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Investigative journalist Dale Cardwell urges caution against scams, promotes TrustDale and new book
Summary
Dale Cardwell, investigative journalist and founder of TrustDale, told Cobb County Solicitor General Mackie Metzger that common frauds—from church‑based schemes to fake job checks and Zelle errors—exploit "fear, shame and greed," and outlined steps consumers can take to protect themselves.
Dale Cardwell, an investigative journalist and founder of consumer site TrustDale, told Cobb County Solicitor General Mackie Metzger that modern scams come in predictable patterns and that consumers can reduce risk by pausing before reacting and insisting on written documentation. "There are three words I always want people to remember: fear, shame and greed," Cardwell said, urging listeners to "take a breath" when pressured for money.
Cardwell described TrustDale as a vetting service that verifies companies’ offices, insurance and reviews and secures agreements that allow him to press vendors to fix problems or reimburse customers up to $10,000. He said the site shows local vetted contractors by ZIP code so consumers can compare competing estimates without revealing personal contact details. "I want the consumer to come to trustdell.com and do the search box... I'm gonna give you 3 to 5 choices depending on your ZIP code," Cardwell said.
Why it matters: Cardwell framed his service as prevention that eases burden on prosecutors and victims. He recounted cases where fast decisions cost victims their savings and where recovering money after prosecution proved difficult, underscoring prevention as the most effective response.
Cardwell gave several concrete examples of scams now in circulation. He described a pyramid scheme called "Friends Helping Friends" that spread through churches in DeKalb and Fulton counties and led to prosecutions, and a work‑from‑home scam in which victims are sent a forged $5,000 check and told to return funds, leaving the victim liable when the check bounces. "Ninety‑nine percent of the people [who use TrustDale] are satisfied; only 0.3% tell us it didn't go the way I expected," he said, citing the site's completion‑to‑complaint ratio.
Both Cardwell and Metzger emphasized keeping a paper trail: checks, written contracts and documented change orders create evidence and reduce disputes with contractors and service providers. Cardwell advised checking a company’s URL carefully and researching court records—"It's so easy in Cobb County; you just go to the magistrate court website... put in the name of the company," he said.
Cardwell also described personal risks tied to investigative reporting. He recounted work that exposed corruption in the DeKalb County Sheriff's Department and said the former sheriff was later imprisoned; after a related murder, police placed Cardwell and his family in protective custody. "They said, 'mister Cardwell, sheriff elect of DeKalb County was murdered within the hour... We expected to find you dead as well,'" Cardwell recalled of the protective‑custody warning.
Metzger closed the program by encouraging listeners in Cobb County to use accountability tools and the consumer tips in Cardwell's book, Don't Get Scammed, Get Smart, which Cardwell said expands on the FAST/DEAL mnemonic—Fast, Funds, Found and Define, Ethical negotiation, and an Effective guarantee—to help people evaluate offers.
The conversation covered prevention strategies, examples of common frauds (church scams, fake employment checks, peer‑to‑peer payment errors), and Cardwell's experience moving cases from consumer complaint to criminal prosecution. Metzger thanked Cardwell and directed listeners to his office and Cardwell’s resources for more information.
