Written by: Corey Janoff
This post was originally published on our previous blog website on July 25, 2017 and has since not been revised and/or updated.
We’re all aware that fraud and identity theft is becoming more and more prevalent. You see commercials all the time for various identity theft protection companies that vow to monitor your accounts and your credit reports and alert you if they spot anything suspicious. Some even provide insurance to reimburse for losses as a result of identity theft.
That being said, you can never be too careful and it’s important to be vigilant at all times. Below is a story of an encounter I had with someone on Craigslist while trying to sell an old BBQ grill.
The Backstory
For those of you into barbecue, you are probably aware of Traeger Grills. Traeger was one of the early pioneers of the wood pellet grills and smokers for retail customers. BBQ champions have always relied on slow burning wood fires to make their magic, but that isn’t practical for the average person who doesn’t need a commercial sized grilling surface.
Traeger took the traditional wood-burning fire concept and consolidated into the size of a cup using compact wood pellets that would slowly feed into a flaming bowl. Simply plug the grill into a power outlet and you are in business. This enabled them to deliver a slow-cook barbecuing experience to the backyard that you used to only find at BBQ restaurants and state fairs.
Today, there are many replicators of the Traeger grill, but Traeger is probably the most well-known name in that space.
I have owned a Traeger grill for about seven years, ever since I bought my first home. I have their “Lil’ Tex” model. At the time I got it, it was the smallest sized one they made, I believe, but plenty big for what I grill with a 22×19 inch grilling surface. They have since come out with several smaller versions. The thing still works brilliantly.
My dad also has a Lil’ Tex that is a couple of years younger than mine and has a couple extra settings on the thermometer control. He recently bought Traeger’s newest model and asked me if I wanted his Lil’ Tex. He said he would give it to me if I sold mine and gave him the proceeds.
Craigslist
Since nobody reads newspapers anymore, the classified ads are a thing of the past. Nowadays, everyone turns to Craigslist.org when looking for something that would have appeared in the classifieds 20 years ago. I have used Craigslist a handful of times to both buy and sell things and have never had a bad experience.
So naturally, I decided to list the grill on Craigslist to try to sell it. I did some brief market research and found most people were listing the Traeger Lil’ Tex for $400 (it sells for $700 brand new). I figured if I list it for $350, I should be able to find a buyer pretty quickly.
I posted the grill on a Saturday night and I received several inquiries for it via email on Sunday. Rule #1 of Craigslist: don’t list your phone number – unless you want to receive phone calls at all hours of the day/night.
The first person to reach out to me went by the name of David Mark. He said he was interested and asked me how old the grill was. I replied and he quickly got back to me saying he wanted it, but he and his wife wouldn’t be able to pick it up right away. He offered to mail me a cashier’s check and include an extra $50 if I would hold it for him.
Rule #2 of Craigslist is only accept cash. I was a little skeptical, but thought if it is a cashier’s check, that would be legitimate. You can only get a cashier’s check if you have funds in your account. I could take it to the bank and verify it’s real and cash the check before he picks up the grill. Plus, I’m in no rush, so I’ll take the extra $50.
It Gets Weird
I give him my address where he can send the check to. He asks if that is also where I will have him pick up the grill. I said yes. Probably should have had him mail the check to my office instead of given my address out to some random person on Craigslist. But we live in a neighborhood with many neighbors close by (houses get crammed so close together these days). I supposed I should have wheeled the grill to a park or a busy corner in the neighborhood and had him pick up the grill there.
He said he will mail the check and once it is cashed he will arrange to have the movers come pick it up.
That’s another small red flag. He’s going to have movers come get it? Maybe he’s sending his sons in a pickup truck? Or hiring someone to get it for him? Who knows, but I went with it.
I replied to David saying, “Sounds like a plan,” and asked him to let me know when he sends the check so I can be on the lookout for it and what date he wanted to pick up the grill. It goes downhill pretty fast from here.
His emails progressively become less and less clear – typos, broken sentences, etc. Initially I chalked it up to someone typing quickly on their phone and not paying much attention, but this was incoherent. He also wouldn’t answer my questions.
His next email was a couple of days later and I copied the text here:
Hi this is David Mark, Am sorry for late reply, my phone fell into factory oil ,The payment as been mailed and I will like to inform you that the payment will cover the Mover’s fee.. You deduct your amount for the item and send the remaining balance to my Mover’s via walmert ria and they will proceed with the pick up at your location Please text back to me so i will be assure i wont have any problem with you about the remaining money..regards
WTF? I ain’t giving no money to no movers. That’s not how this works. You pay your own movers if you want to hire movers. And what’s that about your phone falling in factory oil? I digress.
By this point I had all the sensors on high alert. I emailed him back asking for his phone number so we could discuss how this was supposed to work.
His next email doesn’t have his phone number. He instead informs me the check should be arriving today, gives me the USPS tracking number and says to let him know when I cash it so he can give me the instructions for where to send the money for the movers.
Absolutely, sir. Do you also know any Nigerian princes who need a trusted individual to hold a large sum of money? If so, I’m your guy!
At this point I’m pretty certain this guy is trying to scam me. The check arrives, as promised. The front looks like a poorly printed cashier’s check, but the back has a real looking watermark background. It was sent from the checking account for the law office of an attorney in New York. And the amount is $1,860.72!
How dumb does this guy think I am? Why the heck would someone in New York want to buy a used grill in Oregon for $400 and pay $1,460 to have it shipped across the country?
I looked up the attorney and she is a real person who has a law office in NY. I called the office up and informed them of the check and they thanked me for the call and told me that it was in fact fraudulent. Their office was a victim of fraud and they have been getting calls from all over the country about similar incidents. The checking account has been closed, so don’t bother trying to cash the check.
Some Lessons
While Craigslist has been wonderful for millions of people, you still need to be careful when using the website. It’s no different from buying/selling things in the classified ads of newspapers.
I googled “David Mark scam” and “David Mark Craigslist” and needless to say I’m not the only one he has been in touch with.
Be aware. If it smells fishy, it probably is. Only accept cash when selling on Craigslist. Meet face to face in a well-lit public setting. Never give your bank account number to strangers. Report any suspicious activity to authorities.
While this scam was pretty easy to spot, it’s not you or I they are going after. The scam artists are targeting the individuals that can’t see through the red flags. The typo’s, the broken English, and the absurd requests are all part of the act. They are trying to weed out the smart people. They are looking for someone extremely gullible or mentally not 100% with it (like some senior citizens).
Let this be a lesson for everyone else. And if you know anyone in the Portland area looking to buy a Traeger grill, please let me know.
