Scams

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I found him on Craigslist

August 21, 2010 in Craigslist, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Unprofessional contractor behavior:

No this isn’t a casual encounters story. It’s a story of a contractor who has been accused of scamming.

I received an e-mail from a reader from Southern California who claims he has been ripped off by one Ross Emmick of the Mesa, Arizona area. The article I linked to tells you the story of how one woman from Phoenix was allegedly ripped off. That was back in March and according to the e-mail Emmick moved on to California.

I am one of many scammed on Craigslist. Having been burned and now I’m taking a/ closer look, doing what everyone should do – due diligence -I now realize I am by far not alone. Small consolation, I’d rather have my money back frankly. So here is our story; We met someone selling discounted Murphy beds on Craigslist. He drives from His home in Mesa, Arizona and sells Murphy/wall beds all over Southern California. We only only found out later that he does this because some of the locals are already on to him so it’s time to move onto greener pastures.

Here is a link to a news story about this guy, Ross Paul Emmick, who rips people off on Murphy beds via Craigslist. You gotta love how the piece starts: “I met hm on Craigslist”:

Our experience was very similar to hers. All around an incredibly bad experience for us. We’re out $1900 and we’ve had to deal with in addition to being the worst manufacturer of Murphy beds in the world this intimidating, rage-alholic, incredibly dangerous and dysfunctional personality. So consider yourselves warned. I do this merely to warn others, I wish I had known in advance and I’m ashamed to admit it but a simple 10-second Google search would have sufficed to have protected us from this guy.

A Google search is great but if you want to go more in depth you may want to check with the Better Business Bureau as well. There are also paid sites where you can see if other people have had similar good or bad experiences with contractors.

Stay tuned Monday for the next chance to win your own craigscrimelist t-shirt.

Craigslist crime post #1301
Scams post #193

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AK man arrested in fake check scam

August 7, 2010 in Craigslist, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Anchorage man facing counterfeiting charges:

33-year-old Bradley Blodgett of Anchorage, Alaska has been charged with making counterfeit checks that are used in the craigslist fake check scam.

Blodgett was allegedly employed by the Nigerians to print out the fake checks and send them to the scam victims.

He’s looking at 25 years. Too bad we can’t get the Nigerians in charge of these scams.

To help educate people on these scams you can win a free CraigsCrimeList T-Shirt.

Craigslist crime post #1281
Scam post #192

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Fake check puppy scam

August 6, 2010 in Craigslist, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Brighton woman’s Craigslist puppy sale goes awry:

A woman from Brighton, Colorado could no longer care for her puppy so she sold it on craigslist. A woman paid her $150 by check. Not only was the check a fake but the ‘buyer’ turned around and was trying to sell the dog on craigslist.

I love animals and I know how hard it is to give away one of your pets. I couldn’t imagine the horror I would go through if I knew the pet that I had loved was being used for a craigslist scam.

I know that some people would want to recoup their ‘losses’ when trying to find a pert a new home but I would recommend trying to find an adoption shelter in your area instead.

While not as good as a puppy you can win a free CCL T-Shirt.

Craigslist crime post #1277
Scam post #191

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The craigslist daycare scam

August 4, 2010 in Craigslist, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Woman falls victim to Craigslist check fraud:

This reminds me a lot of the tutor scam but both is a variation of the fake check scam.

Anyway what happened is that a woman in Clarksville, Tennessee was scammed out of $2,950. She had posted an ad on craigslist for her daycare service. The scam artist claimed to be from the UK and that he would be there on business and would pay $600. The scammer sent a check for $3,600 and asked the overage to be returned.

No wiring this time as the scammer met the victim in person. The victim had cashed the check and had given the scammer the money. Of course the check was fake.

However an arrest has been made. Police arrested 26-year-old Tarrance Kerry Freeman who allegedly tried to fake a seizure at the time of his arrest.

Remember people, a check for over the asking amount is fake.

But you can win a very real CCL t-shirt.

Craigslist crime post #1273
Scam post #190

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Illinois Army National Guard craigslist scam

August 2, 2010 in Craigslist, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Scammers Claim To Be Deploying Illinois National Guard Soldier:

Law enforcement in the state of Illinois, where their motto is ‘the s is silent’, are warning residents about a craigslist scam claiming that the seller is in the Illinois Army National Guard and is deploying to Iraq. The point of the scam is to gain your personal information and steal your identity.

Much like the African Christian Missionaries if we had as many deploying National Guard were actually deploying as the scammers claim then there would be peace in the Middle East by now.

It is possible to screen ads so that things like this are far less likely to happen. Try Geebo.com, where they screen all their ads before they are ever posted on their site.

Win a free t-shirt, Scam Free.

Craigslist crime post #1270
Scam post #189

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CFL tickets scam on Kijiji

July 31, 2010 in Kijiji/eBay Classifieds, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Ticket Fraud:

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are my favorite Canadian Football team. I’ve never actually seen a CFL game but I like them just for the fact that they’re in Saskatchewan which was made famous in a Bugs Bunny cartoon (Open Saskatchewan?) Anyway now that CFL games are being shown in the US I’ll be sure to catch a game.

Anyway I bring up the Roughriders because phony Roughrider tickets are showing up on Kijiji. In this case the scam artist asks the money top be wired before sending the tickets. Of course the tickets don’t actually exist.

And I’ll be more than happy to trade someone a craigscrimelist t-shirt for a Saskatchewan Roughriders t-shirt.

Kijiji crime post #21
Scam post #188

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New type of car scam hits Overland Park

July 28, 2010 in Craigslist, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Overland Park police warn of online car-selling scam:

Police in Overland Park, Kansas are warning their residents of type of used car scam that is taking place on craigslist.

How it works is that a person buys a car from a private seller saying they were just in an accident and have an insurance check to pay for the car. The check turns out to be a forgery so the victim is swindled out of their car. Then the scam artists sell the stolen car on craigslist.

I lost a car in a flood once. The check from the insurance company was made out to me and the bank that held the loan on my car. If a buyer approached me with that kind of check or a check in the seller’s name I would not take that deal.

Don’t forget to enter to win your own CCL T-Shirt.

Craigslist crime post #1260
Scam post #187

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Real Estate/Identity Theft Scam in Upstate New York

July 28, 2010 in Craigslist, Real Estate, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Online rental scammers: The Real Deal:

Residents in the Syracuse, New York area are being warned of a real estate scam on craigslist that could steal your identity.

In this scam it starts off with a phony ad being placed on craigslist except the ad is copied from a legitimate realtor. When you contact the person who placed the ad they send you to a website that they say is intended to get your credit report when in reality it’s set up just to steal your information.

My friends at Geebo tell me that the technology exists to remove ads like this before they ever get posted. Take a look at their site: geebo.com.

Don’t forget to enter to win your own CCL T-Shirt.

Craigslist crime post #1259
Real Estate post #98
Scam post #186

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Beware of fake craigslist checks from Acura of Libertyville

July 27, 2010 in Craigslist, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Check-cashing scam targets Vero Beach man via Craigslist:

A man in Vero Beach, Florida was trying to sell a doghouse he made on craigslist for $400. He received a check from Acura of Libertyville in Illinois and told to wire the difference to someone in Colorado. Luckily the man knew that he was being scammed and did not cash the check as it was fake.

The Acura dealership, which is also a victim in this, had this to say…

The check is a forgery that has been repeated hundreds of times since late April, said Cheryl Pope, controller for the car dealership, Acura of Libertyville.

“Somebody got hold of a check that we sent to one of our vendors and sent it to people all over the country and told them to cash it,” she said. “This has been a nightmare.”

Pope said the account was closed within days, as soon as the last legitimate check was cashed. But the forgeries continued.

Again be careful for checks that are over the amount, checks that are from a 3rd party, and being asked to wire money. These are all red flags when it comes to scams.

It is possible to screen ads so that things like this are far less likely to happen. Try Geebo.com, where they screen all their ads before they are ever posted on their site.

Don’t forget your chance to win a free CCL t-shirt.

Craigslist crime post #1253
Scam post #185

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El Paso parking lot address used in craigslist scam

July 25, 2010 in Craigslist, Scams by Trench Reynolds | View Comments

Scam uses El Paso address: Montana parking lot listed on Craigslist site, police say:

A scammer, supposedly from Scotland, is using the address of a parking lot in El Paso, Teaxs to defraud their victims out of money.

The scammer will post a used car for sale on craigslist and then e-mail potential victims a phony eBay document then would have them wire the scammer the money. Of course there is no car and the scammer runs off with the money.

He would use the El Paso address of 314 Montana as a shipping address and claimed that he is overseas and owns the property or that he is overseas with the military.

Again wiring and overseas should be two red flags to let you know that you’re probably being scammed.

Craigslist crime post #1250
Scam post #184

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