Fraud-got ck, sent item, ck bounced

[vinceqt]

Fraud-got ck, confirmed w/ bank, sent item, ck bounced

What is the name of your state? CA

I sold an item on an online classified ad. This person emailed me says he wants it. He sends a check through an associate in California. I deposited it and I called the bank a few days later to confirm. And it did clear. I sent the item out to another person (in N. Carolina) and now the check bounced. What can I do now to get my money back or the item back? The problem is I don't exactly know who this guy is. I have the name and address of the person I sent the item to and the associate. Please help.

 

[Fat Tony]

The money is gone as well as your item. Get over it. Your only other choice would be to verify that the address you shipped to is an actual home address (not a PO Box, Mail Boxes Etc., office building, etc) and go out there and confront whoever opens the door. Besides that, your money is probably in NIgeria as we speak.

I swear to god, this column (Online purchases) needs a disclaimer like this:

If you were selling something via the internet, and the item was paid for via cashiers check drawn for more than the sale price, you have been scammed. There is nothing anybody here can do for you. Your bank will come after you for their money involved here. Recouping of said money from "buyer" is next to impossible. Legal action against "buyer" is next to impossible. The following signs should have given it away:

*Buyer claims to be a "third party agent" for someone else interested in your item.
*Agent is in another country
*Buyer sends you a cashiers check for the item via FedEx (or UPS) international, but the handwritten return address is somewhere in the US
*Buyer claims that the cashiers check was already made out for a previous purchase, but when you receive it, your name is printed on it
*"Agent's" e-mails display very unusual grammar, probably that of someone familiar with textbook english, not someone that speaks american english on a regular basis.
*All e-mails are sent from a free, anonymous account and no telephone contact is ever made.

HOW TO TELL IF THE CASHIERS CHECK IS COUNTERFEIT BEFORE DEPOSITING IT INTO YOUR ACCOUNT:
This is a tricky one here, so you have to ollow these very detailed instructions to a T. If not, the desired results may not be achieved with the utmost precision...................................
........... CALL THE ISSUING BANK AND VERIFY THAT IT IS AUTHENTIC
Doing so will take about 5-10 minutes max, and save you months of headaches and thousands of dollars.