Blackberry Twp. man swindled out of $600 in fake boat buy

BLACKBERRY TOWNSHIP – A Blackberry Township man lost $600 in a scam when he intended to buy a fishing boat on Craig’s List, according to Kane County Sheriff’s reports.

The victim reported that on July 29 he was looking for boats to buy and found one he liked, a Lund 16-foot aluminum fishing boat for $600, the report stated.

He clicked on the link which brought him to eBay, and he began speaking to a woman who said she was a flight attendant and “was looking to unload the boat for cheap,” the report stated.

He was instructed to buy three $200 eBay gift cards and provide the numbers on the back, which he did, the report stated.

He received a notice from eBay that they received his payment for the boat and would hold on to his money until he received the boat and was sure he was happy with it, the report stated.

He asked about how they would ship the boat to him because it was located in Butte, Mont., the report stated.

Then a man called him and said he would have to download an app on his phone and use it to make another payment for more than $990. But then the caller told him he clicked on the wrong button on his phone, causing him to question how they accessed his phone, the report stated.

The man became suspicious, and then his bank contacted him to say they stopped the $900 payment, the report stated.

The man went back to the store where he bought the eBay gift cards to see if he could get those payments stopped, but they were unable to help him, the report stated.

According to the Federal Trade Commission website, consumer.ftc.gov, anyone who asks to be paid for something by putting money on a gift card, and then asks for the numbers on the back, is running a scam.

Scams can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.