May 01 2009
Dumb as a box of rocks
That’s what Ms. Clara Edwards thinks. Sorry, Clara…I’m not the fool you would take me for. Let me tell you a little about Ms. Edwards…she doesn’t exist. My guess is she is a he with a Nigerian name that I couldn’t even begin to spell let alone pronounce. I was trying to sell my son’s mountain bike on Craigslist and was thrilled when I got an email from Clara stating that she wanted to purchase said bike. She explained that she was currently working out of the country and at the same time planning a move and if I didn’t mind the movers would pick up the bike after the check she was sending by “reliable” courier cleared.
Now if you have a half a brain and live in Aspen…your hackles would have been up the second she offered to purchase the bike without asking what size it is, what shape it’s in and if it’s a soft tail or hard tail? These are all expected questions. So I was pretty sure Clara was full of #$%#$. But for giggles, I like to play along, cost them as much money as I can. I agreed to her terms and waited for the other shoe to drop. I was not surprised to hear a few days later that somehow the bank made an $1100 “mistake” and would I be so kind as to wire the overpayment to her “movers.” Sure, no problem. By the way, when should I expect the check so I’ll be sure to be in the office when it arrives? No response.
My next call was to the APD, just to see if there is any current law enforcement procedure for this type of crime. In case any of you are wondering…there isn’t. But they would love to have the check should one ever appear. That was a week ago, no check, no responding email from dear Clara. At that point, I figured the game was up so I deleted her emails. Silly me. The check arrived via UPS this afternoon. I’m hoping that it cost my Nigerian friend at least $15.00. They used a Moline, Illinois address and the name of the company was something Deere. The check was from a California bank. Can you smell that fishy odor?
I did as promised and dropped the UPS package and the check off with the police department. I also dropped a copy of the check off at my bank to let them in on the scam and double check that there really is no such bank or account.
This whole episode makes me wonder how anyone could fall for such a scam. People, there’s a saying that goes “if it sounds too good to be true, it usually IS too good to be true.” Please arm yourselves against these scams as they are probably going to become much more prevalent as the economy continues it’s downhill decline. The scams will probably become more and more sophisticated as time goes by too. Craigslist is great, I love it. But as a rule, I only sell to people that live locally and pay me in cash in a public area. Anyone who insists on anything else should be causing your red flags to be waving!
Well, my son is at a friend’s house and the power driver isn’t working yet. I’m going to take the opportunity to meet the girls for happy hour before heading home. I was going to do the house cleaning job that I had lined up but I’d really rather do that in the morning when it’s raining. Have a fun Friday night!
