Today was a great day – rain was falling in our state which had been dry for weeks.  It was the beginning of a great week.  We had just celebrated the Fourth of July and I had been on a slight vacation – partially by chance and partially due to health.  I was glad to be back to a full work week.

However, my first week back to work was quickly brought down by a phone call.  This person alerted me that someone was using my information to sell items through kijiji.com.  This person is stating that she is an attorney located in Denver Colorado and must sell items through kijiji (the Canadian version of our Craiglist’s) such as instruments and machinery. The person is saying that the buyer should go through a site called sell2pal and submit all the money in advance and then the items will be shipped to them.

I have never sold on the kijiji website.  I have also never sold to anyone in Canada. Needless to say, this made me realize how easy it is to become a victim of identify theft.  So, in addition to saying if you are buying large items though kijiji I recommend you don’t if it is through someone saying they are an attorney in denver named Elizabeth Lewis, I recommend in any case you do the following:

1. Never send money up front – especially large sums of money.
2. Make sure you know who you are dealing with.  If you are going to be making a large purchase, the person should have a name, number, address, and other information that is verifiable.
3. If you are making a large purchase and must put money down, have an agreement to go through any escrow agent to hold the funds before delivery of the item.
4. Lastly, if a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is.

And, finally, if you get contacted by someone saying they are lizzyhome at gmail.com, run the other way.  I’ve never gone by Lizzy and am not selling items in Canada.  Use some common sense.  Do some research.  Call the supposed person you are buying from.  And, no, I am not selling anything at this time – especially not to anyone in Canada!