Emma Smith, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, used Craigslist.org in early November to find a roommate. She ended up losing $4,300.
Last November, Smith started advertising on online classifieds site Craigslist.org seeking a roommate for the 2006-'07 school year for an extra room in the Abode East apartment complex, 818 N. 15th Street. She was contacted by "Becky Talik," who claimed to be an exchange student from Harwich, England. Talik expressed interest in rooming with Smith.
A cautionary tale
By Christmas break, Smith and Talik were in contact nearly every day via e-mail. In order to sign the lease, Smith requested money in advance from Talik.
On Jan. 23, she received six checks, all at once, for $850 each written out to her.
The next day, before she had deposited the checks, Smith received more 20 calls from a number that showed up as "restricted" on her cell phone during class. After getting out of class she received one more restricted call from Talik.
"She was extremely upset and demanded that the money be sent back," Smith said. "She wanted me to wire transfer the money to her travel agent through MoneyGram."
On Jan. 25, Smith deposited the six checks into her checking account and transferred the money through MoneyGram to "Adebayl Frances Damola," the travel agent.
On Jan. 31, Talik again contacted Smith, requesting money for a car accident that she had suffered in England.
"She asked me to give any money that I could to help her," Smith said. "I told her that I would not do that."
On Feb. 5, Smith realized that $4,300 was missing from her bank account.
"That money was loan money that I had just received for school," Smith said.
Smith contacted Craigslist.org, and they expressed their apologies but said they could not reimburse Smith. She also contacted her bank but they offered no help because the cashiers checks from Talik did not clear. Smith attempted to get Talik's IP address but was told she needed a subpoena to get that information. She also left a message with a Milwaukee Police Department detective and filed a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center on the FBI Web site. At press time, Smith had not heard anything from either the detective or the FBI.
Prevention pays
According to Stacie Dooley, assistant dean for the Office of University Apartments and Off-Campus Services, students should be cautious when using Internet classifieds.
"Students should be very careful when listing personal information," Dooley said. She said the university has examined many of the online classified Web sites but has not decided to use any of them for Marquette students.
"Marquette students can use the Housing Classifieds section in MUSG Dogears," Dooley said. "Also, paper listings that are in the office and will soon be on the Web."
"I noticed several red flags, but I thought I was being paranoid," Smith said. "The girl said she was studying to be a journalist but her writing was really bad.
"Also the girl kept saying 'Thank God we got connected' in the e-mails she sent me."
According to Marshall Stone, supervisory special agent from the Springfield, Ill. division of the FBI, cashiers check scams usually occur over online auctions.
"The scam artists are thinking 'How can we get someone to cash a counterfeit check for us, then send back the money?'" Stone said. "How the scammers get the victims to send back the money is up to their imagination."
"Urgency is the red flag," Stone said. "The scam artists need the victims to send back the money before the victims find out that the checks are fraudulent."
Stone offered some advice for people who suspect hey are being scammed: "If you have any questions about the legitimacy of the checks, simply take them to the bank and ask if they are real or not."