An example of a possible Craig's List scam......

[Shari]

I have a snowblower attachment listed for sale on Craig's list. Here's an example of what I am calling a scam response I got from my ad:

*************
(from potential buyer)

Hello,
Do you still have this items for sale and hope the condition
is still exactly as described in the AD?

*************
(my response)

Well, the tarp is now covering it and the snow has frozen around it......

*************
(from potential buyer)

Sounds Good. I'm very busy with work and other important obligations, I will have look to meet you in person but presently i am out of town for business and will be back from Jersey City next week. I will like to proceed with payment via E-check .E-check is just a means to send bank check to your e-mail instead of mailing it to you as i cant get around to mail a check at the moment. You will only need a business check paper to print the check from your e-mail and have it cash. You will be able to purchase the business check paper at staples, walmart, office max or any stationery store at cost of $20. I will reimburse you with the cost of supplies to your asking price. I'm in no rush with you till funds has been cleared before pick .I will await your email with the following information so that i can send the check to you once you have the supplies.

1) Full Name(2) Address and(3) Phone Number.(4)Amount Asking

Get back to me asap.

*************
(from me)

Sorry, because of your questions in your original post I will require your in person inspection of the item before any transaction. Contact me again when you are in town.

*************

I haven't heard back from him. If I did, I would also require cash.

Be careful out there everyone!

Shari

 

[Nic36]

He must be a novice, that wasn't convincing in the very least.....probably e-mailing you from Nigeria.

 

[DAKSY]

I hear that snow blowers are in GREAT demand this time of year in Nigeria...

 

[webbie]

I had a similar response from the seller of a "local" used mac laptop who got back to me and said he moved to UK, but still had it for sale, etc. etc.

 

[Shari]

I hear that snow blowers are in GREAT demand this time of year in Nigeria...

:lol:

Shari

 

[fossil]

I've only ever bought three things off CL...two loads of firewood and a steel tool stand. I've sold two bicycles. All face to face cash transactions in broad daylight, and I was very satisfied each time. CL works great as a local community resource. Anything other than a face to face cash transaction...fuggedaboudit! Rick

 

[Jack Straw]

I see cars on craigslist every day that are scams. They have prices that are thousands of dollars lower than what they should be. The picture is always in a strange place, never at someone's home. The descriptions are strange like the cupholders are very clean, etc... Then they disappear

 

[rowerwet]

I bought a 15' canoe and traded it for a 17' canoe the same day, all listed and done from CL, for gas money I got a bigger canoe, which is what I needed, and a woman in NH got a smaller canoe which she needed since her hip replacement.
You did the right thing, demanding face to face, the other thing I have heard of is "I'll be there at x" and then no show.

 

[gzecc]

Shari, Do something to waste their time. Send back false information etc. This scamming needs to be less efficeient for them. Send them on a wild goose chase.

 

[Shari]

I have had good responses on other items I have sold on Craig's list. I've also bought a few items from Craig's list. This kind of email scam puts a damper on things at this time of year though. I've got a long list of stuff we want to sell to 'up' our piggy bank for our stove install. It just ticks me off that there are people out there who do this kind of stuff.

Shari

 

[ChipTam]

"All face to face cash transactions in broad daylight, and I was very satisfied each time."

Same here. I love craigslist and, although I haven't purchased or sold a great deal, I've followed the above rule and never had a problem.

ChipTam

 

[Cutter]

I sell lots of stuff there. And I get too many responses of this type. So sitting next to my computer is a piece of paper with all of the contact info for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. This is the info I pass along to these bozos. I sometimes lead them on for a while making think that I am that stupid. I asked a friend at the KBI if I was doing anything wrong with my tactics and he thought it was a hoot and feel free to continue.

 

[StackedLumber]

sold and bought a lot from people on Craigslist . . . .my fav. scam was when I sold Pistons tix on there. Had a guy promising to send his "representative" to come get them from me and would give me a check. I told him I wouldn't accept any checks . . . .to make a long story short-in the end I told him I knew he was a scammer and that I passed his email address and IP address which he was send his emails from to the Michigan State Police and the FBI. Funny, I never heard back from him again. Got to love the spelling in the those scammer emails-usually a dead give away.

My other fav. was a scam on Ebay, which I thought I had come across a "new" Garn for $1,100 . I got a little suspicious when I looked that the person only had "Pakastani rugs" for sale and then the garn for $1,100. Then I noticed that the pic was off of another persons listing, so I emailed the guy some questions and he offered me free shipping if I paid via e-check for the boiler within the next 2 hrs. I asked him why he poached a pic off of another persons web site and needed me to pay so fast via e-check instead of paypal, they cussed me out and told me if I was going to be a ______________ and ask all those questions, they were going to alert ebay to "saller herassment" (oh, yeah that was the spelling!) I sent all the emails to Ebay and in the end, they got shut down-banned from ebay.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Maybe I'm missing something in the OP, but how does this potential buyer
scam you, assuming you make sure the funds clear before you let him
have the machine ?

 

[m0jumb0]

Maybe I'm missing something in the OP, but how does this potential buyer
scam you, assuming you make sure the funds clear before you let him
have the machine ?

this scam is an advance-fee fraud variant. the scammer typically will "accidentally" send a check for an amount a few hundred dollars greater than the asking amount, then they'll request that you wire the difference back to them. their check will clear your account, but typically the bank's fraud department won't catch it until 10 or more days later. but by then you've likely wired the money back to them already. face to face, cash only is the safest way to go with craigslist or any other dealing online where trust can't be ascertained.

 

[Danno77]

seems like there ought to be some computer variant of a response that would be akin to the black powder in the split method for foiling wood theives.

ya know. send him a false name and info that somehow is a trojan that leads cops to him or something....

 

[Beowulf]

http://www.419eater.com/

For any one that wants a laugh and an education in the art of baiting Nigerian Scammers that run advance-fee type fraud (section 419 of Nigerian law.)

These guy and gals have a blast trying to see just how much time and money they can get the scammers to waste before they wise up.