Craig's List seller nearly scammed by fake check

Sandusky, OH (WTOL) - Craig Rudolph has dabbled in sales, both from his home and online.

The retired Sandusky fireman uses the extra cash for weekend camping trips. Rudolph never had a problem, until a buyer expressed interest in a garden window he had listed for sale for $450 on Craig's List.

"I thought it was sold," Rudolph said. "I was kind of happy getting $450 for it."

A few days later and completely out of the blue, Craig receiv

ed a check for $2,500 sent by FedEx.

"The check, itself, looks so real. It looks better than some I get from my employer," Rudolph said.

At first, he didn't know who it was from, but the same day, he received an e-mail from the purported buyer, directing Craig to cash the check, take his portion for the window, then send the rest by Western Union to pay a shipper. The buyer said the shipper would be in the Sandusky area picking up several purchases.

That raised a red flag for Rudolph, who says he typically doesn't deal with any shipping costs. He realized he was dealing with a scammer and refused to cash the check.

However, the scammer, like based in a foreign country, didn't give up and sent Rudolph a series of threatening emails.