Phoua Kong, 28, of Bloomington, went on Craigslist on Sunday to look for a used car and saw a 2002 Toyota Camry she liked. In a series of e-mails, the owner claimed to be a service member stationed in Japan whose car was in Montana. Kong was told to wire the money to a third party account and the car would be shipped to her.
Kong wired $3,100 and hasn't heard a word since. She figures she's been scammed.
Craigslist advises consumers to "deal locally with folks you can meet in person," which will "avoid 99 percent of scam attempts." It also says "never wire funds," adding, "anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer." If you spot fraud, notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center .
Woman is swindled in Craigslist car sale
Bloomington woman says she was victimized when she tried to buy a car on Craigslist
June 9, 2011 at 2:57PM
It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.
