on this Tuesday, Tuesday the 8th. I just had to have a conversation with the unemployment office, a pointless conversation with the unemployment office in Missouri, right? So I had to do like a WebEx call. First off, I'm on this, it's like a WebEx call with whoever this person is. And I guess my computer was screwed up, so I had to do like a Webex call first off I'm on this like it's like a Webex call with the whoever this person is and I guess my computer was screwed up so I couldn't understand a word this person was saying it was like short-circuiting every five freaking seconds so um oh and well hmm I just got a text message this is good I like when these come in kelly will you join our barbecue party tomorrow i just called you but you didn't answer well it's because i didn't answer because i never got a call because i'm not

kelly so i feel like we got ourselves a good old-fashioned scam coming in 980 area code. That is Charlotte, North Carolina. 980 is an overlay for area code 704 serving the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area and surrounding regions including cities like Concord, Gastonia, and Huntersville. The 908 area code covers the Charlotte metropolitan area and parts of 12 counties in South Central North Carolina. So I don't know if these are scams or if they really are just, you know, people that send it to the

wrong thing. Like I got one the other day that I didn't respond to that was like, hey, is this Coach Lewis's phone? And you could respond, but you don't really want to get yourself involved in this shit just in case it is, in fact, a scam. Then you're really up the shit creek without a paddle, right, if you're just screwing around with these people. They make it difficult to screw around with them these days, so you just don't do it. But that's why, like, this is why this doesn't make any sense, right? So if you just typed in Kelly's number and called Kelly and didn't get an answer, you would

see that the number you typed in to call Kelly is not the same number that you texted to Kelly. Therefore, I feel like we got good old fashioned scams going here. And if it's not a scam, it's something stupid. So I'm not even going to bother responding to it. But back in the back in the day I would have back when I was a boy that would have been a fun thing to do is just continue a conversation with these people but you don't know how fucked up the world is now these people could be stealing all your information everything I do not respond to any random text messages I've been getting um that's the best way to not get scammed now you might say well Josh what if it really is something important that it ends up screwing you over i'll take that risk over the the risk of getting scammed like every day i'll get a text message that says hey here's your you have not

paid your uh bill for your your toll pass or whatever and we've got the picture of you going i know it that's not the case because i haven't seen a fucking toll road in a billion years so i know it ain't me so i know it's a fucking scam so i'm just not gonna answer but assuming it's not a scam somebody really wants kelly to join the barbecue party tomorrow also like i don't know the term barbecue party is kind of it's kind of uh what's the word i'm looking for suspicious like no one calls something a barbecue party wouldn't you just say hey are you joining the barbecue tomorrow and by the way who the fuck's having a barbecue on a wednesday i don't know i feel like what we have here is someone trying to fuck with me and we got a scam we got a scam going on here a deception and i and I'm not going to fuck around with that.

It's a lot of questions. It's amazing how many questions one could come up with from two sentences, but Kelly, will you join our barbecue party tomorrow? I just called you, but you didn't answer. Then how would you have texted a different number than you called? Because I don't have a missed call from someone offering me an invite to the barbecue party. And I like barbecue. I'll pretend to be Kelly.

That's my other option. I'll just pretend to be Kelly. And then I'll go to the barbecue and I'll see if there really is a barbecue. But it's probably not. So sorry guys. No response from me. Alright. More to come after these words. Alright. If you're ready to win some real cash during the basketball playoffs you gotta check out Pick

6 from DraftKings. When it comes to basketball payouts DraftKings. When it comes to basketball payouts, DraftKings pick six posterizes the competition, including prize picks. It's a very simple concept. Hit all your picks and score higher minimum payouts on pick six, plus even more cash if you outscore the competition. Pick six is available in most states, including Missouri, California, Texas, Georgia, and more. And I absolutely love it. Look, every night we're going to be having playoff basketball. Every night.

So when you're sitting around and you might not have interest in a particular game, let's say you're a fan of a particular team, they're not playing that night, here's how you make it a little bit more fun for the other games. Build a little lineup there with pick six. It's really great. Me and my wife do it all the time so make sure you do it and new players get 50 in pick six credits instantly on just a five dollar entry download the draft kings pick six app now and use code in us that's my name i n n e s for new

customers to play five dollars get 50 and pick six credits, better payouts, bigger wins, only with pick six from DraftKings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org in Connecticut. Must be 18 plus. Age and eligibility restrictions vary by jurisdiction. Pick six not available everywhere, including New York and Ontario. Voidware prohibited. One per new customer.

Bonus award. It is non-withdrawable pick six credits that expire in 14 days. Limited time offer. See terms at picksix.draftkings.com slash promos. Spring is here, and you can now get almost anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. What do we mean by almost? You can't get a well-groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parmesan delivered. Sunshine? No. Some wine? Yes.

Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol and select markets. See app for details. Alright, here's a story for you. Man pleads guilty to selling more than $250,000 in fake memorabilia. A former California resident pleaded guilty Monday to selling hundreds of thousands of dollars in fake memorabilia, including items authorities say were purportedly signed by famous athletes, actors, and celebrities in a scheme dating to 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Central District of California. Anthony J. Tremaine, 58, formerly

resided in West Covina, California. I guarantee you that nobody listening to this podcast has ever watched the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. If you haven't, you should because the first season, first like two seasons of it are actually really fucking funny. But it's a musical sitcom and it's fucking phenomenal. But the chick that's obsessed with this guy, the guy she's obsessed with is from West Covina, California. So it's like the first lyric of the first song in the show is West Covina, California. So it's like the first lyric of the first song in the show is West Covina, California. Just watch the show. I think it's still on Netflix. It was on for like four years, I think on the WB. Watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. First couple of seasons, phenomenal. And like most shows, it kind of hangs on a little too long and it's not as good. But the first season is

spectacular. The songs are great. It's funny. It on a little too long and it's not as good. But the first season is spectacular. The songs are great. It's funny. It's a funny fucking show and the world should embrace this show. So anytime I see West Covina, California, I think of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. So please watch it. And if you have watched it before, send me a DM and be like, yo, bro, you're not alone in this shit. I too enjoy the show crazy ex-girlfriend

but we continue uh Anthony Tremaine 58 formerly resided in West Covina California now lives in Rosarito Mexico well that makes sense he appeared in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana California and pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison U.S. District Judge James V. Selna scheduled sentencing for August 11th U.S. officials said Tremaine remains free on bond well I need the details on what kind of merch he was selling according to court documents from 2010 until December of 2019 Tremaine advertised memorabilia in Orange County and Los Angeles County, among other places, and sometimes included a, quote, certificate of

authenticity to certify the signatures were real. Federal officials say the signatures were fake and the certificates were bogus. He admitted to selling more than $250,000 and up to $550,000 in fake memorabilia, according to U.S. officials. The FBI investigated the case. Cooperating witnesses said Tremaine sold the memorabilia purportedly signed by members of the Lakers, Clippers, Bulls, Heat, Angels, and Los Angeles Kings, and a golf star, quote unquote. Other items included multiple signed replica stand stanley cup signed boxing

gloves fraudulent masters jackets and flags pro football hall of fame jackets guitar signed by musicians and a fraudulent signed beatles photo with quote a celebrity boxer a u.s attorney's office spokesperson said the items included guitars with faked carrie underwood and print signatures and faked kobe bryant signature on a picture. Authorities said there were also memorabilia forged signatures from the stars of the Hunger Games, Twilight, Star Wars, Captain America franchises. In November 2019, Tremaine mailed a Keeping Up with the Kardashians photograph purportedly signed by Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian to a customer for $ for 200 the customer was an undercover fbi agent first of all what asshole would spin like that should have been your sign nobody wants to buy

a 200 autograph picture of the kardashians like it's one thing if someone's like you know what i think i really want like michael jordan signature, the greatest basketball player of all time. I want Michael Jordan's signature or a print signed guitar or something signed by Chris Paul. Like you would understand these things. When someone's like, hey, I want to spend $200 on a picture signed by the three original Kardashian sisters, you got to be like, hmm, there's something fucked up happening here. It's like in Men in Black, whenever they bring Will Smith down to like, you know, like try to make him a men in black agent, you know, and they put him in a scenario where like there's all these bad guys and shit.

And then there's just the little white girl that has her school books and he shoots the girl and he can rationalize why he didn't shoot this guy. Well, he ain't snarling. He's sneez sneezing and why the fuck is this girl in this neighborhood and i forgot if it was like trigonometry i forgot what book she was holding but he's like and that that is far too advanced for that girl why is she carrying a uh trigonometry book right that's how i would feel if i were selling memorabilia and like again say you've got like Muhammad Ali memorabilia you could go okay it makes sense somebody wants that nobody would spend $200 on a keeping up with the Kardashians autographed picture so that should probably be your first sign that it's like a that they're screwing with you right so speaking of memorabilia it's something I don't really get like I understand that if you

come across memorabilia that it would be cool to have like that you find organically right or someone gifts you something like every piece of sports memorabilia I have and there aren't a ton of things like I'm not a collector I'm not someone that goes out and buys autograph shit from someone I don't understand the appeal of that because a you do not know that it is truly signed like the number of things you've seen like we've all heard these stories before that like there have been celebrities in the past that just have someone sign their fucking name on shit you know it's like like you don't know right so think about the money you're spending thinking, oh my God, I got a Michael Jordan autograph basketball. You don't fucking know that it's Michael Jordan and they can give you a certificate of authenticity and all that shit. It don't matter, right?

Like the things I have are things that my dad got directly from someone or I got directly from someone. And I think those things are cool because they hold a special value as opposed to going out on the internet and saying, you know what? I just want to have Michael Jordan's autograph. So I'm going to buy Michael Jordan's autograph. The story is part of what makes it great. Telling the story about how you got something signed to make something great doesn't make it great that you went on the Internet and you're like, well, here's a Kobe Bryant autographed jersey. I must fucking have it.

Why? You didn't get it signed like part of the appeal is knowing that you got it signed or that you caught that ball or Dennis Rodman threw his jersey into the fucking crowd and you caught it you know my dad uh back in the day used to have a full St. Louis football cardinals uniform that was given to him I believe by Roy Green the kick returner for the Cardinals and when they moved like I that my dad he just gave my dad his entire uniform so he had the helmet it was the white Cardinals uniform with the blue and red stripes on the side uh dad had the whole fucking uniform on a mannequin in our house the pads and everything and then I think eventually he sold it when he had

no money um so someone's got a whole Roy Green full-on St. Louis football Cardinals uniform I think it was Roy Green it may have been Vice Sikahema but I think I'm pretty positive it was Roy Green and that was a cool piece of memorabilia to have because someone gave you that memorabilia you know I have a couple of baseballs right like I have a baseball that's signed by Jack Buck former voice of the Cardinals greatest baseball broadcaster that ever lived but I got that ball signed by Jack Buck and I caught that ball at the fucking game I caught a batting practice home run Jack Buck signs it coolest fucking moment of my life right that matters and means more because I got that fucking thing signed

going to Google and being like you know get me a Tawny Katane autograph, something or another. That doesn't fucking matter. I don't know. I just don't understand like the need for memorabilia. Like I think shit's cool, but like autographs I don't find to be that cool. I find pictures with people to be cooler than getting someone to sign something. You know, like signing something don't mean much to me. You know, like I used to love going to to Planet Hollywood and seeing movie memorabilia.

But I think that's cool. I wouldn't necessarily want to have it or need to have it. But it'd be cool. Like if you catch a towel at a ball game or someone gives you a batting glove, that's cool. But going to the internet and just buying a Derek Jeter batting glove. Like, oh wow, Derek Jeter wore this. Yeah, that's cool. But like,

who gives a shit? You didn't get the moment. You didn't celebrate the moment. So this is kind of one of those crimes where I'm kind of like, I'm not saying they deserve to get scammed. The guy's obviously a shithead. But like, if you're one of these people that's obsessed with the idea of buying memorabilia, you're kind of, to me, you're kind of assuming that risk, right? You're the one that's going out there and you're like, well, I'm kind of curious. I'm curious. I mean, I'm assuming this is real. It's authentic. I've got to have this autograph. You kind of assume the risk when you do that. It goes back to the idea of me answering this phone call right now or that text that came in a little earlier with looking for Kelly to enjoylly to enjoy the barbecue party right if i decide to respond and fuck with these people

then maybe i've opened myself up to the scam if i just ignore it then i can at least say hey i ignored the fucking scam i don't know how the fuck this happened but i didn't engage in it like is it that important to you to spend thousands of dollars on a baseball that you truly have no proof was autographed like what do you like like what dick swinging do you do with that like your buddies come over and you're like hey this is a ball autographed by Aaron Judge like cool who gives a fuck like if you look at it once it's an autograph now if it were a true now there is memorabilia that's cool again I mentioned game worn or something that was a huge significant thing right like this is the jersey he wore when he scored 65 points that's cool but just a jersey itself signed by michael jordan ain't gonna do shit for me like you cool it's framed it's on

the wall you're glad to have it but there's no again no story so to me again not saying that this guy is the greatest human on the earth clearly seems like a shithead and a scammer but the guy found an avenue the guy found an area where he could exploit stupid people and stupid people trusted some random fucking dude on the internet that's the other problem people have is it doesn't take much to convince people that you're credible on the internet and then you just go with it and you're like that makes sense to me sounds good i'm gonna buy this from this random jamoke in West Covina, California. He must be legit. He's got to be legit, right?

Obviously, that's not necessarily the case. So in a way, like I always talk about this when people get scammed, you almost have to be willing to be scammed to get scammed, right? Not saying it's all always the the the scammed person's fault but when you go back and you hear the details of some of the scamming that happens to morons you go look i'm not on the side of the guy who scammed you but you're a fucking moron like when we heard stories about um i guess it was last year maybe that uh the dude from Def Leppard had to put out a video to let people know that he's not asking them for money on Facebook and just imagine that you're some random person

and you're on Facebook and you get Joe Elliott the lead singer of Def Leppard and he sends you a message and says hey mate I need some money're like, oh, Joe Elliott needs my money? Keep in mind, the guy's got some of the highest-selling albums of all time, sold a billion albums, guy's probably not hurting for money, and he's asking you for like a $500 Apple gift card? Like, you don't think about that? You're like, oh, he loves me. You're like, oh, boy, Joe Elliott from Def Leppard is in love with me,

and we're going to run off together. Or Neil Diamond. Again, I talk about this a lot, but my favorite thing is that on Neil Diamond's Instagram, his profile basically just says, Neil will never DM you or ask you for money, which is an indicator that people have been DM'd or asked for money from a Neil Diamond account and they have sent money to Neil Diamond,

one of the great songwriters of all time. He's got cash. And he's like, well, Neil Diamond really, I don't know why Neil Diamond really wants to go to Bennigan's so fucking much, but here you go, Neil. I'm sorry that you're kind of hard up. Like those people, not to be a dick, kind of deserve to be scammed

because they're fucking idiots. That's why you should be more like me and never respond to be scammed because they're fucking idiots. That's why you should be more like me and never respond to anything and just take the chance that it is real and then you'll get punished later, but I'm not running the risk of getting scammed. Or do a simple Google search of shit. Like the number of people who get scammed by text messages, just Google the shit and it'll tell you, hey, there's a lot of scams coming from this. And then you don't get scammed. That's why old people shouldn't be allowed on the Internet.

Children and old people should not be allowed on the Internet. And I can't imagine the hard-on for sports memorabilia or movie memorabilia unless it is a legit thing from a movie. Like if someone said, Josh, you could have the actual DeLorean from Back to the Future, I'd go, well, that's pretty fucking cool. But like a replica of the Back to the Future DeLorean has no value. You just look like an asshole driving down the road in a replica DeLorean. There's no story behind it. It's just a fucking replica DeLorean or a Batmobile or whatever. But if you had the actual Batmobile, you're like, now this fucking rules. You have a story and people go wow that's neato anyway uh but anyway so this guy might go to jail for a long time uh all right we will continue