help, been scammed!

[StewCat]

Hey, so I've been scammed. I had never used PayPal before, and I put up my laptop for sail on Craigslist. Someone in Michigan offered to buy it, so I said sure. I was sent 2 phishing emails saying that the money was pending until I sent them the tracking number on the shipped package. So, I sent them the tracking number. I sent my laptop to him, but of course I was never payed. My questions now is: is there anything I can do to get my money back? He was supposed to send me $300, and I never received any of it. Thanks in advance, any response is greatly appreciated.

P.S. He has stopped replying now, but he did text me confirming he did receive the laptop a few days ago.

[kernowlass]

You have his name and address so take legal action to recover the item / funds.

[StewCat]

yes, this may sound stupid, but what can I do? I can't exactly call 911 on him

[sferro]

What you need to do is go to your local police station. I doubt they can do much but it's worth a shot to talk to a detective. Likely unless it's grand theft nobody is going to be showing up at this guys door step. Take it as a lesson learned, craigslist does state don't conduct business with out of state buyers and too, you should never turn over an item until payment is received regardless of how they are paying.