Township Detective Warns About Check Scam

A detective is warning residents to be careful when they sell items online through sites like Craigslist and eBay. He said a scam involving bad checks has cost township residents thousands.

Detective Sgt. John Calamari said that he has investigated a dozen cases of the scam in the past year. In each case, the victim has offered an item for sale and a potential buyer sends a check made out to more money than the asking price. Calamari said the "buyer" typically gives an excuse for the discrepancy and asks the seller to cash the check and wire the difference back to them, through a service like Western Union.

Calamari said that while most victims wait until the check clears, which usually takes two to three days, they are unaware that the funds take longer to clear, typically seven to 10 days. He explained that most people don't realize there is a difference between a check clearing and the funds appearing in the account. He said in this scam, the victims have received bad checks but don't know it until after they have withdrawn money from their own accounts to pay the "buyer" back.

Once the victim realizes the check is bad, Calamari said it's nearly impossible to retrieve the money that's already been wired.

"We're doing our best to follow up, but 99 out of 100 are sent to an account that's closed 24 hours after the transfer has been made," Calamari said. "All the ones we've been able to follow up with have been completely bogus."

The scam is going on nationwide, according to Calamari, who said the latest victim in the township was an Avon lady who was scammed out of $1,000. He said he has seen the scam worked on items from drum sets to automobiles.

Calamari said he wants residents to be aware that scammers are out there. He said people should not wire money to someone they haven't met and don't know. He added that residents should be skeptical of a buyer who doesn't negotiate and then pays too much for an item.

"If you get a check for greater than the amount you're selling for, chances are it's a scam and you should contact the police," he said.