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I was selling paintings on Craigslist when a potential buyer contacted me; I let him know the paintings were still available. Later, he told me that his assistant accidentally sent me money that was meant for another seller and begged me to cash the money order, keep what he owes me, and send him a money order for the remainder. This was a little fishy (so was his failure to, in our many exchanges and despite my questioning, specify which painting he was buying), but I decided to have good faith. Today, however, the money orders (that's right, plural) arrived in the mail and it turned out that he overpaid me not by $50 or $100, but by nearly two grand. At this point, I took to the internet, realized it's probably a scam, and contacted MoneyGram (the company that issued the MOs), who told me that it's probably a fake and that I should send the MOs to them. They also informed me that in the small chance that it's actually real, the buyer can always request a refund / replacement money order.
Anyway, I was about to email my scammer to inform him of the following:
- I foudn out his money orders are likely a fake
- I am sending them to the company
- In the event that they was actually real, he shoudl contact MoneyGram for a refund or replacement
- I no longer want to do business with him
My boyfriend, however told me that I should leave this be, send the MOs to MG, but not send the email, and not talk to him. According to him, i should ignore him because any other action will simply antagonize the guy and encourage him to make further attempts to cheat me.
What is the right course of action? Please note that I am a college student that has no experience with this :( If emailing him is in fact, the right thing to do, what is a polite way of saying "Take your business elsewhere and do not contact me again"?
Also, how can I avoid scams like this in the future? What are signs to watch out for? Is there anything else I should know about selling merchandise on a website like Craigslist?
And lastly, I read that if someone attempts to cash a counterfeit check / money order, they are responsible for that money. As in, if I took that money order to the bank today, I would've had to pay 2 grand. Why is this? Technically, the money never existed in the first place and it seems like the majority of people affected are unknowing victims, not the people responsible. (link)
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EDIT:
Don't worry about him contacting you, just pick up the phone and call the police. Tell them what is happening. They can send someone out to your house and interview you there, or drive you down to the station if need be. Don't wait for a ride, simply because this guy DOES have your address and you want this on the record ASAP.
Good luck.
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Hi there,
Your first stop should actually be the police. This is fraud, after all. Now, it is likely a federal crime, but having it referred from your local police can sometimes speed up the process of getting something done about it.
Yes, it is a scam. Don't worry about it being a real transaction, simply because it isn't. This is a classic scam that was going on long before the internet was around.
Before you go any further, you should only e-mail the person if the federal agents you will be dealing with tell you to. Other than that, no e-mail to the scammers.
I am not sure what "further attempts to cheat" you your boyfriend is talking about here. Once you are in "super observant almost scammed" mode, you are no longer an easy target. These people are looking for easy marks. First sign you will pick up the phone to call the feds and they will want nothing to do with you.
As for sending the money orders back to the company... well, you should contact appropriate law enforcement first. What you have is evidence in what is likely a federal crime.
Craigslist has an extensive list of ways to keep yourself safe, and places to report this kind of thing:
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
Please check that out, and file the appropriate reports.
For the future: Yes, the bank will absolutely hold you responsible. Read the fine print on the money order.
The money order is a contract between two institutions to exchange money, based on the honesty of two individuals: You, and the scammer.
They aren't getting money from the scammer, so that leaves you.
A gal who worked at our local Subway shop did this, and cashed the check. She was prosecuted as an accomplice in the fraud.
She was given probation based on her lack of education and the surrounding circumstances, but that is a felony that is on her record for life.
You have to remember: The bank, the law, the people you know... if you cash that item, they will never 100% know if you were in on it or not. The only way to protect yourself, is to go report it before hand like you are doing.
Remember: When you cash this, you would be keeping part of the money for yourself, and sending the rest back. That makes you a financial beneficiary of a federal crime. Ooops. ;-)
I am proud of you for letting your common sense prevail in all of this. Congratulations on being one of the few who doesn't fall for something like this!
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Rating: 5
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Thanks for your help! I've reported this to the IC3 (http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx) and will go to the local police department as soon as I can get someone to drive me.
I have one more concern - for four days now, he's been emailing me every day asking if I've received the payment yet. What do I do? Right now, it's annoying, but I'm kind of concerned because he has my address.
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