I advertised an outboard motor for sale on Craig's List. I was contacted by Francis Brown to purchase the motor. He sent me a certified check via UPS for the purchase price of the motor plus shipping. The email he used was [email protected].
He sent me a tracking number for the check which was tracked out of Leon Valley TX. The certified check was written on the account of SEMI Finance Dept. San Jose CA and Wells Fargo Bank San Francisco, CA. I took the check to my bank and it ran through the scanner and was on an open and active account and the funds were credited to my account.
I confirmed the check had arrived and he emailed the shipper info which was Roger D Osborne Castroville, TX. I was to moneygram the funds to him. Walmart was the recommended carrier.
At this point his email switched to [email protected], an extra r which I noticed later.
When the funds cleared he emailed me that there was a fatal car accident and to keep a sizable deposit as he was still interested in the motor and send more of the funds to a family member, Alex Brown, in Baton Rouge LA, via money gram. He called often to verify the transfer.
Soon after the certified check bounced. The account was verified with SEMI Finance Department, but they claim that someone is writing checks from their account and they are trying to close the account.
Our local sheriff's Dept filed a case, but will not pursue this because of insufficient resources. An internet fraud alert was filed online with the FBI and pressing them that the person was still in contact with me, but no response was received.
0 comments