In recent weeks, two students have reported attempts by off-campus scam artists to defraud them of cash in transactions involving E-Net Want Ads. E-Net is a great community resource, and problems are rare. Still, users of the Want Ads section should read this note for details of the scams and for ways they can guard against fraud.
In understanding how the online scams work, it is important to know that E-Net postings can only be made by students, faculty and staff, but that the E-Net Want Ads section can be viewed by anyone online.
In the case of the scams, off-campus parties claiming to live overseas respond to students who have posted Want Ads looking for roommates. The scam artists arrange to share an apartment with the students, send a fraudulent check to cover the rent, and then ask the student to refund excess funds. If the student sends money back to the scam artists before they realize the first check was a fraud, they end up being a victim of the scam.
This type of scam has been happening to college students nationwide and is well known to law enforcement agencies, which usually have no way of finding and prosecuting the scam artists.
When using the E-Net Want Ads, remember that the university is not a party to any transaction and does not guarantee items for sale or the validity of any payments made. Since there is no Paypal or other third-party protection for transactions, remember to ensure that you have cash in hand before remitting anything of value. This is especially true when dealing with buyers outside the Elon campus community.
E-Net Want Ads, like any other online site, should be used judiciously. Both buyers and sellers should take all precautions to protect their own interests in transactions.