Almost Got Scammed $5,000 - Craigslist Babysitter Scam
Craigslist Babysitter Nanny Scam - Don't get scammed on Craigslist.
My wife has been using Craigslist to find some side jobs lately and she applied for a babysitting gig. She replied to this short Craigslist add:
"I'm seeking a good reliable somebody to work 4-5 hours daily Monday through Friday...Duties are:- light cleaning, babysitting and run domestic errands like shopping groceries. Pay-$375 per week."
Quick summary on how the babysitter/nanny scam works:
1 – They are out of town and will be moving to your town soon.
2 – They hire without any kind of interview whatsoever.
3 – They send you a check for the first week's salary and it is way more than expected.
4 – They ask you to deposit the check into your account and then tell you to send the excess cash to a third party for rent/renovation/etc. (spoiler – it's really just going back to them).
5 – Several weeks later the bank informs you that the check is fraudulent. The bank will then deduct the amount of the check from your account or otherwise seek repayment from you.
Bottom line, never, ever accept a cashier's check from someone on Craigslist.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) - telephone at 1-877-FTC-HELP or file an electronic complaint via their Internet site at http://www.ftc.gov.
Internet-based scams can be reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Fraud Complaint Center: http://www.ic3.gov.
