Scammed on Craigslist! - Comments Page 2

I've sold a lot of stuff on CL without a problem over the years. However, a clarinet I tried selling got a high amount of scam hits. I actually got fake checks from THREE different scam artists. Prompted me to call the local news station to do a story to warn others to avoid being ripped-off: http://spectralight.com/myblog/2010/08/19/craigs-list-scammers-are-out-to-get-you/

Another thing to watch out for is anybody who replies to your listing with a simple "is it still available" or some other generic statement with either no mention of the actual item or the item name is typed PRECISELY like you listing title. More often than not it's somebody phishing for your real email address when you reply to them. I don't respond to anybody that doesn't somehow mention the item in their own words. I've seen more email phishing attempts than scamming attempts in my experience, although I did have one guy ask me to ship something that would have cost less to buy new than to have the item shipped...nice try!

I've sold many items on C/L and never had any problem meeting people at my place and showing the item. They alsmost always buy it, don't dicker and bring cash. I've found it great.
I have had a couple of scammy offers from people who will pay more than I ask, have weird stories, want me to send the item,want my Paypal address, etc.... but they are obvious and I just delete them or send them weird answers. Overall I love C/L; it's far more profitable to use than eBay.

I have had the same experience on Facebook Marketplace.

people hijack ebay accounts all the time.
Just because ebay verifies sellers doesn't mean you can't get scammed. It just makes it more difficult for scammers who aren't that good. The real way to prevent getting scammed is to educate yourself. People have been complaining for years that craigslist has no security...yet it's still managed to grow incredibly. What happens when you go to a flea market and bring something home that you realize it's not what the seller said it was? Do you blame the market organizers for not verifying the quality of the item? Let's bring back an ancient tradition called "personal responsibility"

It is surprising how many scams there are on Craigslist and the actions taken by Craigslist simply don't work. I placed an ad on Craigslist and couldn't see it. After being told by a member of their staff that the reason my ad couldn't be seen is because had too much HTML that was causing it to be blocked by their spam filters (They actually have spam filters?) even though my ad had no HTML, I looked to the Internet for an answer. What I found is that my ad was probably what people call ghosted. It doesn't show up in listings but if you click the link to edit in your email, you can see your ad but not the general public. Even though I had a legitimate ad, Craigslist thought otherwise and all you have to do to get ghosted is have someone click the link to report your ad and some competitors will do this to get your ad ghosted in order to eliminate their competition. If you look at it, almost every site can have someone fraudulently create an ad even with a form of verification ID. I do have to say that Craigslist is the worst designed website I've seen and I'm surprised it has become so popular. I could probably create a better site than Craigslist with better search features and more effective ways to eliminate spam.

I was recently contacted about an item for sale, and was incredibly optimistic. Even though the guy said he would have to mail me the money order. Then I got this message:
"I urgently have to bring something to your notice. I just found out that my Assistant overpaid you. The payment meant for another transaction was made out in your name and sent to you. However I want to believe I wont have a problem with you on this. Once you receive the payment, Please proceed to the bank and cash the payment, deduct
your money and send back the balance to me via western union. So I can proceed with arrangement for pick-up. Once more, I hope I can fully trust you with this? I will await your response on this so my mind can be at rest."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Classic scam, as mentioned in the article.

I recently sold an item on craiglist, the guy wanted to pay through paypal, i got a pretty official looking email saying i just need to send the item and give them a tracking number and the money will be forwarded. Well i just shipped it out today, no money, i talked to paypal and low and behold it was a nigerian scammer! I am 17 and am currently going to fire school and am DESPERATE for money and let excitement get the best of me. Please let me know if theres anything i can do to get my money/ipod.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Unfortunately, there's little or nothing you can do. You might try contacting the police in the town where you shipped the item, to let them know that the recipient in involved in an Internet scam.

Heads up on con artists and their favorite "haunts" is information that needs to be everywhere - and often. Hard to believe how many readers seemed to take personal offense to the publishing of this information. (Person 1: "Be careful wading crossing Gator River...". Person 2: "Hey I've caught fish from that river! How dare you insult that river when only 1 in 20 people wading across it are killed by Alligators?!"

I use Craig's List frequently. It's a wonderful free service. But you have to think about it like you would (in the old days) of responding to a classified ad in the local newspaper.
Of course, they don't verify everyone. Neither did the newspaper ads.

I use it to get renters for my rental house,& sell furniture, household goods, etc.
I used it to buy my Honda, and to sell my older car.
And when you are hunting for a new dining room table or a couch - CL saves you endless hours since you can see the item (posted pics) without having to drive across town to look at it.

I also agree with other posters to ALWAYS deal locally. Never take checks or money orders.
And I always ask for a persons phone number before meeting them.
I live in a smaller city and have never had a problem with someone coming to my home. But I would probably do it differently if I lived in a larger place.