[craftypam]

My ds listed some furniture on Craigs list and he got a very formal email that this person wanted him to remove it that he was going to buy it. He was going to send a check and when it was cashed he was going to have movers pick up the furniture as he didn't live very close.

Today he received an email that his secretary accidentally made the check out for $2300 and here's the scam. They want you to send the difference back and then you find out the check is not good.

My ds is going to take this to the police; hopefully they could follow through and GET these people.

If I inform 1 person about this scam with this message it was worth typing.

 

[krbshappy71]

My ds listed some furniture on Craigs list and he got a very formal email that this person wanted him to remove it that he was going to buy it. He was going to send a check and when it was cashed he was going to have movers pick up the furniture as he didn't live very close.

Today he received an email that his secretary accidentally made the check out for $2300 and here's the scam. They want you to send the difference back and then you find out the check is not good.

My ds is going to take this to the police; hopefully they could follow through and GET these people.

If I inform 1 person about this scam with this message it was worth typing.

Sorry to hear this happened. As Craig's list warns, only deal locally and personally I only deal in cash. The scammers make it a bad deal for all of us, how frustrating to have to deal with that!

 

[Greebo]

Anyone who can afford a secretary to write checks can afford to rewrite a correct one...

 

[Debbie-cat]

I've hear of this scam many times from many people who have fallen for it. Sad but true. Thanks for warning everyone.

 

[MissSeetonFan]

While looking for apartments in one area, I ended up receiving an email like that from the "owner". They were unfortunately living overseas working for USAID in an unnamed African country but they wanted their home to go to a family who would care for it as if it were their own. I checked the name, the photos, and the phone number included in the email back to my request for information. The name of the guy was a recently deceased individual. The pictures came from a real estate website taking care of the house for the estate of the deceased and the phone number was a Nigerian one.

I forwarded everything along with my discoveries to the fraud department on Craigslist and the Fed too.

Over-formality is just one clue that it is probably a spammer/phisher. Sob-stories CAN be another clue. Asking for too much information and/or not giving the requested information are others.

I also just sold a washer and dryer to someone who wanted me to mark it sold before I had received the money. The only thing I did was mark it "sale pending". It took forever for someone to show up and a dodgy guy came with the person picking it up. I made sure they only entered through my kitchen, that they never saw any other part of the house and I escorted them everywhere.

Good for your son in turning it in.

 

[Imarachne]

I agree with Greebo--they can really swindle people who aren't paying attention.

 

[frugalfranny]

Thanks for the warning. Have heard of that scam....sad.

I hope the police have the time to carry through....with all the budget cuts, if in this area, probably nothing would/could be done.