University students and faculty have increasingly reported an online scam that targets unsuspecting Internet vendors looking to make quick deals.
The e-mail scam seeks people selling goods or services online through sites like Facebook or Craigslist and demands a quick exchange of money through money orders or cashier's checks between the banks of the two parties, said UTPD officer Darrell Halstead.
The buyer sends a check amount that is more than the price of the item to the seller. The buyer then asks the seller to send the rest of the money, through a money order, to another bank account. The original check eventually bounces, leaving the seller at fault.
"The minute that you withdraw the money from that bad check, you become liable for that money - you turned bad money into good money," Halstead said.
He added that this particular e-mail scam surfaced in September 2007 and has affected several students and staff members. There have been three documented cases and multiple e-mails from students and faculty asking for help from University police.
To avoid these scams, Halstead recommends using a third party like PayPal if users are selling online.
"It's going to protect both the buyer and the seller," Halstead said, adding that when checks must be used, the seller should wait for the buyer's check to clear before taking any further action.
James Rosenthal, a teacher at the Princeton Review at Dobie Mall, said he uses PayPal and usually meets with the other party when conducting a transaction through Craigslist. He added that a scam would not keep him from posting things online for sale.
"I've known for many years about all the common scams," he said. "I've had a lot of successes using sites like Ebay and Craigslist."
Chemical engineering junior Maricela Martinez said that e-mail scams make her wary of disclosing information.
"It makes you reluctant to post some things," she said.
Martinez said that although she is a little wary of conducting online transactions, staying alert decreases the risks.
"I don't feel insecure," she said. "It's just a matter of living carefully."
With an increase in online classifieds for goods and services, Halstead said buyers and sellers should be cautious when conducting a transaction.
"The old saying was buyer beware," Halstead said. "But it should be changed to buyer and seller beware - somebody's trying to scam somebody."
