hoolilaw case analysis: American magic website Craigslist transaction scam

This is a magical website with a simple interface but a monthly click volume of 50 billion. Here, some people have found their spouses, some have found jobs, some have rented apartments, and some have bought cars... Yes, this is the legendary American favorite website - Craigslist. However, there are still quite a few people who were defrauded of a large sum of money before they could enjoy the convenience and fun this website brought to them. Since then, they have become dissatisfied with Craigslist and dare not try it again.

Craigslist is a frequent news item in the American social media, and various scam and crime-related news are common. Although Craigslist has a bad reputation, it is so easy to use that no one can resist its temptation. So how should we protect ourselves from this strong contradiction? Today I will help you defeat common scams on Craigslist and master the correct posture to tease scammers.

Common scams

Check scam: This is a classic routine that has been circulating for more than ten years. From the Nigerian scam in the past few years to the British scam in recent years, they all use the bank's operational loopholes: the time difference in confirming checks to commit fraud.

Routine

1. Send an email or text message to propose a transaction

2. Find a reason to request payment by check

3. Send a Make a check for more than the actual amount paid and provide a tracking number

4. Use excuses such as "wrong amount", "the company's travel subsidy is inconvenient to open for payment", "express fee to the forwarding company", etc. You return the excess amount or transfer the money to the account of the so-called forwarding company

Scam operation process

When the following signals appear during the transaction, you It’s time to pay attention, scam warning ahead!

· Requesting a check transaction

Whether the excuse he gives is that he is currently overseas or the company is paying on his behalf, when he insists on paying by check, you should say No!

· When he tells you that the amount on the check sent to you is greater than the actual amount due

Pies in the sky will not fall, and normal people will not give anything to others. Write checks for hundreds or thousands of dollars more. There is no need to check the tracking number he gave you, it must be genuine. At this point, you can basically determine that he is a liar. Next, you can choose to ignore it or flirt with him.

· When you deposit the check you received in the bank and find that there is more money in your account

This is the most cunning part of the whole check scam. Normal people would not transfer their money before they receive it, so most people will deposit the check in the bank. A deceptive operational flaw in American banks is that when you deposit a check, no matter whether it is a bad check or not, there will be an extra amount in your account immediately. While the bank is checking the authenticity of the check, it is not impossible to withdraw cash directly.

· When he asks you to use Western Union to return the extra money, or use the money as freight to send things to Nigeria

You look at the account The extra money, or cash withdrawal to get real money in your hand, you believe that there is true love in the world, decide to be an honest boy/girl, return the extra money via Western Union designated by the scammer, or send the things to Nigeria. In the world of Craigslist, the words Western Union and Nigeria are synonymous with fraud. Say important things three times! It's tantamount to fraud! Scam! Scam!

In the United States, personal checks are directly guaranteed by personal credit and linked to personal credibility.

Therefore, you should try to avoid using checks when dealing with people you are not familiar with, because you cannot confirm the creditworthiness of the other party, and the bank will not be responsible for any mistakes in the transaction.

U.S. banks generally take at least 2 to 4 weeks to verify whether a check is a bad check. During the verification period, the money exists in your account and can be used. However, after the bank has verified it, if it is found to be a bad check, the bank has the right to cancel the money and automatically withdraw money from your account to make up for it. If there is not enough balance in your account, the bank will close the account and collect debt from you. At the same time, your credit score will also be adversely affected because of your behavior of depositing bad checks.

Chat with the bank teller before depositing your check. They are experienced and face a check scam every few days. They may be able to alert you before you deposit the check and help you spot the scam.

PayPal Scam

When someone wants to buy something from you but insists on using PayPal to pay, you have to be careful because a forged letter that looks like it comes from PayPal is very formal and official. The email is already waiting for you to take the bait.

Routine

·?The email says that the money has been sent to you, but you have to reply to an email including the tracking number to get the money.

· The email says that the money has been sent to you, but you have to click on the link to confirm the transaction to get the money.

· The scammer pays you using a real PayPal account but asks you to send the item to a different location.

Scam operation process

·PayPal will not ask you for a tracking number before the money is received.

· If you click on the link in the email, your account will be stolen and the money in PayPal will be transferred.

· Once they get the item, they file a complaint with PayPal saying they never received it. In this way, PayPal will activate the buyer protection mechanism and deduct the buyer's payment from your account, so you lose both money and property.

Hoolilaw Special Tips

Be careful when receiving an official-looking email asking you for account information, tracking number, or asking you to click on a link in the email. Open a new webpage and log in to your account from the official website to check the true balance of your account. Craigslist is not eBay, and the protection mechanism is imperfect. You should try to avoid using PayPal for transactions on Craigslist.

Official Craigslist Advice

· Don’t pay anyone you haven’t interacted with in person.

· If the transaction involves express delivery, be wary. Try to choose local sellers and deal in person.

· No bank wire transfers, again, Western Union is synonymous with scams on Craigslist.

· Do not use personal checks for transactions, the bank will not bear any responsibility.

· The transaction only exists between the two parties, and no third party can provide any guarantee.

· Never provide your personal information, such as bank account number, PayPal account, SSN.

· Do not trade items that have not been inspected in person. There is no pie in the sky, and those deals that look particularly good may not exist.

· Do not agree to background and credit checks before meeting your landlord and employer.

Four tips for identifying fraud

1. Transaction emails or text messages from other places.

2. Use a vague reference to the transaction item, the item, rather than a specific name.

3. A series of spelling errors and grammatical errors.

4. Refuse to trade in person.

Fraud keywords: Western Union, Money Gram, cashier check, money order, Paypal, shipping, escrow

service, or write "guarantee."

What to do if you encounter a scam

Go to the following websites to report:

·Internet Fraud ComplaintCenter Internet Fraud Reporting Center

·FTC (Federal Trade Commission) Federal Trade Commission

· Fill out the FTC reporting form or call the reporting hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)

· ConsumerSentinel/Military, the special channel for complaints by U.S. service members or military dependents

· American Software Association SIIA Software and Content Piracy reporting

· Ohio’s dedicated reporting channel: OhioAttorney GeneralConsumer Complaints

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