Scam victim stresses safety on Craigslist

http://www.dailytargum.com/news/ ... 5-0019bb30f31a.html

After losing his savings in a scam on Craigslist, Eddie Velez is raising awareness and money for his cause on his website, HelpEddie.com.

Velez, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, had used Craigslist before. But when he decided to sell a mattress his roommate left behind on the classifieds website around the holidays, he went against the cardinal rule for avoiding scams — deal in cash and in person.

“I used Craigslist multiple times, and typically I did cash and pick-up only,” said Velez, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore. “For some reason, this time I decided to accept a check, and it was a mistake.”

Velez enlisted the help of University graduate student Nick Divakar, who is the organizer of the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group’s consumer action campaign.

Divakar helped Velez make the website, which explains his story and gives evidence of his correspondence with a scammer.

“I think the website will help Eddie and others by providing assistance for scam victims and educating people [on] how to avoid the scam Eddie fell victim to,” Divakar said.

The site offers visitors the ability to donate to a PayPal account to help relieve some of Velez’s financial stress.

“Hopefully somebody will feel like giving me a couple cents to put toward the $2,600 [I owe],” Velez said. “I feel like there isn’t enough information out there that can help someone in my situation.”

Velez listed the mattress on the site in December for $80, and specified the sale as cash and pick-up only. When a man named John Williams contacted him from overseas and asked if he would accept a check, Velez decided to make an exception.

“I figured I would do him a favor and accept the check,” said Velez, who got off active duty from the United States Navy in September. “He offered me an extra $20 for allowing him to purchase it, and he said he would send the check to me the next day.”

While waiting for the check to arrive, Velez received an email from Williams saying that he accidentally sent him a check for another intended Craigslist purchase, and he asked Velez if he could cash the check and send him the difference for the mattress. When Velez received the check, he was surprised at the amount it was made out for — $2,950.

Velez, whose suspicions were rising, followed through and deposited the check, sending $1,990 to a John Leonard in London and the rest to a William Whitesell at the same address, as per Williams’ request.

Subsequently, Velez’s bank, Chase, informed him that his account had been overdrawn by $2, which made him realize that the check he received from Williams was in fact fake.

Craigslist tries to help users avoid scams like this with a link on the front page, “avoid scams & fraud,” which emphasizes using cash and meeting in person, along with list of examples of scams that people have come across on Craigslist.

Susan MacTavish Best, spokesperson for Craigslist, could not be reached for comment about Craigslist scams by press time. But she said scams are rare and advised users to follow one rule to avoid them in a USA Today article.

“Deal locally with Craigslist users you can meet in person,” she said in the article. “Virtually all scam attempts come from distant ‘sellers’ who try to entice people to wire money.”

After filing a police report and speaking with his bank, Velez realized that he was liable for the money that was stolen in the scam.

“I felt absolutely horrible. I felt like the biggest idiot in the whole world,” he said. “If I had sat down and thought about it for five minutes, I would have caught myself. I felt like my whole life was ruined, [but] that’s definitely not the case.”

The scam came at the worst time for Velez, who was left with no cash to purchase Christmas presents for his family, he said. He still owes his bank about $2,600.

“I definitely am trying to keep a good, positive outlook. Hopefully things do work out, and it doesn’t impact me too hard,” he said. “I’m trying to educate others on what to do because I would hate to see this happen to anyone else.”

Velez has received a few donations but is relying on his work at the Navy Base in Colts Neck, N.J. to help him pay off his debt.

“We don’t get paid as much as everybody thinks. It’s still hard having to pay my car [insurance], bills and living,” he said. “I can’t really put aside that much money to help pay off this debt.”

Divakar said no other students have come to him for help with online scams, but he hopes to send a weekly newsletter to students that would inform them of scams.

Velez hopes to help others who find themselves in similar situations by establishing a support group with any extra money he raises from the site.

“I don’t want to discourage anybody from trying to do something good for someone they don’t know,” he said. “But definitely be more cautious.”

脑残。。。这是最常见的craigslist骗局了吧。。。。