News

Craigslist scammers ask victim to join them to make money back

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga.,None — A Gwinnett County man says after he was defrauded on Craigslist, the people who ripped him off apologized and then asked him to join them.

Robert Fulton advertised his basement for lease on Craigslist and was contacted by someone who sent him a few months' rent in advance. Once he received the $3,500 check, he cashed it.

"She said you need to send $2,200 to this lady," Fulton explained about his next phone call from the couple who sent him the check.

They told him since they overpaid, that money was to help cover her moving expenses. Fulton said he was suspicious, but the check cleared. At least he thought it did.

"A couple weeks later I got an email from the bank saying the check was no good," Fulton said.

He called police and then called the couple who sent him the counterfeit check.

"I said, 'Hey what are you going to do about this?' and they said, 'Why don't you get involved with us and you can make some money? You can make all your money back,'" Fulton said.

They promised him $700 every two weeks. He has texts from a couple that said, "We can only make money with little scam job and this has to be personal, you won't tell anyone about it."

Another text said, "You will be printing checks like the check you received and you will mail it out. I'll teach you. You need this software."

"They told me to buy Versa Gold 2012. It makes checks. "You'll print the checks; that's all you have to do,' is what they said," Fulton said.

Fulton believes thousands of other victims may be doing something that he refuses to do.

"They are probably getting people from all over the country doing this," he said.

When he contacted Gwinnett County police, they told him to contact Lawrenceville police, since it was their jurisdiction.

Fulton said he plans on meeting with a detective this week and showing him all of the texts and the counterfeit check.