Craigslist Scam?

Gork

In attempting to sell my couch on Craigslist, I have encountered a somewhat sketchy situation. Having never sold anything on Craigslist before, some outside advice would be appreciated. After posting my ad, I receive an email asking if the item is still available. Here is my response:

Absolutely.

If you'd like to come take a look at it, I'm available from 2pm-6pm tomorrow and all day Wednesday.

Let me know if there's a time that works for you and I'll send you my address.

The response I get from the buyer is what has me slightly mistrustful:

Thanks for your mail.I want you to consider that you have already sell
it now..So i will like to make payment to you by certified check
bank/Money Order and send it to you Via ups or fedex,its overnight
delivery and for the pick my shipper will come for the pick up once
you have the Money Order..So i will like you to get back to me with
your details.

Name to be on the payment
Address:State,city and Zip-code
Phone#

Thanks


So, it seems kind of strange that he doesn't want to come look at it and he doesn't want to negotiate price. On the other hand, he can't really scam me with just my address and phone number, right?

matt has a problem

It's a scam. The 'certified check or money order' will be for more than the amount of the item, and will be counterfeit. The 'shipper' that comes and picks it up will ask for the difference in cash. We've had this scam pulled at the bakery I work for, people inquiring about shipping cakes to China and Germany the same way. It doesn't matter what the item is, the payment is always fake.

Ruckus

Most likely the old fake money order overpayment scam. He sends you a fake money order with an extra 0 or 5 or something, then asks you to Western Union him back the difference. A week or so after you send him his "change" the money order is detected as fraudulent and you've lost the money you sent him.

Sheep Have Wool

Scam.

He's going to give you a bad cashier's check, then pick up the furniture and vanish.

Newton

If you even have to ask if it could be a scam, then it's a scam. Never accept a money order, don't trust anyone with such poor english and never trust anyone who wants to buy it sight unseen and offers to have their shipper come pick it up. Those are sure signs of a scam.

Gork

Thanks for confirming my suspicions. Much appreciated!

matt has a problem

If you want to screw with him, give him fake info and a fake location. Send him somewhere really out of the way late at night.

tsmvengy

SCAMMMMMMMMM

DragonPup

Contact the Post Office to report attempted mail fraud. They take that stuff seriously.

Wulf

matthasaproblem wrote: »

If you want to screw with him, give him fake info and a fake location. Send him somewhere really out of the way late at night.

Local Police Department? I'm sure they could use a chuckle. (No don't do this. Officers are serious people!)

RUNN1NGMAN

Don't accept anything but cash when selling something on Craigslist.

supabeast

When you sell on Craigslist demand cash and use a counterfeit testing pen or check for the embedded anti-counterfeit strips. Do not accept any other form of payment, including Paypal.

Heir

Why not accept paypal? I ask only because I've considered selling some stuff on Craigslist.

Echo

Heir wrote: »

Why not accept paypal? I ask only because I've considered selling some stuff on Craigslist.

Paypal sides with the buyer in a conflict nearly 100% of the time. Even if the buyer is an obvious scammer.

Smurph

matthasaproblem wrote: »

If you want to screw with him, give him fake info and a fake location. Send him somewhere really out of the way late at night.

Wouldn't that just send the UPS guy to the middle of nowhere for no reason?

It's funny how you guys say never to accept a money order or cashier's check on craigslist because that's the only way I've ever paid for stuff on craigslist. I guess the guy was just lucky I was not a scammer.

Dog

I just wanted to point out a good rule of thumb when it comes to craigslist:

It you think it might be a scam, it probably is. If you feel uneasy dealing with a person, don't deal with them.

Figgy

Oh, and if they mention Nigeria.. that's another one :P

matt has a problem

Smurph wrote: »

matthasaproblem wrote: »

If you want to screw with him, give him fake info and a fake location. Send him somewhere really out of the way late at night.

Wouldn't that just send the UPS guy to the middle of nowhere for no reason?

It's funny how you guys say never to accept a money order or cashier's check on craigslist because that's the only way I've ever paid for stuff on craigslist. I guess the guy was just lucky I was not a scammer.

The shipper won't be UPS. The 'shipper' will be someone in on the scam.

MichaelLC

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

Don't accept anything but cash when selling something on Craigslist.

This. CL's is essentially a small-scale garage sale. They come look at the item, they pay you cash. I've sold a few big items (bed frame, TV), and you will get some crazy replies but you can weed out the real ones pretty easy.

If their email is not, "Saw your couch, would you take $100?/is it in good shape?" then don't reply.

Figgy

If someone offers to use paypal it is because they are going to send you a fake paypal payment confirmation email.

Two outcomes there:

1) You give the scammer the item thinking the payment was made (Or ship it, which is most often the case)
2) You click the link in the email to check out your account and confirm the payment. Why not? You're smart. You're not gonna get scammed. You enter your login details.. oh wait... that was a fake page too and now the scammer has your login info.

Raziel

I'll put this in caps:

DEAL LOCALLY AND DEAL IN CASH.

Craigslist is goddamn notorious for this crap. Let me give you a reeeeally good example:

Last year I was looking for an apartment in Edmonton, Alberta. I came across a listing for basically the most perfect place ever - minutes from the University, a well-appointed and furinished apartment for cheap. Smelling a rat, I sent an e-mail anyway.

What came back was an e-mail that hit all the 419 scam buttons. The owner of the place was a "Doctor" working in "Madagascar" for the "greater glory and good of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." They had nobody in town with keys, so they couldn't show me the apartment. But if I were to send a "Deposit" through "Western Union" they'd "Mail" me the "Keys."

If you're not going to deal in person, don't deal. If you're not bringing cash-in-hand, don't deal.

The 419ers are the most obvious, but there are all kinds of situations that just don't feel right.

Dark_Side

Craiglist is easy, if the ad itself is to good to be true, it invariably is. And if someone answers your ad with a horribly complex set of excuses and payment options, they're totally scamming you. Terrible english is always a huge tip off as well.