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Latest Nigerian Scam Targets Classified Ads
Sellers Told To Cash Bogus Check
POSTED: 12:56 p.m. EDT August 5, 2003
CLEVELAND -- If you're offering an item for sale and you get a taker who's giving more than the asking price, it could be a stroke of good luck.
But Troubleshooter Chris Caswell reported that it could be a scam making its way around Ohio.
Reggie Stuckey recently advertised an antique tractor in a magazine, and he was amazed at the quick offer.
"I jumped at the idea because I was getting the tractor at the asking price," he said.
The buyer, claiming to be an Italian on business in Nigeria, Africa, sent him a check.
"I received a check several days later (by) FedEx," Stuckey said. "It was a cashier's check for $10,000."
It was much more than the $2,000 for which Stuckey asked.
"He told me to go cash the check and send him the excess," he said.
But when Stuckey went to cash the check, a Western Union agent told him it was bogus.
The FBI said it is the latest version of a scam run out of Nigeria. The con artists target classified ads, pay more than the asking price, and then ask the seller to send a refund for the excess. The check will bounce.
Whether it's a classified ad like Stuckey's, a low-rate loan, or a sweepstakes, people should always be suspicious of any offer they receive from outside of the country because there are no laws to protect them.
But Troubleshooter Chris Caswell reported that it could be a scam making its way around Ohio.
Reggie Stuckey recently advertised an antique tractor in a magazine, and he was amazed at the quick offer.
"I jumped at the idea because I was getting the tractor at the asking price," he said.
The buyer, claiming to be an Italian on business in Nigeria, Africa, sent him a check.
"I received a check several days later (by) FedEx," Stuckey said. "It was a cashier's check for $10,000."
It was much more than the $2,000 for which Stuckey asked.
"He told me to go cash the check and send him the excess," he said.
But when Stuckey went to cash the check, a Western Union agent told him it was bogus.
The FBI said it is the latest version of a scam run out of Nigeria. The con artists target classified ads, pay more than the asking price, and then ask the seller to send a refund for the excess. The check will bounce.
Whether it's a classified ad like Stuckey's, a low-rate loan, or a sweepstakes, people should always be suspicious of any offer they receive from outside of the country because there are no laws to protect them.
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