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If you do any local selling on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Letgo, OfferUp, etc., please be careful. Or if you are a retailer, be careful.
It's been posted on the Summerville Facebook page that a lot of fraudulent 100.00 bills have been found around the area in restaurants and other retailers. It seems this is happening more-so now.
I'm completely to blame for what happened to me. I should have known better....lessons learned. I had a more expensive item I was selling and instead of meeting the buyer at the designated area at the police station where there are cameras all over, I met him in a populated parking lot beside an ATM during the middle of the day.
Today I go to make a deposit and was told all the 50.00 bills that I received from the buyer are fraudulent. I sold 2 items on Letgo to this same guy and when I went back to look at the transaction details and our chats back and forth in the app, I notice he now has me blocked. I doubt anything will come of this since no way really to find this guy or to get my money back. He was verified with LetGo, but it's too easy to give fake information. I have asked Letgo to help me out with any info they have on the guy but hadn't heard back. This might be something they can only give the police.
I have also filed a police report and they say since we were by an ATM, there may be some video and see a car license or something that will help. Evidently the Secret Service will do the investigating of fraudulent bills. They'll go retrieve the money I tried to deposit at the bank.
My bank said this is the second time today that they've come across fraudulent bills. The teller told me it would be a good idea to get one of those pens at Staples to help with identifying fake bills. She showed me the line you see when shining a light thru it and how you can read what it says and how to feel for the ridges on the bill. People are also taking 5.00 bills and turning them into 50s.
If you have anything more expensive you are selling locally, please go to the police dept designated area they have set up for any local sales.
One time I listed a TV on craigslist and a guy contacted me from NY and wanted me to ship it to him. He said payment was in the mail along with shipping instructions. When his payment arrived it was triple what I was selling the TV for, in Walmart money orders. Red flags were going off and so I called my bank, they informed me that this was a popular scam and that the scammer expects you to get greedy, cash in the fake money orders, and by the time you bank catches it, you're out of a TV and the bad money orders are refunded to the bank. These money orders looked 100% legit too, with magnetic ink and everything..
One time I listed a TV on craigslist and a guy contacted me from NY and wanted me to ship it to him. He said payment was in the mail along with shipping instructions. When his payment arrived it was triple what I was selling the TV for, in Walmart money orders. Red flags were going off and so I called my bank, they informed me that this was a popular scam and that the scammer expects you to get greedy, cash in the fake money orders, and by the time you bank catches it, you're out of a TV and the bad money orders are refunded to the bank. These money orders looked 100% legit too, with magnetic ink and everything..
It's a crazy world we live in. You have to be so careful. If people want things, why don't they get off their butt and go to work and make their own money and stop scamming people. How do these people live with themselves?
If they are smart enough to make money or money orders look so real, imagine how good they'd be in a legit job.
All I have to help sooth my pain is Karma and the fact that I have learned my lesson.
I am too trusting of people. This incident today helped toughen me up. It was a good lessons learned. I lost 350.00 just like that. We even chatted after we did the transaction. He was looking for a house and said he had one to look at in Moncks Corner the next day. I believe he said Fairlawn. Any way you can see all the people that looked at houses in that area on Dec. 27? lol He drove a silver Jaguar. He had a name on his Letgo acct but it's probably an alias.
I buy and sell a lot on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. I always use a counterfeit pen, meet in a public place, do high-dollar cash deals at the police station, etc.
The best deals I have ever done are the ones I have passed on.
Cash-only, in person, public place, daylight, counterfeit pen. You cannot ever go wrong. The liars, scams, frauds and thieves (of which there are many around here) will be defeated and will move on.
I buy and sell a lot on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. I always use a counterfeit pen, meet in a public place, do high-dollar cash deals at the police station, etc.
The best deals I have ever done are the ones I have passed on.
Cash-only, in person, public place, daylight, counterfeit pen. You cannot ever go wrong. The liars, scams, frauds and thieves (of which there are many around here) will be defeated and will move on.
I was told the counterfeit pen doesn't always work. The lady at the bank took one of my fake bills and a real bill and marked both. Both marked the same.
This guy has a listing of an item for sale. A Micheal Kors purse. I made a fake acct (one that he didn't block) and did a chat with him asking if it was still available and that I'd like to meet up with him to buy it. I see that he read what I wrote but he didn't respond.
I'm so tempted, since he is reading it, to tell him the authorities have his license tag number/identity from the video cameras so he'd better watch his back. But I figured someone like this doesn't care or knows he has covered his tracks and knows he won't be found. Or he may cover up any evidence should the authorities actually be doing something. Or he knows how to reach me and who is to say he thinks nothing of setting up a new acct and ask to meet up with me to buy something and shoot me.
If counterfeit bills are more of a problem now in the area, it seems like the authorities would really try to find these guys. I have a feeling they have bigger fish to fry to give much attention to cases such as mine. Even the police officer and teller said not much of a chance anything will be done or found and I'm basically just filing a police report so that I feel like I've done all that I can do.
I was in a Walmart Marketplace a couple of months ago. A guy at the register was trying to pay with a 100.00 bill. Cashier found out it was fake and they took the bill away from him. Guy claimed he had no idea. He said he was a taxi driver and a customer must have given it to him.
It's sad when you can't even trust cash these days.
Attached is copy of fake 50.00 bill that teller took. You are supposed to feel the ridges in the jacket. I actually felt the ridges on the fake and the real though.
**What's with all these spaces in between paragraphs?
Last edited by diddlydudette; 01-01-2019 at 09:35 AM..
I don't have a buying/selling story, but I do have a fake money story. I was in Las Vegas last year and broke $100 bill at the Grand Canyon and broke another at a casino that day. I was trying to put a $20 into a slot machine and it wouldn't take it. I just thought it was because the bill was a bit crumpled and looked older. I then went to a table to play and handed that $20 to the dealer. Turns out it was fake. Security was called over and they took it. I felt like they were all watching me after that! My niece came with me on that trip and had a good laugh. She started calling me auntie counterfeit. ��
I don't have a buying/selling story, but I do have a fake money story. I was in Las Vegas last year and broke $100 bill at the Grand Canyon and broke another at a casino that day. I was trying to put a $20 into a slot machine and it wouldn't take it. I just thought it was because the bill was a bit crumpled and looked older. I then went to a table to play and handed that $20 to the dealer. Turns out it was fake. Security was called over and they took it. I felt like they were all watching me after that! My niece came with me on that trip and had a good laugh. She started calling me auntie counterfeit. ��
lol at Auntie Counterfeit. Glad it was only a 20. You were lucky. After researching, I've seen a lot of Vegas stories of fraudulent money there.
On our local town Facebook page, one person reported this:
Alert: Apparently counterfeit $20 and $50 bills are appearing in the area. Unknown how widespread but the Food Lion Central Ave. has had several just in the last few days. I'm told the fake bills are not high quality and easily noticed IF you look closely. Use caution with all cash transactions.
The thing is, the police don't seem to care and the officer I spoke to yesterday gave me the impression that they are too busy to be bothered but they will take my info for the report. I really wonder what happens next and if they put any effort into it.
I called yesterday because I had more info from Letgo. Letgo gave me an email for the police to request more info on this guy in question.They have IP address, type of device he used and that's probably about it because he can easily use fake info. I told them they need to make verifying accts mandatory. Make people verify by phone number. Right now it is optional. When money and selling is involved, you need to make people traceable.
Anyway when I called the police, my particular officer that took the info on my case was out of the office until Friday. The bank was getting ready to mail in the fake bills so I had to call the bank to ask them to hold for me so that someone from the police dept could pick up.
I requested for someone to call me so that I could give more info for my case. This officer said there really isn't a chance they catch anyone. They said how are they supposed to know they are actually the one that are responsible. He gave me the attitude that they are just coming off New Years Eve and everyone is really busy blah blah blah.
My thing is why can't they take this more seriously? This is robbery. They are stealing from people. Go get the money from the bank and give to secret service. Stop letting it just sit in the 'inbox' on someone's desk. Find this guy. Find out if he has a criminal history. The guy blocked me after the transaction. Doesn't that seem very suspicious and very telling? All the 50.00 bills seemed brand new so that tells me they weren't in circulation much. If they don't think my guy made the funny money, trace to who gave to him. It can't be that hard when doubtful many people handled this money. Fingerprints? Isn't there a database they run where if they enter a fingerprint, if that person has been in trouble with the law here before, they can match that fingerprint to him?
I believe with IP address, video and maybe fingerprints on the money, car type, maybe they can find this guy. I know I won't get the money back but I'd like this guy caught. It would be great Karma and nice to have him off the street.
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Last edited by diddlydudette; 01-03-2019 at 08:55 AM..
What's the law regarding auctioneers selling merchandise they know is stolen? It's taking place in Charleston. The auctioneer knows the property is stolen.
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