5 months ago
BANGOR (NEWS CENTER) -- Local police and banking officials say if you get scammed online, there's a good chance you'll never get your money back.
Rachel White of Bangor learned that lesson the hard way. Recently, White sold an office chair on Craigslist.org for $150 dollars.
A few days later, the buyer, a man identified only as "Maxwell", contacted her and claimed his company had accidentally sent her a check for $1,500 dollars.
The buyer asked White to cash the check at her credit union and send the remainder back to him via Western Union.
White deposited the check into her account at Brewer Federal Credit Union, and waited 8 days. She claims she was told by a bank teller that the check had cleared and she was free to use the money.
White then wired $1,350 back to the mystery buyer.
White says she was trying to do the right thing, but when the fake cashiers check bounced, she lost out on more than $1500 in withdrawals and overdraft charges.
White does not blame Craigslist for the scam, she says it was an expensive way to learn a lesson about online scams.
"If somebody overpays, you need to demand they write you a new check," White said. "Or you need to call the bank on the check and make sure those funds are in existence.
"A lot of people will be taken for," White continued. "It is a well thought out scheme, that is effective and it is virtually untraceable because of the fake names and addresses that are involved."
Officials with White's credit union say they do not refund money stolen through checking scams.
Federal banking laws state that once a customer endorses a check to a lending institution, the customer becomes liable for any fraudulent activity.
Rick Kaul, President and CEO of the credit union says if you believe a check is suspicious you should bring it to a branch manager, not a teller, before depositing it into your account.
White says she has since contacted the man known as "Maxwell" by e-mail and confronted him about being scammed. She said the man continued to try and scam her by sending her a second fake check for $2,000. She says the man also gave her instructions for how to fraudulently cash the check through a grocery store or check cashing store.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center, an organization run through the FBI and The National White Collar Crime Center says internet based scams are on the rise.
The groups 2008 annual report shows that complaints of online crime rose to record levels last year. The complaint center recorded more than 275,000 complaints, an increase of more than 33% from the previous year.
For more information on reporting internet scams, visit the related links section of this site.
