Madison County warns about "too good to be true" internet scams

Dec 10, 2018 8:04 PM Dec 11, 2018 5:45 AM

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ALTON – At least two people have experienced a potential scammer responding to their classified advertisements on Riverbender.com

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Lieutenant Kris Tharp of the Madison County Sheriff's Office, who also directs Triad, an investigative body and service for seniors keeping alert on scams in Madison County, said the attempted scam is common across the internet. He said people who are attempting to sell an item, such as a car, are offered a check with more money than the seller is asking with the request the seller sends the excess back to the person who sent it but offers to allow them to still keep more than the value asked by the seller.

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Tharp said, like any other scam, it sounds too good to be true. He said he advises seniors to stay alert fo such scams, offering the first clue it is a scam is the fact it sounds too good to be true.

The scam itself, if executed, is rather complex. The person offering the excess sum of money to the seller often has the routing number of a third party's checking account. They send the check, the seller gives that person the item and sends a sum to them, and the third party foots the bill. This means the scammer has the excess sent by the seller, and the item offered for sale, leaving the seller with a fraudulent check and the third party with a dent in their bank account.

More information on potential scams in the county can be found at the Madison County Triad's website: https://www.co.madison.il.us/triad/index.php. Anyone who suspects they are being scammed over the internet or any other medium is asked to contact their local law enforcement immediately.

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