Update To The Craig’s List Fake Check Scam First Posted On August 24, 2010
We continue to receive occasional phone calls and emails from recipients of these fake checks. Several law enforcement agencies have notified us that they are investigating incidents where victims followed emailed instructions from the suspects, deposited the checks into their personal bank accounts and then wired a portion of the money to third parties.
In their emails to the victims, the suspects justified the high amounts of the checks by claiming that the shipping fees (for the purchased items) had inadvertently been included in the amount of the checks. The victims were later notified by their banks that the checks were forgeries. They were also required to reimburse their banks for the full amounts of the forged checks.
We must reiterate that if you post an item for sale on Craig’s List (or EBay) and receive a check “issued by Boston University” and it’s for an amount that greatly exceeds the asking price of that item; consider the check to be a forgery.
Do not deposit the check in your bank account. Retain all email correspondence, the check and UPS envelope that it arrived in and contact your local police department to file a report. You can also contact Detective Billie Kanavich at (617) 353-3436 or bkanavic@bu.edu
Refer to the original notice posted on the BUPD website on August 24, 2010. Go to FAKE CHECK SCAM to view the August 24, 2010 posting.