Craigslist Scam

Special News Release

The Sauk County Sheriff’s Department has recently received complaints of a “Craigslist” scam where citizens of Sauk County are advertising items “for sale” on Craigslist and have been receiving fraudulent checks for their merchandise. The seller is being contacted only by emails or text messages stating they want to buy the item they are selling and will be sending a check to them via Federal Express. The buyer goes to great lengths to convince the seller that they are truly interested in the item they are purchasing and sends the seller multiple emails or text messages to the seller to “win them over”. In a matter of a couple of days, the seller then receives a “Fed Ex” envelope package drawn from a fake account using a real person’s name and address. In the envelope, they provide a check for the amount of $2200 for the item that was being sold and ask that you return whatever monies are left over from the purchase to a Western Union account. The check looks like an official bank draft check and will probably bear the name of Scottsdale Insurance Company of Scottsdale, Arizona. The check will also have the bank’s name of Huntington National Bank printed on it. The idea is for you to cash the check or place it in your bank account making you responsible for the check’s amount when the check is then determined to be a fraudulent check.

The Sauk County Sheriff’s Department wants to remind all its citizens that these scams are done every day and citizens should never provide any personal banking information to anyone they do not know. If you are selling items on the internet and you are contacted by someone who is offering to send you more money in a check or money order valued at more than what you are asking for, that you consider the possibility that you are being “scammed” and contact your local sheriff’s or police department before conducting any transactions to protect yourself.

Sheriff Chip Meister