Clever scam can trick the most savvy online shoppers

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Some internet scammers are getting so clever, they're tricking people by pretending to offer protection from scams.

It's a new twist on the classic disappearing seller scam on shopping websites like Craigslist.

Ever since the dawn of online shopping, there've been people who tried to sell big-ticket items online and then disappeared after getting money, usually from wire transfer services like Western Union.

Now scammers are pretending to embrace escrow services that claim to hold the buyer's money until they receive the product.

There are many legitimate escrow services, but scammers are also catching on and creating their own.

Jason Steil of Cambridge, WI lost more than $1,300 when he tried buying an Apple Mac laptop from Craigslist. The seller, who said he lived in Italy, asked to use an escrow service from England's Royal Mail.

The Royal Mail is a legitimate company. However, Steil didn't realize the instructions he was following weren't actually from the Royal Mail's website. They were from a fake website created by the scammer in Italy.

"This absolutely took me 100% by surprise," said Steil.

The seller sent Steil a link to a website that told him to wire money via Western Union. Steil followed the instructions, and now -- you guessed it -- never got the laptop and the money is long gone.

The seller's fake website looks completely real. It has the Royal Mail logo, fake tracking numbers, and links that actually take you to sections of the Royal Mail's actual website.

The only red flag would be the web address bar on top of the page: it doesn't say Royal Mail or anything even close.

When Steil clicked the link from the seller, it took him to a website completely fabricated. Because it looked so real, he never paid close attention to the address.

The second red flag should've been the instructions to use Western Union. Experts have said over and over that you shouldn't use wire transfer services if you aren't absolutely sure the seller can be trusted (read: friend or family).

Steil told us even the Western Union clerk in Wisconsin warned him before he sent the money.'

But the scammer's website was so convicing, he laughed it off.

Now, his $1,300 is long gone, and all he can do is warn others.