From the linked article:
Shinnick, 38, told me he’d received an e-mail in December from someone who said he was in Canada and was willing to pay a total of $600 for the two bikes offered on Craigslist.
“We never talked in person,” Shinnick said. “We just corresponded by e-mail over a series of weeks.”
The buyer finally said he was going to cut a check on his company’s Bank of America business account and arrange to have the bikes shipped north. Shinnick said he received a check for $2,000 shortly after Christmas and was informed that the extra cash was to cover shipping costs “and for my trouble.”
Shinnick, it appears, was a victim of the classic “Nigerian 419” scam, adapted in this case to sucker in unwary Craigslist users.
Typically, the scam involves a bogus check being sent by a fraudster as a part of a transaction. The transaction is subsequently canceled and, before the bank has spotted the check as a phony, the fraudster requests some or all of his money back – money that the victim unknowingly pays out of his own pocket.
Shinnick said he wasn’t aware of the scam while he was negotiating to sell his bikes – his first foray onto Craigslist. But he was made suspicious by the unexpectedly large payment.
“That was kind of a red flag because it’s a lot of money,” he said. “I didn’t want to deposit it into my account because I didn’t want it to bounce.”
So he’s expecting a checque for ~$600, and gets one for ~$2,000 … a 200%+ “tip” for “hassles and such.” His red flag goes up. He cashes the checque anyway. The bank reports the questionable checque to the police, who then pursue a case. The police and prosecutor pursue charges.
The bank reports a questionable transaction to the ploice. The customer, suspecting something odd is afoot, proceeds to cash the checque anyway.
So the bank is at fault?
Minor, I know, but I posted this before there even was an ‘I Pit Bank of America’ thread:
"In my defense, the ATM reciepts … will come in handy some day. There’s always a stall somewhere w/o TP, and when you’re sitting there and realize that, its nice to know you can say,
“$2 ATM fee? To get My Own Money…? Ha…! Take That, Bank of America…!”wipe-wipe