El Dorado County woman loses cash in scam started on Craigslist

By Bill Lindelof, Sacramento Bee

A scam that started on Craigslist has left an El Dorado County woman out $3,500.

Roseville police report that the woman recently listed her car for sale on the website. A man who said he was from San Francisco told her he wanted to deposit money into her bank account to reserve the vehicle.

The seller provided the man her bank account information over the phone. The buyer deposited a check into the seller’s account. The check apparently never cleared before the man called again.

He demanded his money back because he said his daughter had obtained a loan for the car. The seller withdrew $3,500 in cash from her account and gave the money to a woman who claimed to be the man’s daughter in a Roseville parking lot. The bank later told the seller the deposited check was fraudulent.

Police said a banking source told them it takes two to seven days for a check to officially clear, even if the balance on the bank account appears to increase.