About two hours ago, members of the Barnard community received an email detailing the chilling aftermath of a not-really-successful mail fraud scheme. Apparently, one Barnard student became quasi-entangled in a web of money laundering and stolen identities after trying to sell some text books. The email reads:

"On 2/28/2008, a Barnard College student reported that she had used a Web Site to sell her textbooks. She was contacted and negotiated a price, $100.00, for the books and requested that the monies be sent to her mailbox at the College. She received two checks: one for $1900.00 and another for $2500.00. She began receiving emails and text messages to cash the checks and to keep $300.00 for her trouble; she was instructed to send the remaining monies to the purchaser via Western Union."

Apparently the fraudulent check will bounce, but the money in the wire transfer will still go through. Or something. Which is somehow bad? (The intricacies of law enforcement elude us.) Also maybe the pseudo textbook purchaser could have stolen her identity. But probably not.

Indeed, a frightening could-be cautionary tale.