Beware of e-mail scams

Beware of e-mail scams

EDITOR:

Recently, I was a potential victim of a targeted scam. I was attempting to rent a vacation property via Craig’s list. One interested party sent me an e-mail stating they would send a check overnight, and they did by UPS. The catch was the check was two times greater than the amount of the rental and it stated in the memo section that it was certified. This was the second alarm; the first was they were going to send me a check without a phone check or any questions about the rental. Additionally there was a note saying their boss had written the check in error and that I should send the cash difference by Western Union back to them.

I contacted the bank and the company that issued the check and was told by both that this is a possible fraud. Furthermore, the check issuing company was aware of this person and the bank stated that even though the check might clear, if it is a forgery or fraud a month later, you would still be responsible for the amount of the deposit. Further checking revealed that neither the person that sent the check nor the person to receive the cash existed, at least according to my research on the Internet.

I sent the perpetrators an e-mail letting them know the bank’s position and that I thought they should go away quietly. But the next day I received another e-mail telling me the check is OK, and that I should deposit it, take out an additional $50 for my troubles and send them the remainder in cash. Of course, I am blocking future e-mails from them.

To this end I sent a copy of the check and all of the e-mails to my bank, the check issuing company and the police department.

The moral of this story is to make sure you are watching the bottom line. If you are getting a check from someone you do not know, use Pay Pal or some type of security in order to confirm the validity of the sender and their check. Have your bank examine the check for fraud, forgery etc. before depositing.

If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

I hope this letter will helps someone avoid becoming a scam victim.

LANCE SMITH

Youngstown

Those who play should pay

EDITOR:

It is fundamental that sex between two responsible adults is biologically and physiologically for the purpose of having a family and the continuance of the human race. The side benefit is pleasure.

If so called responsible persons find themselves with child and deem it an appropriate decision to have an abortion, that is the woman’s decision and her bill. There is no justification for having responsible taxpayers shoulder the costs by having our tax dollars, already insufficient to cover wild federal spending, used to pay for the results of irresponsible fun and games.

The issue of having an abortion is definitely the female’s choice, but the financial obligation does not fall to the rest of society.

A question I would ask abortion cheerleaders: Aren’t you glad your mother did not choose to abort you?

DANIEL VICTOR BIENKO

Canfield