{"id":2650,"date":"2022-02-15T14:31:32","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T20:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10043\/?p=2650"},"modified":"2024-07-17T09:33:01","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T15:33:01","slug":"stay-vigilant-when-it-comes-to-making-a-deal-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atiba.com\/stay-vigilant-when-it-comes-to-making-a-deal-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Stay vigilant when it comes to making a deal online"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article originally appeared in\u00a0The Tennessean<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

It only took 20 minutes from the time I pressed submit to get a response. It was the magic of the web, and just like that, my 30-year-old hunker of a couch was sold.<\/p>\n

My wife had been pushing (kind of bugging) me to get rid of the couch for about 20 years. I guess I just never had the time to post it online until last week. I too had doubted anyone would want it, so I was pleasantly surprised when the first offer I got was for the full price, no questions asked. My clever ad:\u00a0\u201cUsed Couch – $100\u201d\u00a0had worked. I gloated just a little bit when I shared the news with my wife, who kept saying I should just give the old couch away.<\/p>\n

The buyer texted me saying that he was in New York, he\u2019d be moving to Nashville in a couple of weeks, and the couch would be perfect for his new apartment. He seemed like a nice guy, and I was happy my old couch would find a nice new home.<\/p>\n

My super friendly buyer texted and asked if it was OK for his moving company to pick up the couch on their way into town at the end of the month.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo problem!\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n

Buyer: \u201cGreat! I will tell the movers to swing by your house on their way into town.\u201d<\/p>\n

Me: \u201cSounds good. Do you want to Venmo me the $ when they get here?\u201d<\/p>\n

Buyer: \u201cI can send you a cashier\u2019s check this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Me: \u201cAwesome\u201d<\/p>\n

Buyer: \u201cThe movers are charging me for the extra stop, I\u2019ll add some extra $ to the check, if you can kindly take the extra and pay the movers for me, I would appreciate it.”<\/p>\n

Me: \u201cHmmm. ok.\u201d<\/p>\n

I suddenly realized that my friendly buyer was not so friendly after all. I had nearly fallen victim to what is commonly referred to as the \u201cCraigslist Mover Scam.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I got the check for my $100 couch, it was made out for $1,400 with a note to deposit it and then personally pay the movers the extra $1,300 in cash when they arrive. I knew that by the time the bank bounced the check, the fake movers would be long gone with my $1,300 (and my crummy old couch).<\/p>\n

As I blocked the scammer\u2019s phone number and tore up the fake check, I found myself thinking about how easy it is in our digital society to be conned. Back in the day, if you wanted to sell a couch, you had to either pay for a classified ad or have a garage sale. Most transactions between two individuals were local and in-person. And most were done with real cash.<\/p>\n

Swindling still happened, but it wasn\u2019t quite as easy as it is today.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the global reach of the web and the anonymity it provides, scamming has become easier than ever before. Sometimes it comes in the form of a relatively complex interaction like my Craigslist couch scam, and sometimes it comes in the form of a fake email that tricks someone into giving away their bank login information.<\/p>\n

So, in the online world we live in, how can you avoid being scammed? Here are a few tips:<\/p>\n