Township man avoids Craigslist scam

A Bloomfield Township man attempting to sell a used snow blower on Craigslist thwarted an attempted snow job by an unscrupulous buyer on April 19, police said.

Officers responding to the 6000 block of Castle Court for a fraud complaint spoke with the seller, who said he listed the item for sale and received a text message the following day from a potential buyer. The buyer told the man he would pay full price for the equipment, and offered an additional $100 if he would hold the item for him.

The man said he received a check in the mail a few days later that was made out for $2,000 more than the asking price. Police said the would-be buyer advised the man to “mobile deposit” the check for faster service, and that someone would be at his house soon to retrieve the snow blower. The seller then realized the action was an attempted scam and cancelled the transaction.

Police said the ruse is a popular scam involving fraudulent checks. The idea behind it is for the seller to deposit the check and turn over the specified item. The check bounces and the seller is then out the money along with the item that was for sale.

Police ask that anyone who suspect a transaction is fraudulent to contact the Bloomfield Township Police Department at 248.433.7755 for assistance.