Another woman is out money after she was the victim of a common online scam. The unidentified woman tried to buy two African gray parrots online from a person in Ohio. She sent the seller $700 in Moneygrams but the seller said he needed more money for shipping costs. When a Sheriff’s deputy called the seller, he refused to speak with the deputy and said he would not return the money to the buyer. Managing editor Tami Roleff offers these tips from the Sheriff’s Department to avoid being the victim of online scam…
Buying items from sites such as Craigslist can be a great way to find deals, but it’s also a popular way for crooks to scam you out of your money. You should probably avoid the sale if the seller lives in a different state and won’t meet you personally. If you do meet in person, meet in a public place. If the seller requests suspicious payment methods, such as wire transfers or money grams, or if a buyer sends you a partial payment, with the balance due later, or a check for too much money and requests you send a cashier’s check for the balance, avoid the sale as it’s most likely a scam. And if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
