Beware Of This New Scam
 

I posted a few items for sale an email from a person who indicated that they wanted to purchase the item but unable to pick them up due to work schedule. They went on to say that they were sending me a Bank Check to hold the items until her husband was able to pick them up. I replied that this is a scam and don’t waste your time sending me anything.The mistake I made was providing my home address to pick up the items. I recieved a Bank Check today for a ridiculously high amount of money and at first I didn’t understand why I received it but then I recalled my email from this scammer. The Bank Check is a scam but it looks very real so BEWARE. I can’t believe the extremes people will go to steal your money.

Does the villages have a sale site? I have found that advertising to your own neighborhood is less likely to become a scam. I am sure you have heard to always meet in a neutral site? You let them near your house it’s an opportunity to take notes while you’re a little distracted (type of alarm, furnishings, etc.)

Take the check to Crimes Against Seniors. Yes it is a scam it is also mail fraud

This is not a new scam. Also, it may not be mail fraud unless the check was delivered by USPS. Scammers often use FedEx or UPS to send fraudulent checks to avoid a Federal mail fraud crime. That can be a red flag.

Seen that scam before.
If you really want to test an alleged buyer, insist on payment by Western Union
On the other hand, never pay for goods with Western Union. Scammers go to money source.

Western Union to transfer money?

That's like going back to the days of trading beads & trinkets to buy Manhattan.

There are a zillion ways to transfer money, that are way safer, cheaper and more convenient than Western Union.

Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, Ca$h and ApplePay, to name a few. I suppose you could always go really old school and use actual CASH.

Scams seldom depend on the method of payment, they rely on the stupidity of the parties.

That scam has been going on for over 10 years. It's hard to believe people would still be falling for it.

It is not a new scam as this type of scam has been going on for years. I have sold stuff on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, TOTV Classifieds and other sale sites and I got my first scam of this type at least ten years ago. Sometimes they will even offer more money than you are asking. I played along with one once and they did mail me a Cashier's Check. Like you said, they look very real but they are certainly not. Most sites have a system for reporting these criminals but I think it is almost impossible to track them down. I report them anyway.

There’s still people who fall for everything

PayPal is 1 of the worst ways to use for a transaction, being a buyer or especially being a seller. I have sold many items world wide and you have to watch out being a seller. I used to sell that required PayPal friends and family because that was supposed to be safer. It’s not, there are ways to commit fraud with this method and you being a seller, you have already sent your item to the buyer, paid for shipping, and you have no money for it. Also, PayPal and some of the others mentioned tend to side with the buyers. I could write a small book on what to watch out for when dealing with buyers: for example, I would send a $5000 piece of equipment and what the buyer would try to do is send his broken piece of equipment back and want his money back, so you get his old broken piece while he keeps yours. I heard about this before doing any transactions so I make sure I have the serial # or I mark up the piece inside or out of sight so when they request a return, I tell PayPal or the other bank if it’s the same item with my markings on it, I will gladly return the money. I stopped 2 people trying this.
1 more: always get an adult signature on acceptance so you have a record of the buyer receiving it (this doesn’t work for overseas transactions so be aware). I have stopped multiple people claiming they didn’t receive the item and they want their money back because they were too stupid to realize I have a record of them actually receiving the piece.
Now, anything fragile/expensive it’s done local and with cash

Carl....there are many, many sites to sell your stuff. This site...Talk of the Villages has a classified section . The facebook site Nextdoor is a good selling place for the villages. The Lady Lake Virtual Yard sale is also a good place. The Villages Virtual Yard sale also.There are many others too.

Yes, that is a very common scam here. Don’t fall for it.

Why didn’t you just say sorry about your luck, you have to do it my way or no sale! You’re in charge!

I always offer to pay them back with shares in the Brooklyn Bridge. For some reason they always seem to hang up or stop corresponding.

There is no cash back loophole with Western Union once the cheque is processed, that is why you could use it with a suspected scammer.
Most of the those you mentioned are good for buyers, I use several of them myself, but not so seller friendly
Personally, cash on collection is my only option when a buyer has to pick up goods.