Craigslist WWYD

[neuro_mom]

Other thing with craigslist - it's better if you meet them in a parking lot at a grocery store or some other public place for the transaction. I know that can be a problem if you have a big item you can't fit in your car. However, some thieves will scope out your home and then rob you later. With meeting somewhere public, they don't know your address - it's just safer for you.

[somo_chickenlady]

Definitely! Cash only on pick up, otherwise ignore.

[Rdesonia]

"the advert" is a clear give away that this person is not local. All the scammers must be using the same translator site. Who says "advert"?

[UnderTheStars]

I don't even respond to emails on Craigslist anymore, since 4 out of every 5 were people who wanted to send me a certified check or sell me penis enhancements. Phone or text only now.

[Mom2Connor]

Originally Posted by seeinstarrz I don't even respond to emails on Craigslist anymore, since 4 out of every 5 were people who wanted to send me a certified check or sell me penis enhancements. Phone or text only now.

Really?? That is so weird. I CL all the time and in a major city, and literally almost never get a scam/spam email.

I don't ever list my number because people are so disrespectful about call times plus number phishing scams that just collect numbers.

[chandni3]

Anything that says "God fearing" is a scam Who puts that anyway? The people who do these scams need to have some edit their English too.

[sojomisa]

Thanks everyone! I never responded and haven't heard from them since. Big surprise. LOL.

[adjroberts]

Originally Posted by Rdesonia "the advert" is a clear give away that this person is not local. All the scammers must be using the same translator site. Who says "advert"?

I do use the word "advert".
I'm not a scammer. But I do talk kind of strange. I've read too many books lol.

[UnderTheStars]

Originally Posted by Mom2Connor Really?? That is so weird. I CL all the time and in a major city, and literally almost never get a scam/spam email. I don't ever list my number because people are so disrespectful about call times plus number phishing scams that just collect numbers.

I also find the emailers to be MUCH more flakey than the people who take the time to call. I am up at all hours so call times aren't a big deal to me...and I "code" my phone number like this 999 - 9 nine 9 - nine 9 nine 9 so the bots can't find it!

CL pretty much annoys the crud out of me though so I try to use it sparingly.

[Computermama]

Red flag #1 - email oddities - different respond to email than the actual email address
Red flag #2 - they never mention what the item is
Red flag #3 - they want to send the money electronically or pay in a different way than cash.
Red flag #4 - They're supposedly out of towners
Red flag #5 - odd language, both the words themselves and grammatical clues that these are not native North Americans
Red flag #6 - demanding personal information, including city and state. I don't use CL much, but I'm pretty sure it's broken up by city, which makes this an odd request.
Red flag #7 - multiple identical emails from the different email addresses.

It's a scam. Run fast and run far. Delete and ignore. A couple of those in an email might not be bad, but all of the above in one is definitely a scam. Probably if you were to send information you'd get a check for a fair amount more than the price of the item. The person would apologize and then ask you to cash the check, and send them back the overage and in the meantime they'd make arrangements to pick up the item. No one would ever come for the item, you'd send the check and only afterwards the check that was sent to you would be returned as counterfeit, so you'd be out the amount of the check you sent back. it's a very well known scam. The biggest red flags are the not mentioning the item, and the wanting to deal via check and a third party. For safety, always deal in cash and face to face.