I was just a victim of a scam from a scum bag trying to buy a tv I posted on Craigslist.

I posted a TV for sale for 1200 bucks on craigslist. I had a person contact me through yahoo email saying he wanted to buy the tv. The add sounded great and the pictures he said were good enough for him. He was unable to come by and look at it but was going to mail me a check. Told me to go ahead and wait till it cleared.

Sure enough the check came but at 5000 dollars. Remember I was only selling the tv for 1200 dollars.

He emailed back and said his secretary sent the wrong amount. He told me (through emails) to go ahead and deposit the check and let him know when it clears.

So I did. It did clear and the money was in my account. I emailed him and told him the check cleared. He told me he was having UPS pick up the TV by the end of the week.
He was very eager for me too send him the remaining balance of 3800 bucks back to him.

He wanted me to go to Longs Drugs and use money gram to wire him the money. Huge flag went up in my mind there! (Should have been earlier flags I know)

Luckily my work sent me out of town for 2 days. I told him and he got irate but said to wire the money to him ASAP.

I get home and my wife tells me the bank has taken the money back out of our account. All 5000 dollars of it.

I called the bank and they told me the check was in fact a fake and the funds were taken from my account by them.

If I had wired this man the 3800 dollars, I would have been scammed bad. Thank god for my work …


I contacted the police and there was absolutely nothing they could do. I would have been out 3800 dollars…. And possibly my TV.

I feel stupid it happen to me but it did so all beware. Never wire money and deal face to face if possible.

Luckely I didnt loose anything but I was very close to sending the money to him.