Have you ever received or been offered a money order from someone on eBay or CraigsList? If you are an active buyer or seller on either website I am sure you have had one offered to you. You must be very careful when dealing with anyone who offers you a money order. Let me tell you a personal story of how I almost got scammed on eBay.

I received a Fake Money Order on eBay:
I used the Sidekick II cellphone for about 2 years and no longer had a need for it. I decided to sell the item on eBay since I figured I could get more for it there than on Craigslist. I listed the item and even included the fact that the top left button was broken. I guess that the item would sell for $60-80 since it worked and only needed a slight repair on the one button. The auction was only a few hours out from ending and it was at $65.00, which made me pretty happy. When I later checked up on the item (after it finished) it had sold for $310.00. I was shocked that it had sold for so much and found it a bit fishy. The buyer e-mailed me and said she needed the item urgently and since she paid so much would like overnight shipping. I was well aware of the scams regarding money orders so I played my cards very safely. About 2 days after the auction had finished I received the money order in the mail. I was told that I had to ship the item as soon as the money order was received, but I decided to wait and do my own investigating. The money order looked pretty real and was probably one of the best Fake US Postal Service Money Orders I had ever seen. I never took the item to the bank to cash and decided to keep the scammer waiting. I got the buyers phone number and decided to call her. When I called (Louisiana number) a woman answered and I asked to speak with the buyer. The woman who answered had no idea who I was calling for and said she didn’t know anyone by that name. A few days after my phone calls I checked the feedback rating on the buyer and it was at (-4). The complaints posted by sellers were in regards to having received a fake money order and been scammed out of their money and item. I was pretty happy to have stayed away from falling prey to a money order scam.

I hope you enjoyed the story and learned a little something about how to avoid getting scammed with money orders. Another method these scammers use is this:
- Item that normally sells for $500 ends up selling for $700
- Buyer offers to pay you $2,500 and you need to Western Union them the difference ($1,800).
- You receive a fake check/money order and deposit it to you bank.
- Then you send them their money via Western Union and the item via Airmail (UPS/FedEx).
- A few days later you receive a call from your bank saying the check/money order was fake and you now owe the bank $2,500.

You must be very careful when buying or selling items on eBay or CraigsList. I know my article specifically mentions eBay, but CraigsList is equally as guilty. In recent months, eBay has been cracking down on payment methods allowed by buyers/sellers and has pretty much banned money orders. This scam can still be seen on CraigsList and other classifieds websites online. In conclusion, use your head and practice safe buying/selling and you will be fine.

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