229720
225768
Peachland  

Online classifieds user avoids being scam victim

Online scam close call

A Castanet classified user is breathing a sigh of relief today after she narrowly avoided being scammed.

The seller, who asked to remain anonymous, posted an ad on Castanet and other classified sites for a hutch and thought they had a sale. But before long, red flags started to show. "They never saw the hutch in person and agreed to pay full price."

After some back and forth over the details of payment and pick up, the seller agreed to accept a cheque because the buyer said they were concerned about COVID-19 and weren't able to send an e-transfer. A series of back and forth texts indicate the seller wanted to send the cheque by email and was also going to include instructions on how to deposit the cheque. The buyer also indicated they would be sending more than the agreed-upon price so the seller could use the extra to pay for movers.

Once the cheque arrived, it was for almost three times the agreed-upon price for the hutch and the seller decided this was "too good to be true" and texted back, "OK this is clearly a scam I am now out. No moving company costs $1,000 and no one would pay that amount for movers. I am deleting the email and calling the RCMP."

The seller did not open the email containing the photograph of the cheque and the deposit instructions. They did contact the RCMP and followed up with Castanet to ensure we are aware of the incident.

This situation ended well for the seller but they indicated it was a close call. "We're sure glad we didn't fall for this scam and we wanted to let others know that this kind of scam is out there and some people get very creative when it comes to scamming money."

RCMP have been warning about an array of online scams, many related to or taking advantage of anxiety over COVID-19, or as in this case, using it as what sounds like a valid reason to send a cheque.

RCMP urge anyone who believes they have been a victim of fraud to contact their local RCMP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.



More Peachland News

233022