Craigslist seller bilked out of big bucks

DALTON GARDENS — A Dalton Gardens man hoping to sell vehicle wheels online last week instead became a victim of a check-cashing scam.

According to a Kootenai County Sheriff's Office report taken on Friday, the man was advertising the wheels on Craigslist for $350. A buyer contacted him by phone and said he would place a check in the mail and have a shipping company go to the man's home after the check arrived to pick up the wheels.

However, according to the report, when the check came in the mail it was for $3,900.

When he contacted the buyer about the excessive funds, the report states the man was told by the purchaser that there had been a mistake made when writing the check. The man was then asked to deposit the check into his bank account and send the excess money to several people via Moneygram.

"Although (he) thought this activity was suspicious, he followed through with the male's request," the report states.

On Friday, the report states the man was informed by his bank that the funds he used for the Moneygrams were no longer available because the check was fraudulent. After informing the bank of the situation, he was encouraged to report the incident to the sheriff's office.

"(He) informed me he was skeptical about the transaction and believed it to be a scam," the report states. "Even with these thoughts, (he) went along with the transaction which resulted in him losing $2,868."