Hingham Woman Threatened During Craigslist Deal
HINGHAM (CBS) - Police are warning residents of a scam targeting Craigslist sellers.
A 20-year-old woman posted a pair of shoes on the popular website last week, asking for $100.
"She was immediately contacted by a person who said he was from Missouri and said he wanted to send out a check," said Sgt. Steven Dearth.
The victim sent the would-be buyer her home address and received a check in the mail for $1000.50.
Already suspicious, the woman tried to cash the check at her local bank.
"While she was trying to process the check, he texted her several times -- asking he's got the money, is she cashing the check," said Sgt. Dearth.
Police say the woman soon realized the check was fraudulent and alerted the bank, which stopped the process.
"At that point, he said he was going to assassinate her family," said Sgt. Dearth.
Although police don't think the threat is legitimate, they did step up patrols in the woman's neighborhood.
"It is rare to have them threaten to commit murder based on a scam," said Sgt. Dearth.
Police say buyers and sellers should always complete transactions in a public place with good lighting and security cameras.
"All these scams work because they're successful," said Sgt. Dearth.