San Diego woman not only gets scammed, but gets owned. :o
09-15-2005, 11:40 AM
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San Diego woman not only gets scammed, but gets owned. :o
If you're ever paid with a fraudulent check, it could cost you more than just money. As one local woman found out, you may wind up in jail.
The trouble started for Sabrina Stresen when she went online to advertise a collectible for sale.
A buyer agreed to purchase the doll for $150, but said he'd send a check for $2,800.
He asked Stresen to wire him the difference by Western Union. When the check arrived, Stresen says she took it to this Wells Fargo bank to see if it was legitimate.
"I figured if it's not a real check, they would just let me know....instead I was arrested," she said.
She says El Cajon police took her to the station for questioning, and then booked her at the Las Colinas Jail. It cost her $3,000 to bail out.
"It was the most traumatic experience I've ever had in my entire life," she said.
Wells Fargo told us it's common practice to report suspected fraud to the police.
But the bank says it "Does not ask or instruct law enforcement to place someone under arrest".
That call was made by El Cajon police....who wouldn't discuss details of the case.
Jay Foley of the Identity Theft Resource Center says people who sell goods online need to watch out for this type of scam.
"What they're actually doing is making you a co-partner in the crime," Foley said.
The red flag is when you receive a check for more than the amount you're expecting.
"That's why no one should accept a check from anyone that's greater than the amount of the purchase," he explained.
Stresen hopes others won't have to learn the lesson the way she did.
"I just want people to be careful ... be careful of anything you receive in the mail," she said. "I really don't want this to happen to anybody else."
The deputy district attorney assigned to Stresen's case called the police investigation incomplete. He says he is not planning to file charges against her.
She was doing this transaction through Craigslist.
The trouble started for Sabrina Stresen when she went online to advertise a collectible for sale.
A buyer agreed to purchase the doll for $150, but said he'd send a check for $2,800.
He asked Stresen to wire him the difference by Western Union. When the check arrived, Stresen says she took it to this Wells Fargo bank to see if it was legitimate.
"I figured if it's not a real check, they would just let me know....instead I was arrested," she said.
She says El Cajon police took her to the station for questioning, and then booked her at the Las Colinas Jail. It cost her $3,000 to bail out.
"It was the most traumatic experience I've ever had in my entire life," she said.
Wells Fargo told us it's common practice to report suspected fraud to the police.
But the bank says it "Does not ask or instruct law enforcement to place someone under arrest".
That call was made by El Cajon police....who wouldn't discuss details of the case.
Jay Foley of the Identity Theft Resource Center says people who sell goods online need to watch out for this type of scam.
"What they're actually doing is making you a co-partner in the crime," Foley said.
The red flag is when you receive a check for more than the amount you're expecting.
"That's why no one should accept a check from anyone that's greater than the amount of the purchase," he explained.
Stresen hopes others won't have to learn the lesson the way she did.
"I just want people to be careful ... be careful of anything you receive in the mail," she said. "I really don't want this to happen to anybody else."
The deputy district attorney assigned to Stresen's case called the police investigation incomplete. He says he is not planning to file charges against her.
She was doing this transaction through Craigslist.
09-15-2005, 08:08 PM
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that sucks.
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94 Chevy Blazer - brother crashed.
94 2dr accord - h22 swap, rear ended.
03 1.8 gti - waiting for her bag of chips.
:crazyr: :slap: :hsughr: :nec: :madr:
