The Amarillo Police Department would like to remind people to be very cautious when conducting business via the internet. As the scam goes, someone sees an ad on Craig’s List or some similar website and makes an inquiry about the item for sale/rent. Sometimes it is a car for sale, in some cases it’s a house for rent. As the correspondence continues either through e-mail or by phone, the buyer agrees to make the purchase or rent the property. The buyer is then told to wire the money to some usually out of the state or country location and they make plans to pick up the car or to get the keys for the house. The unsuspecting buyer then goes to the location to pick up the car only to find there is no car for sale. In some cases it is a vacant house or even an empty lot.
Those who were expecting to rent a house usually find a house that is for sale not for rent or a homeowner that has no idea what the person is talking about. They have lived in the house for years and not trying to rent it out.
Sadly, the unsuspecting buyer is out hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
As a prospective buyer, please take additional precautions when making purchases via the internet. Go the extra step and verify the “car lot” is an actual business, or do some research on the address or name of the individual you are dealing with. Most of all, don’t believe everything you are told or read without doing some research on your own.
