Bardstown Police: Craigslist sellers need to be alert for fake check scam

NC GAZETTE / WBRT RADIO
STAFF REPORT

Monday, March 2, 2015, 5:30 p.m. — The Bardstown Police Department are warning Craigslist users to be alert for a fake-check scam that is targeting sellers on the online classified ad system.

The scam involves a potential buyer offering to send a check for more than the cost of the item you are selling. The buyer asks you to cash the check locally and then mail or wire transfer the excess funds back to the buyer.

The check or money turns out to be fraudulent. The person who accepts the check and cashes it — in this instance, the Craigslist seller — winds up as being responsible when the check fails to clear the bank. The seller is out not only the item, but he or she is also responsible for the full amount of the cashed check.

Fortunately, the Bardstown resident who reported the scam to police on Monday did not fall for the scam. The bogus check was from Iowa and had been mailed from an address in California. The buyer was talking to the local seller using a phone number based in Massachusetts. The local seller called Bardstown Police this morning and reported the scam.

Craigslist advises its users to deal locally with buyers in order to avoid long-distance scam attempts. The site also advises against wiring money via Western Union, MoneyGram or other wire services.

“Anyone who asks you to do so is likely a scammer,” the Craigslist site states.

For more of Craigslist’s tips for avoiding scams, click here to visit http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.

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