I recently decided to part with my Antique Saxony Spinning Wheel that was made in the early 1800's. Not wanting to be greedy I posted it on Craigslist at a fair price so it could go to a home that would appreciate it and produce fine fibers with it. Shortly after I posted it I received a email in response to my ad from a James Robards and it raised red flags in my head.

James Robards
Oct 16 (3 days ago)
Saxony Spinning Wheel - Antique - still for sale?

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Oct 16 (3 days ago)
to James
Yes it is. I just decided to post it today as I have a small house and I need to regain space.

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James Robards
Oct 16 (3 days ago)
Thanks for your quick response I'm okay with the price & condition,i plan to send the money in a bank check and USPS it to you, then I will arrange for a pick up after check cleared at your bank.. I'll need your Full Name and Delivery Address or a p.o box for the check to be issue out to you, i await your response and after the check clear my movers will come for pick up asap

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Oct 16 (3 days ago)
to James
Thank you for your response. I am more interested in a cash transaction.

After I did not receive a response regarding a cash transaction, I decided to search the web and see if my suspicions were correct and it was no surprise to see James Robards mentioned in the comments on the website below. And, searching even further I found the name James Robards mentioned on additional websites alerting others to this unscrupulous scammer.

8 Vile Craigslist Scams to Watch Out For

GUEST
Scam a guy's named James Robards from Eagle Pass Texas was going to buy tickets said he will send me cashiers check for 4 times the amount of tickets. Said after check clears to text him. I told him to call me I don't answer to text number only. Guess what never got that call!! SCAM

According to ScamSafe: Cashier’s Check Fraud

This scam involves a seller advertising a valuable item over the Internet. A “buyer,” often from a foreign country, contacts the seller about purchasing the item and states that he plans to use a cashier’s check issued from a bank/credit union in the United States. Then the “buyer” tells the seller that he either “mistakenly” sent too large a check, or that he will be sending a check for more than the purchase price. In either event, the seller is instructed to immediately wire the “balance” back to the buyer.

The unsuspecting seller then deposits the cashier’s check in their bank account. Under a federal banking law, the customer’s bank is required to make those funds available to its customer on the business day after the funds are deposited. So, the unwary seller is able to withdraw the “overpayment” before the check winds its way back to the bank that supposedly issued it (since it is fraudulent). That can take 7 days, or even longer. Of course, after wiring the money back to the buyer, the scam artist is nowhere to be found.

And you are out the balance you wired to the thief. Myth: cashier's checks are the same (or almost) as cash. No they aren't.

Needless to say I was disappointed not in the loss of a sale but in the lack of humanity that the responder exhibited.

My feelings went from anger to disgust and then pity.

I realized that the person behind the name James Robards must be a mentally sick individual who has a poor sense of self worth that leads him or her to stealing what is not rightfully theirs.

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