State Consumer Protection officials are used to receiving reports about sellers being ripped-off by fake checks. However, Division Administrator Janet Jenkins says they’ve received several reports of someone trying to drag the state Department of Revenue into the scam.
DATCP has received at least a dozen complaints since last week of someone trying to pay for items off of Craigslist, a popular online marketplace, using checks from DOR.
Jenkins says this version of the scam plays out the same as most of them, with the seller receiving a check for over the amount of the item. They’re asked to cash the check, and then wire back the extra money to the buyer. In a few days, the check bounces, and the seller is on the hook for the extra cash.
Jenkins says this type of scam is becoming more common, and sellers need to be careful when someone wants to pay for an online purchase using a check for over the amount. Jenkins says you should also avoid using a wire service to send money to someone you don’t know.
