The Real Deal: Craigslist Crooks At It Again
Updated: Wednesday, March 20 2013, 12:56 PM EDT
FORT EDWARD - Craigslist Crooks are at it again, this time targeting folks looking to make a big purchase.
Joell Colton's 18-year old daughter Ali is heading off to college next week and she was planning to get there in a new set of wheels, "she's been saving for about 10 months, every penny...she works at Wendy's, she's been saving every single penny to have a car," says Colton.
After checking with local dealerships, Ali decided to look on Craigslist.
She found a 2006 Mini-Cooper for sale and started corresponding with the seller who claimed the car was in Glens Falls and she could have it delivered to Ali once Ali's payment cleared.
After a few days of back-and-forth, the seller said the purchase would be made through Ebay Motors.
"We did get emails from ebay motors showing we had a protection on our money," says Colton.
But, in reality, the scammer had just ripped off the Ebay Motors format and logo and plugged in her own payment information. Ali ended up wiring $4,000, "there's has been no response for like six days from the seller and the car was never shipped," she says.
"I guess we are people who believe in people, we had faith and trust and we've lost that now," says Colton adding, "she should be ashamed of herself (the scammer)because what goes around comes around and it's going to come back to her eventually."
The money is likely long gone and the chances of catching the scammer are slim but Fort Edward Police are on the case.
"She's a good girl, she's a straight A student, wonderful, very loving and caring girl and it's hard, it's hard as a mom," says Colton of Ali.
Even harder to know that her daughter will likely have to leave next in the passenger seat of her car with an empty wallet.
If you're buying something on Ebay or Craigslist you should try to keep it local and go look at the item, especially if it's a big ticket purchase like this one, before you pay anything.
Never, under any circumstance wire money to someone for a purchase.
For more information: http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/index.html
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