LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County District Attorney”s Office issued a statement Thursday warning local residents to be cautious when using Craigslist, eBay or other consumer exchange websites after a Lake County resident reported nearly being a scam victim.
The resident posted an item for sale on Craigslist and was contacted by an alleged interested buyer, the office stated. The prospective buyer sent a counterfeit check to the seller for an amount several thousand dollars more than the original purchase, according to the statement.
Then, “the suspect contacted the victim by phone and told him it was a mistake; he said his secretary had mixed up the amounts with another order,” the office said. The buyer then directed the seller to “cash the check, keep the amount of the original purchase and send the suspect the difference,” the office said.
“Luckily in this case the victim was smart enough to check with his bank and learn the check was a counterfeit before cashing it,” the office said.
Had the seller not checked with the bank, he could have fallen victim to a scam, according to the statement.
The seller would deposit the check into his account, take out cash to repay the buyer and wire the money to the buyer, the office said. Several days later, the bank would learn the check was counterfeit and “by that time it is too late and the victim will be conned out of his money,” the office said.
The office reminded people to be wary of online transactions that appear to be unusual, saying that people should contact law enforcement or their bank before completing in such deals.
