Decorah Now Classifieds

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules whenever using DecorahNow.com:

DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts.

NEVER SHIP ANYTHING and NEVER SEND A CHECK OR WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, ETC

FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE

DECORAHNOW IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION

NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)

AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

DO NOT RENT HOUSING WITHOUT SEEING THE INTERIOR, OR PURCHASE EXPENSIVE ITEMS SIGHT-UNSEEN

DO NOT SUBMIT TO CREDIT CHECKS OR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR A JOB OR FOR HOUSING UNTIL YOU HAVE MET THE INTERVIEWER OR LANDLORD/AGENT IN PERSON.

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If you suspect that a DecorahNow post may be part of a scam, please send us the details.

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Here are community members' descriptions of what scam attempts on Decorah Now looked like:

I just wanted to alert you to an attempted scam that started with a classified listing on Decorah Now.

1) I received a notification that someone responded to my listing.

2) I replied to the email.

3) They told me they were wanted the item and asked for my lowest price. I responded.

4) They replied that wanted me to hold the item, they asked for my address so they could send payment.

5) They told me they were sending me a cashier’s check and then would make arrangements for pickup and asked for a phone number.

6) About a week later they contacted me that payment had been sent but a terrible mistake had been made and the check was sent for more than the amount and that they hoped they could trust me to do the right thing and return the overpayment to them. Monday they contacted me to inform that they had received notification that payment would be delivered that day. When I got home from work there was a priority envelope with what appeared to be a cashier’s check for about $2,000 over the agreed amount. They contacted me later that night to see if I had received payment and if I had deposited yet.I told them I had not had time to go to bank yet and they replied that I should use mobile deposit or an ATM to deposit, and then to keep the agreed upon price plus $100 plus $50 for the delay and then use Wal Mart direct cash transfer to send them the remaining over payment and they would send instructions once check was deposited. I told them I needed to take check to back to verify it was a real check.

7) They replied it is totally legit and had been sent to me by error and that they had fired their assistant for the mistake. I informed them I would check with the bank and If check was real I would contact them.

8) I went to Decorah Bank with the check yesterday and they told me it was a fraudulent check and this was totally a scam, they made a copy of the check so they could alert the bank whose name was on the check. I contacted the person and told them the check was fraudulent and would not be cashed, surprise no response.

Everything about this was suspicious so I was not surprised when it turned out to be a scam.

Hope others do not fall for it.

The email contact was from latuetalys@gmail.com and the name appeared as S B, just wanted you to know so others could be aware.

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Dec. 1, 2017: This week I received a text from 949.484.6263 inquiring about an item I had for sale on DecorahNow. It ended up being a scam attempt. At one point she asked “what is your final asking price”, which I now know is a common phrase used by scammers. It was listed as a $10 item. It angers and it saddens me to think that people are trying to take advantage of those using this great community-based website.

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Disclaimer: DecorahNow.com is not responsible for any personal information you post on this website (That includes your name, phone number, email, the content of your post, etc.). Please use this site only if you are comfortable posting this information as you will be doing so at your own risk.

We encourage you to include your name in your posting, - at least your first name and initial, and better yet your whole name. Why? This website and service, though it is on the world wide web, is after all just about and for us, a small local community of people, a lot of whom we see on the street every week. By including your name you will exponentially increase the chances that you will get what you're looking for, because people who know you can stop you in the street or at work or whatever. But more than that, you also help build and protect community, because knowing who each other is, and giving each other opportunities to help each other out, makes a big difference.

Yes, a complete list can be found on the about page.

Some of the more common items include weapons; firearms/guns and components; ammunition; dogs or ads related to dog breeding; alcohol.