West Des Moines Man Alleges Craigslist Buyer Blowing More Smoke Than Snow

A 44-year-old West Des Moines man told police he’s out $1,780, but still has the $400 snowblower he tried to sell on the social media platform Craigslist.

The victim told West Des Moines Police Officer Ryan Anderson that he received an email in response to his listing from a man who claimed to live in Seattle. He reportedly promised to wire the money, but told the West Des Moines man that “something had happened to his wife and something was wrong with his son.”

A few days  later, the West Des Moines man received a text message from the suspect saying that his brother had mailed the wrong check and the one intended as payment for the snow blower had been sent to the suspect’s mother, Anderson reported.

The West Des Moines man was directed to cash the cashier’s check for $1,780, collect the $400 payment for the snowblower and wire the balance to a New York woman the suspect claimed was his mother.

The victim told police that after he wired the balance to the New York address, his bank notified him that the cashier’s check had bounced.