Scammers on TOTV classifieds
 

This is the 3rd time someone’s tried to scam me. I’ve listed an item for sale at$1000, they send me a certified check for 5 times that amount and then want me to give the remainder to the ‘pickup’ people. Do they think I’m an idiot! Anyone else had this problem?

Apparently, there are people who fall for this common scam. But, what I don't understand is, why couldn't your bank scan the check and immediately verify with the issuing bank that the check is bogus? I think local banks are complicit in allowing this scam to succeed. They should be more helpful in preventing their customers from being scammed.

When we lived in Va we would take the check to our local bank before deposit as we didnt trust some checks we had received

NEVER BOTHER with a mailed check - Its all a scam -- always even if fedexed to you. you'll be on thew hook for $ 10 -20 bucks at least for a returned check fee.

Cash is king. Would never sell anything from someone who doesnt live in TV

It is interesting that this scammer sent the check using the USPS. Smart scammers know that you should never do that because, if you are caught, it is a Federal mail fraud crime. When scamming, always use a private carrier, like FedEx. You will also have a better chance of having it delivered.

This sort of scam should lead to a hefty prison term (actually, I’d prefer capital punishment as a punishment for this). You know how in Florida there’s an extra charge if you assault someone over 65? The law should include an extra charge for ANY crime against people over 65.

I agree with the helty prison term. But, I think that people under 35 are much more likely to fall for the scam than people over 65. Also, the younger people are more likely to be financially harmed by it.

As John Maynard Keynes used to say "There aint no free lunch".

If people have no reason to send you money there is usually a catch.

Why not just have the police or federal marshall there when it is picked up by the " pickup people", that would be a nice surprise.

Haven’t tried to sell on TOTV but had this same problem many times selling stuff on Facebook Marketplace When we lived elsewhere. Switched to Craigslist and no problems.

I often get that but I make them send me the check then tear it up just to make them spend money. Had a guy offer me almost double my asking price for a 2009 Chevy Malibu on Craigs List before we moved down here. It was for his "brother in South America" somewhere. Must have cost him $30 to overnight the check. I love screwing with scammers even on spam cell phone calls. My wife hates when I do that.

When this happens, please send us a PM or report the buyer and we will take swift action to ban the member who posed as a buyer. Similarly, if someone posts an ad that is an obvious scam, please let us know and we will remove the ad and ban the seller.

We try to make the classifieds as safe as possible, but, outsiders/scammers can slip in. Thanks for the heads up.

Moderator

I’ve sold stuff on TOTV and never experienced a scam. Some folks that didn’t show but no big deal. However Craigslist is another story for me. Whenever I listed something on Craigslist I would joke with my wife, I asked how “long do you think it will be before the first scam”? It’s usually within the first half hour. Sometimes 10 minutes. I think they have computer systems in Nigeria searching for new listings. They never mention the actual item for sale. For me it’s amusing to see the absolutely stupid responses.

Wait
 

Tell them they will have to wait 60 days for the check to clear before you part with any cash and there is a $1000.00 fee for doing that service.