SPRINGFIELD, Ill., - For more than a year, there have been multiple advertisements posted on Craigslist from a person claiming to be with the Illinois Army National Guard's 139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (MPAD) based here.
Now the scam artists are using a different unit to perpetuate their crime, the 766th Engineer Battalion based in Decatur, Ill.
The false advertisements are still making the same claim with the 766th as they did with the 139th MPAD, stating the Soldier will deploy to Iraq with the Decatur-based unit.
The recent advertisements that have surfaced with the 766th are trucks for sale, but the advertisements for the 139th MPAD had various names and had items for sale ranging from a laptop computer to a boat.
This person impersonating an Illinois Guardsman attempts to lure the potential buyer to use Google Checkout, a third-party Web site, to transfer funds. All of these advertisements are a scam.
"Law enforcement agencies have been actively investigating these crimes for months now," said Army Maj. Brad Leighton, Public Affairs director for the Illinois National Guard. "If you are suspicious of an advertisement you should take all precautions before sending any funds."
From the e-mail traffic the Illinois National Guard has seen, the person creates various ploys to get the potential buyer to send money.
If you encounter one of these ads, contact the FBI's Crime Complaint Center on their Web site, https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.