Is there anything further to do with an obvious Craigslist scam?

MetroidZoid

I got an email back about a truck that was already too good to be true (but I had to throw a line out there, just in case). It's out of state, has to be sold by the end of a week, guy has to return to his platoon. A quick google search and it reads IDENTICALLY to Craigslist vehicle (and other stuff) sales where someone is impersonating military personnel. So, besides hitting the Prohibited button on Craiglist, and reporting it but not being able to give a reason ... is there anything else I can do besides drop this?

bowen

Nope, just report it to craigslist.

Kate of Lokys

Nothing productive, no. You could invest your time and effort on some scam-baiting attempt in which you laboriously lead the scammer on, constantly convincing him that you're just about to fall for it, but delaying with questions and arguments and claims that Western Union wouldn't let you send a money order to his address. There's an entire community dedicated to that, and its members claim that wasting the time of scammers is a high and noble pursuit, using the argument that any time scammers spend dealing with the mischief of scam-baiters is time they don't spend scamming actual gullible people.

Which is pretty much bullshit, because it takes a scammer about ten seconds to reply to an email about a situation that the scam-baiter spent half an hour planning out.

If it would amuse you to try to out-scam a scammer, knock yourself out. Just know that it's about as useful as trying to convince members of a Bill O'Reilly message board that conservative talk radio is biased.

bowen

The real pros get money out of the deal to cover fees. Maybe your grandma died and you can't afford it this week, maybe they should hold out another two weeks but if they want to priority mail you a $20 bill you'll get right out and do it right away.

Pretty much extortion and blackmail though, much like what they're already doing. But to each their own.

MetroidZoid

I don't want to get into a screw-me-over-I'll-screw-over-you battle with the guy. I was just unsure if there was a site or group I could report this too. Someone already tracking a widespread scam, I don't know. I'm not going to invest my time into trying to con a conman.

bowen

Nope nothing you can do other than report them! Maybe a police report or file something with the FBI with information you got, but, you're good hombre.