Craigslist Scam: Woman uses her wits to stay away from a scam
Photo by: Eyeliam
Catherine Packard from Rayton, Mo. almost got into trouble when she advertised to sell some items on Craigslist. At the auction site, she was looking to clear off some old household items like a dresser. But, it was fraudsters who responded to her ad and they might have succeeded had she not been able to keep her wits intact.
The response came in the form of an e-mail from a lady who said she was presently in Seattle. After a few satisfactory exchanges, when everything seemed settled, the lady drew up a wall. Ms. Packard wanted her to pay her in cash. This lady requested her to accept a check as payment. As compensation, she offered her a check for $1,000. Ms. Packard agreed.
However, a few things about the check drew Ms. Packard’s suspicions. The check was from Chicago and not from Seattle, the place the lady had mentioned as her residence. Then, the check was signed by someone other then the lady.
On a hunch, Ms. Packard, called up the bank which had issued the check. Inquiries there revealed, even though the account was real, yet it did not possess the right to issue checks. It was meant to be used for wire transfers only. Moreover, they indicated, the person who signed the check was not an authorized user of the account.
This was enough to reveal a scam. Ms.Packard e-mailed the scammers that she was going to call the FBI. There has been no word from them since.
Source: KMBC-TV
Related posts:
- Posting resume fetches a ‘Fake Check Scam’ for woman in Greeneville
- Fake Online Auction Sites-Guidelines to stay safe
- Vintage car scam uncovered in online auction sites
- Fake checks crop up in Craven County
- Rental Scams at Craigslist targeting those seeking homes
February 20th, 2009 at 3:36 am
swivel plastic chair…
Wait a bit. This will pass)…