Sellers Beware

In preparation for the move, Kid 2 decided to get rid of her old clothes.  She has American Apparel she hadn’t worn since the beginning of high school, crop tops, etc.  She announced that she downloaded an app called Poshmark and was going to sell her belongings online.

Kid 2: I’m going to sell my prom dress.

Me: Really?  Please don’t.

Kid 2: It’s my dress, mom.

Me: I know, but prom dress is something you could keep and later show your kids.  (I wish I still had my prom dress.  It was bought second hand, it cost $30, and it was hideous.  That would be hilarious.)

Kid 2: What if I don’t have any girls?  Someone else could use this prom dress.  They might not be able to afford a really nice one and my prom dress will make someone else happy.

Me, struggling with perfectly sound reasoning: Umm.  Ehhh.  It is your prom dress, honey.  I’m not going to tell you what to do with it.

The next day.

Kid 2, grim faced: I deleted the app.

Me: Why?

Kid 2 throws crumpled check on the table: This is why.  This girl contacted me through the app and told me she loved the dress.  We agreed on $170, including shipping.  I emailed her.  We had a conversation about my dress.  Then, she sent this.

As soon as saw this, I emailed her and told her to Redacted by Me (in the interests of not cursing on the blog – Ilona.) I told her she was a scammer.  She tried to tell me that she wasn’t and that this is her “shipping agent” and if I would sent her the thousand dollars back, I could keep the rest. I reported her to the app and deleted the app and cancelled everything. We talked through the email, mom.  She must’ve thought I was a complete idiot.  Do I sound like an idiot?  I mean, when I write you a professional sounding email, why would you think I would be so stupid that you can scam me?

Kid 2 attempted to do further sleuthing, but the guilty party deleted her app and email accounts.

I am super-proud right now, because Kid 2 was savvy enough to instantly recognize the scam and to act accordingly.

In the interests of public exposure, if you child is using this app or any other app to sell their clothes or collectibles, please talk to them about phony checks.  First indicator of the scam is the larger amount of money than agreed upon with some sort of bullshit arrangements which involve the child depositing the check and sending back the balance of the transaction.  The check wouldn’t clear and the child would be left responsible for the entire balance.

Other things to look for:

• When we held it up to the light, it was NOT watermarked. It was very clearly printed on regular printer paper.
• The signature was also printed.  The name wasn’t signed with a pen.
• The name on the check was different than the name of the seller.  This one is tricky, because it could be the parent sending the check, but if that’s the case,  would recommend confirming with the parent.

So once again, proud of Kid 2.  We hope that this will save someone else from a scam. Kid 2 will be taking the fake check to the bank, because banks use them for training purposes.