Beware of SCAM

[Iju]

It happened to my neighbor, Tomi.

Tomi is moving back to Japan so she listed her stuff for sale on Craigslist, one of it is her TV for $400. This crook from the mainland sent her a check for 2,800 and came up with a weird story for her to give back 2,400 to the mover when he comes for the TV. Tomi replied that she is leaving today and don't have time to wait. He then called her and insisted that she goes to the bank and wire transfer the 2,400. Tomi is busy with the moving and didn't have time to go to town, she mailed him her personal check this Saturday for that amount, after deposited his check.
Tomi felt uneasy after talked with one of her friend who thought it was a scam. She came over to my house last night and told her story. She wanted me to cash out the balance in her account and put it in her PayPal account before the crook wipes it clean. Since she is flying out today this morning, she doesn't have time to go to the bank and doesn't plan to contact the bank. I asked her to call the bank during her 3 hours layover in Honolulu and make a stop payment on her check.
Anyhow, I went to her bank in Hilo this morning in order to cash her check as she asked me to do. Just right before they gave me the cash I asked the bank teller where the Customer Service is. The teller asked if she can help. I explained Tomi's situation to the teller. The teller said that they can do the stop payment for Tomi. I said I am concerned if the crook is still able to take out her money. The teller asks me to wait while she goes and consult with her supervisor. She came back and said that the account is now locked and gave me the phone number of the supervisor for Tomi to call during her layover. I rushed home, called tomi to let her know and to call the bank. I also told Tomi that the bank would not let me cash her check, so I don't have to put it in her PayPal account.

Tomi also has another nerve wreck event this morning before she left. I woke up early before dawn and went over to say goodbye one more time to her and especially her dog, Jimmy. (She takes her dog and cat to Japan too and I love Jimmy as much as my own dog.) Somehow during loading her luggage, kennels, and other stuff, her cat ran away into hiding. Tomi kept calling and searching and still no sign of her cat. Finally Tomi, in tears, has to leave for the airport and said she will have to fly back here in a month to get her cat. The good news is, when I called Tomi this morning during her layover, the first thing she said is I got my cat with me. I asked her how? Well, her cat came back after she and her friend left for the airport, so her landlady who also lives on the same building took the cat, drove to the airport and deliver Tomi her cat in time before the takeoff. I don't have any cat, only my dog, but the lesson here is don't leave your cat unleash when you try to catch a flight.

Tomi is now somewhere over the Pacific heading to Japan. I hope she can now relax and enjoy her flight.

I normally don't write a long mail like this and I am certain that PW members are all smart and can detect any scams. I just hope this story might be a warning and useful to someone you know.

Val

[missydog1]

Iju, I'm sorry your neighbor went through all that stress.

There is a link on the left side of craigslist main page
AVOID FRAUD AND SCAMS, here is the link:

http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

everyone should read it before posting an ad. If you look at it, this scam is classic and what the page warns about.
WIRE TRANSFER is big red flag. Bail at the first mention.
Anything involving giving the BUYER money, as change for an overage.
The only person getting money should be the SELLER. Period.
No giving out personal identification.
And more ...

Certain scammers are set up to reply to any Craigslist ad. I have gotten them. Often there are ESL problems with the wording.

Another red flag is the scammers reply and say they want to buy your item sight unseen, no further questions. Why, because they don't care about the item; it's all about getting your money.

[kani-lehua]

iju: you don't have to go to the bank to make a stop payment on a check. you can just call.

hope everything works out for your friend.

"chaos reigns within.
reflect, repent and reboot.
order shall return."

microsoft error message with haiku poetry

[Youser]

So after all that did the guy get the TV?

[Guest]

The TV part of the scam is just a ruse. The real reason they do this scam is to get the difference of the check.

I love Craigslist but the deal is "cash only".

[oink]

That's just a new take on an old scam. In the normal version, the patsy or mark is informed that they won a lottery etc. and the initial check is enroute. They are informed that there is a processing fee but it won't cost anything because it can come out of the check being mailed. The patsy is instructed to deposit the check and then from the proceeds sent the scamer the fee. The patsy does this, sending the fee before being informed that the check will not clear. The cash is already gone from the patsy's account and they are held responsible.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Iju]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Youser

So after all that did the guy get the TV?

---

No, he didn't get the TV and esnap is right. She told me that he didn't seem to be interested in the TV or when she said she would give the DVD for free with the TV.

I forgot to mention the bank name and how so helpful their employees are. It's First Hawaiian Bank in Hilo. I didn't get the name of the cashier teller. Very appreciated their help.

[konadave]

Don't forget the accounting/bookkeeping/payment processor job scam. The scam artists pretend to be an offshore company that sells a lot of merchandise to customers in the U.S. They advertise in the jobs section of Craig's List. Usually part time work and work from home so it appeals to those who are unemployed, stay at home parents, single parents or those who are under employed. How the scam works is that you as the employee have to process the checks that are sent to you from the "customers". You receive a check and deposit it into your account and then you get to keep a percentage while sending the rest to the offshore company. It can take as long as a couple of weeks for a check to properly clear or bounce even though your bank is required by law to make the funds available within a day or two of deposit. The check you receive eventually bounces after you sent the funds to the offshore company. The bank not only wants the money back from the bounced check but you are on the hook for the funds you sent to the offshore company as well. I have read some horror stories by single moms who fell for this one.

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