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Craig's List Scam

Beware of con artists who respond to ads on Craig's List or other similar online advertising services.  Recently, a consumer who advertised her services as a nanny on Craig's List received a response from someone who claimed to be moving from overseas to Utah.  The person offered to pay her $500 per week for the care of their five-year old.  The person then sent the consumer a check for $2,500 with instructions to keep the first week's wages and then wire transfer the remaining $2,000 to the person's "travel agent" to help with the family's moving costs.  This is an old scam packaged with the new technology of online advertising.

Avoid dealing with people who:

• ask you to pay money to get hired for a job;
• ask you to deposit a check and then after the check clears your bank to wire transfer a portion of the amount back to them to cover costs; or
• send a check for more than what you advertise and then ask you to wire transfer the difference back to them.

Dated: 06/15/09