Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - It's a new twist on an old scam that can cost you hundreds of dollars when you're buying online. Consumer Investigator Jennifer Lewke has been looking into The Real Deal on how Craigslist Crooks are at it again.
Lisa Coffee hit the net, searching for a gift she knew her husband would love. Her goal was a Sony Play Station 3 for Father’s Day.
She found a seller on Craigslist, offering the system and some games for $275. “It just had a phone number to contact and I talked with a gentleman supposedly named Adam Shaffer.”
Adam told Coffee he lived in Buffalo. “I asked if I could meet him and he said he worked out of town and he wouldn't be back till next week and he might have sold it by then but he could over-night ship it to me.” However, that was only if Coffee wired the money to him first.
She agreed to do it.
The scammers picked up the money just a few minutes after Lisa sent it. She's been checking the mail everyday since, and still the Play Station hasn't arrived. “I tried calling a few times and never received any calls back.” Coffee also has not received the $275 she wired.
Coffee thought she did everything right, she spoke with the seller, asked to look at the item in person and *still* got taken.
Police haven't been much help in tracking down the Craigslist crook. Coffee’s worried others will fall victim like she did.
The bottom line: whether you speak to the seller on the phone or through email, never wire cash.
If you use Paypal, a check or a credit card, you can at least dispute the charges if someone doesn't deliver.
