Fake checks crop up in Craven County
If you sell items using online classifieds, beware, this could happen to you too. Two separate incidents from Craven County should alert you to a particular risk involved while selling online by this means.
These events happened to two sellers at Craig’s List who were almost scammed by fraudsters trying to pay for goods using counterfeit checks. This is one of the most common scam that a seller is exposed to online. But the two individuals on whom the scam was targeted proved to be smarter than their scammers. In fact, they could not have done better.
The more interesting affair of the two relates to a woman (name withheld by local authorities) who was trying to sell items for $200/- at the site. These items were reportedly picked up by a buyer who sent a check for $3,250/- for them. This check was followed by an email explaining that the check was a mistake as it was posted to the wrong person by the buyer’s accountant.
By the email, the fraudster could have been the very embodiment of politeness and virtue. Could you accept the check as payment, the mail continued, and send back the balance as a return check? Furthermore, he apologized for the trouble and even urged her to help herself to a tip of $50/- from the balance for all the hardships.
It is creditable that she still did not fall for the scam. In fact she did not even bother depositing the check. She was able to make out by the looks of the check that it was taken out with the help of a computer printer. She promptly reported the matter to the office of the Coven County Sheriff.
Hats off to both of you for not only NOT falling for these scams but also for going one step further and instantly bringing it to the notice of local authorities. If all net users get as wily, then we will have a happy consequence where the online community could dispense with the services of blogs and forums like ours!!!
Related posts:
- One more falls to an Internet Auction Scam!
- Advance Fee Scam: How to spot one promptly!
- Ontario City visited by fake online buyers
- Ben Haag arrested: Police act on scam complaints on Ebay
- Advance Fee Scam pops out from mailboxes in Williamson County
March 31st, 2009 at 10:22 am
My neighbor just received a Letter from a Canadian Sweepstakes saying he
won almost $600,000.00 and the letter came with a check for almost $3,000.00. It says in the letter to call a representative to verify information. Also there is like a custom form enclosed to fillout and fax back to them. He barely speaks english and he is an old person without a job and in a very bad economic situation. I was planning on calling the representative and take it from there. You can imagine that for an old broke person this is like a miracle but after reading all these emails about all these scams I do not know how to tell him this is a just scam!!! and that he is as broke as he was yesterday….
What should I do????
March 31st, 2009 at 10:24 am
By the way we live in Miami, Florida,
so this is really spreading out….