It has come to our attention that a fraudulent actor has attempted to buy vehicles on Craigslist and eBay using checks purporting to be from Morley Construction Company. Morley Builders, Morley Construction Company and Benchmark Contractors do not buy vehicles from Craigslist or eBay and these checks are fake and nonredeemable. Below is information to help you identify fraud and prevent these types of scams:
- When conducting transactions online or at a distance, be cautious about scams or fraudulent schemes.
- Verify the identity of the person you are transacting with to the best of your abilities.
- Whenever accepting a check as a form of payment, confirm that the information on the check is accurate and that the check is from the correct party who should be paying you.
- Be aware of mystery shoppers, personal assistants, or other agents. Scammers often pretend to hire people or have others working on their behalf to complete purchases. They do this to explain inconsistencies or incorrect information.
- Don’t accept a check for more than the selling price. Scammers also send checks for too much money then ask you to refund the balance. When you refund the balance scammers could receive sensitive information about your banking information depending on how you manage the refund.
- If you think you’ve been targeted by a fake check scam, immediately report it to:
- The Federal Trade Commission;
- The U.S. Postal Inspection Service;
- Your state Attorney General; and/or,
- The website or other service you used to conduct the transaction.