West Bloomfield Man Nearly Falls for Craigslist Shipping Scam

Officials with the West Bloomfield Police Department investigated the following reports over the past week.

A West Bloomfield man that tried to sell his golf cart on Craigslist was nearly a victim of a popular scam associated with PayPal, police said.

According to reports, officers responded to the 4000 block of Middledale on March 26 for a fraud report.

The reportee, a man in his 30's, listed a golf cart for sale and had a phone conversation with a prospective buyer for about $6,500, reports said. The buyer established a PayPal account and requested $950 in advance for shipping with a transportation company. The man tried to contact him again, but it was apparent the buyer was avoiding him, Lt. Tim Diamond said. Before paying any money, the man contacted PayPal's fraud department, which confirmed it was a common scam attempt.

Craigslist security suggests users only deal with people they can meet in person, and to never give PayPal details to anyone and to avoid all transactions involving shipping. Another popular method is when a 'buyer' offers to buy something and then gives extra money over the sale price in order to ship it to a third party.

Domestic Assault

A 50-year-old West Bloomfield man was arrested and cited for domestic violence after he allegedly slapped his wife during an argument, reports said.

Officers responded to calls of a domestic disturbance in the 6000 block of Whispering Woods at about 10:30 p.m. March 26 and encountered the married couple at the residence, Lt. Tim Diamond said. The victim told officers her husband was drinking alcohol and smacked her face during an argument. She did not report any injuries.

Officers arrested the man without incident and took him to the Oakland County Jail, where he was later cited for a misdemeanor domestic abuse charge and released.

Car Tires Targeted

Officers with the West Bloomfield Police Department investigated multiple reports of slashed tires to vehicles in recent weeks.

According to reports, officers responded to the 5000 block of Rea Court on March 23 after the homeowner discovered all eight tires to the two vehicles parked in the driveway were slashed with an unknown object. The damage occurred sometime between 2:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. A possible suspect was identified by the victims and detectives continue to investigate.

Police also responded to the 4000 block of Linwood Drive for reports of a slashed vehicle tire on March 19, Diamond said. The rear tire of the 2012 Chevy Cruze that was parked in the driveway overnight sustained about $150 damage. No suspect information was available.

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