Got Scammed

[mixtizo]

Just got scammed this week by someone on Offerup. I realize that I won't be able to get my money back but since I lost out on $3050 I would like to see him/her be caught.

 

Anyone familiar in this area? I tried getting his IP address from emails we exchanged back-and-fourth thru gmail, but no luck. Ive also am trying to get him into a chat room, so I can run 

"netstat -an" in cmd, but he won't take the bait. 

 

 

[klh2000]

If you got scammed I assume you weren't paying cash then? Whenever I buy something or sell something on Craigslist (I believe that app is similar) I only use cash in order to avoid this problem.

[Canada EH]

Yes tell us the payment terms. Can only assume it was an online payment.

I paid for some lithium batteries off a forum, but I ALWAYS use Paypal...... ALWAYS.

Non of the "Friends and Family" bullshit that people sometimes ask for. So I can save what 3%, that 3% is peace of mind mofo! That is what I am thinking in my mind about the seller.

[Lurick]

Not so sound like an asshole but what exactly are you going to do with an IP address? Call the police and tell them someone with IP address x.x.x.x scammed you, because I can tell you now they'll do literally nothing because an IP address can be spoofed easier than counting backwards from 3 to 0.

[mixtizo]

I receicved a check that was over the amount I asked for, i sent the difference back after I deposited the check into my navy federal account.which was pedning for 2 days. After the two days the money from the check was into my account. A day later after I sent him the difference back. The original check bounced and I ended up not only paying the scammer with my money, i now owe navy federal $3050

[KuJoe]

How did you send them the money?

[mixtizo]

I had got a cashiers check from my bank, the scammer provided me with a bank account #, I went to bank of america an deposited the cashiers check. 

I assumed that after the 2 days of navy federal pending and the money showing into my account that the check was legit. Lesson learned

[dalekphalm]

2 minutes ago, mixtizo said:

I receicved a check that was over the amount I asked for, i sent the difference back after I deposited the check into my navy federal account.which was pedning for 2 days. After the two days the money from the check was into my account. A day later after I sent him the difference back. The original check bounced and I ended up not only paying the scammer with my money, i now owe navy federal $3050

I know it sucks, this probably hurts to hear, but you made a mistake here.

 

Rule #1: Cash or protected payments only (PayPal, etc). NEVER EVER EVER accept a cheque for online payments. That's literally insane.

 

Also, the fact that the cheque was a difference amount then agreed upon is also a huge red flag. At best, you should have kept the entire amount until the cheque had cleared. But really, just don't accept cheques.

 

If you don't personally know the person, you should always use a service like PayPal, that will offer buyer and seller protection in case you're scammed. Or, if delivery is in person, use cash only.

[mixtizo]

Thanks dalekphalm, so just b/c the checks get through the pending motion and my check account receives the cash; it can still show up as not cleared?

[Lurick]

4 minutes ago, mixtizo said:

I had got a cashiers check from my bank, the scammer provided me with a bank account #, I went to bank of america an deposited the cashiers check. 

I assumed that after the 2 days of navy federal pending and the money showing into my account that the check was legit. Lesson learned

Yah, it sucks and I'll be honest I almost got scammed the same way when I was younger and I even lost a laptop to a Nigerian scammer, it was a cheap POS but it still sucks. Maybe you'll get lucky and get some decent information on them because they can slip up but generally they checks they send you are not only bad but stolen from someone else

[Praesi]

Well, you did almost every mistake possible. An expensive lesson for you here.

[KuJoe]

Getting the IP is pointless unless they are in the US in which case you might be able to take them to court. Go to your bank and ask them about the account you sent the money to, they should be able to tell you where the bank is located.

[mixtizo]

yea  I talked to detectives and they been trying to catch this guy for 5 yrs now they said. Hes been using fake checks from an attorney law firm where identity theft was first reported.

[dalekphalm]

Just now, mixtizo said:

Thanks dalekphalm, so just b/c the checks get through the pending motion and my check account receives the cash; it can still show up as not cleared?

Correct. It entirely depends on your bank's INDIVIDUAL policies on cheques, and your standing as a customer.

 

Some banks will deposit funds into the account immediately, or after a short delay, especially if you're a longstanding account holder, with good history.

 

Other banks will hold the cheque fully until it clears, however long that takes (Which can vary, from a few days to weeks, depending on what bank issued the cheque, and where that bank is from).

 

The money being deposited into your account doesn't necessarily mean anything. You should go talk to your bank and ask them exactly what their policies are on clearing cheques. IF their policy states that a cheque will be deposited after it clears, and it still bounced afterwards, THEN your bank may cover the full amount you lost.

 

You could also ask if there's any sort of fraud protection you might be eligible for. They definitely won't cover the amount you sent back to the Buyer though, but they might reverse the bounced cheque fee for you.

 

A hard lesson learned.