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GC Police Warn of Craig’s List Scam

From staff reports

A Gate City resident was the victim of an online scam that was generated through an advertisement placed on Craig’s List.

The Gate City Police Department recently investigated an internet scam that involved a local Gate City resident, who was bilked out of several thousand dollars. The ad sought assistance from a local person to help a family from Ohio who was relocating to the area.

A local resident responded to the ad and was asked to look up physicians and clean out an apartment located near the Fort Henry Mall in Kingsport, Tenn. once the keys arrived to them and an address was given.

The person received a check for $2,500 from Darden Restaurants, Inc. of Orlando, Fla. that police say was fraudulently created and sent from Illinois. Darden is responsible for restaurants such as Long Horn Steakhouse, Olive Garden and Red Lobster, among many others.

The local person was told to open an account at a local bank and deposit the $2,500 check drawn on a Wells Fargo account into it.

The person was then ordered to send a money order worth $2,160 via Western Union to a male in Palm Springs, Fla. The person was contacted by email and told to withdraw more than $20 on two separate occasions to send to the male in Palm Springs, Fla. because the original amount wasn’t enough.

“We ask that the public not respond to such ads and remember than any such ‘get rich quick’ schemes are usually too good to be true,” explained Gate City Police Chief Kim Birchfield.

The Gate City Police Department is working with the Virginia State Police to investigate the incident.