Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads' up
 

So I've been listing some furniture on Craigslist. A lot. We're remodeling a few rooms in our house in preparation for the baby & we need to get rid of a lot of stuff.

And Craigslist has been great; we even sold our front door (right off the bat)!

But there are scammers out there and I just thought you all should know and I didn't see anything on the forum about this so I thought I'd share with you my recent experiences.

After posting our ads, we quickly get emails from all sorts of gmail accounts (or even yahoo accounts that are actually gmail accounts - not sure how that happens) asking if the item or items are still for sale.

Hello? I JUST posted the ad....of course it's for sale.

But that's how they get 'ya and your actual personal email address. The first email from them comes to you via craigslist so they don't actually have your personal addy off the bat.

But that's not really the problem, but if you're desperate enough (watch it), you might just fall for the scam. I have a buddy who did and it wasn't fun and he was out a chunk of change.

This is an example of the email I get in response to the ad (with Craigslist's automatic warning at the top):

Now I'm not sure exactly what this guy is asking......but I think he's asking me if it's still for sale.

And the email address that shows up is: Grant Seth [tolozolo4@yahoo.com]

But then when I reply, it switches to mloveth@gmail.com. TRICKY!

This is the response I get to my personal address after I responded saying, yes, of course, it's still for sale:

Here's the scam: they send you a fake check. You cash it. For the first week or two, all seems good & the 'mover' comes and picks up the item. Later on, you get a nifty little call from your bank telling you that the funds actually weren't available even though the funds were initially deposited into your account. So you don't get your money and you've already given away yer goods.

So far, I've received about 30 of these scam emails so far. So I've started having some fun with it. So I invite you too to send all sorts of spam to these addresses and call that number. It'll be fun.

Here's my response to the above email:

Here's another email I got from chrismarcus024@gmail.com

This was my response:

How nice of him, though, to offer an extra $20! Seriously, who would do that if it wasn't an obvious scam?

Here's another from christjomo@googlemail.com (which definitely isn't gmail):

This was my response:

Here's another one of my responses:

Here's another from donaldwell1@gmail.com:

After I said 'yes'...

My response:

A favorite of mine....from Mike Greg (mikegreg01@gmail.com):
After I said yes...

And my response:


Gotta love the internet!!! Just be careful fellas and ladies!

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Piece of advice from someone who investigates this stuff. If you receive a check/cheque, always have the bank clear it right then and there. If possible, use a draft/certified check.

In response to your use of a personal email account, PLEASE go register a GMail account that will let you stay anonymous. Beat them at their own game my friend.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Thanks for the heads up...not a big "craigs list" guy myself.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Thanks Donnie! By the way, is your email addy donaldwell1@gmail.com?

:r:r

Also, I've heard that these checks actually ARE certified cashier's checks...they're no longer safe either.

And hey, how do I register my gmail addy as anonymous?

And Michael, it really is a great website...we've sold stuff, even rented out a home using craigslist! Three times!

Just be careful of the scammers...and most of them, I've heard, are (obviously) out of the country, in Africa somewhere (so I've heard).

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

This post is worth RG just for the laughs it gave me. I am a pretty cynical person, so not readily trapped by scams. Not sure what that says about me that I don't trust people, but my money and goods stay safe. Thanks for the post.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Hahahaha, thanks Mike. I'm the same way. That's why when a guy says right off the bat...I'll pay you full price, hell, I'll throw in an extra $20....it looks like a freakin' duck to me!

If it's too good to be true....well, hell....

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

When I say "anonymous", anyone you converse with will not be able to trace your email back to you (save and except LE and organizations like mine). Register a dozen gmail accts and mix them up. Would be difficult for anyone to gather substance on you.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

As for certified checks not being safe, well that is true to a degree. But in that case, its the banks problem if they don't check it right away. I see hundreds of fake certified checks being passed everyday on our news ticker, that is basically hundreds of bank tellers that are slacking off (no offence).

EDIT: Here is a sample notice we get...

CNB Bank, Inc., Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 052204359, which is assigned to CNB Bank, Inc. The items also display a security feature statement embedded in the top border and along the bottom border between two padlocks. The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" along with a notice to customers appears in the top-left corner. The name Citizens National Bank with a "C" logo is displayed in the top center.

Authentic cashier's checks display the bank's name and location in the top-center area of the check. The words "Cashier's Check" are shown in the top-right area of the check.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Anyone dumb enough to fall for such shenanigans deserves exactly what they get. Hang on... I'm running low on cynicism, but if your :bs detector doesn't start making noise, you should probably move back to your parents basement and have all electronic devices restricted from use.

Not you, David, but PUUUUHLEEEAAASSSE.... I have had dozens of these come at me, and if they aren't specifically referring to your item, 99% of the time they are the cousins of the Nigerian Lottery official, I think. ;)

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Totally agree with you Pete. One of my replies that I didn't post here went sorta like this, including the Craigslist warning at the top: "Do you think I'm stupid? I'm reporting you." And that buddy of mine who actually fell for it, well, he ain't too smart....

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

I had a moron friend who got scammed over craiglist when posting an ad for a roommate.

I never paid much attention to it till he started talking about 'extra' money he was getting out of the deal. I immediately asked him to fill me in. Turns out the girl was from 'far away' and 'moving here soon' and 'here's a check for $XXXX.00 to go towards rent for the first few months... be sure to take what you need plus a little extra and mail me back the rest...

Typical scam... he had no idea. He cashed the check. I stopped him the night he was writing a check back. He still wasn't believing me..... then 2 days later his accounts were frozen by the bank. :r

Bout

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

I'll bet it wasn't a girl either! Yikes!

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Totally forgot to highlight another of my faves:

If I were doing this....

"I based in USA but I can't speak or write proper English but I'm definitely not in Africa heading the Nigerian Lotto Scam in addition to Craigslist scams because I'm in Iowa which really is like another country and you should trust me because I is Amerinicain just like you & will offer you full price and then some because I want what are best for both as long as you give me your name & address but no P.O. Box and oh yeah, make sure you remove the listing from Craigslist"

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

I once tried to sell a motorcycle through an online ad service (not CL) and had a similar experience. The guy offered me $1000 dollars over what I asked for the bike, and an additional $2500 to have it shipped. I wound up getting a huge check that the bank wouldn't clear because it was fake (had major suspicions long before I got the check in my hands). The guy called up, through an operator he was typing to, and threatened to find me and do me harm in order to get his money back. He didn't like it too much when I told him I didn't have the check anymore because the local police had taken the check and passed it on to the FBI. He hung up after that.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Nice! Jeez, sorry about that Joe. That sucks. Hope they caught the f'er.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Anytime you post something in Craigslist you are open to this kind of Scam. Here's the usual modus operandi:

You are the seler

1. Response to your advertisement.
2. Email back and forth. They say their representative/secretary/relative in the USA will send you payments.
3. They send you a check for more than what was originally agreed upon. They say take xxx amount for your trouble but refund (via wire transfer) them the remaining money.

Ex Cost of what you are selling is 1000 dollars
They send you 3500 dollars
They will ask you to cash the check, take 300 dollars for your troubles but send them/advance them 1200.
4. Your bank will make the 3500 available to you. You wire them 1200.
5. A few days later your bank calls you and informs you the check is no good. You are now out of 1200.

You are the buyer - This is easy to spot since most of the time, the same advertisement is plastered in different craigslist cities.
1. You email them about the item they are selling.
2. They said it's available. However, he is out of country right now but, lo and behold, he has a solution for this problem.
3. They will suggest to use a shipper company; in one of my bait, they suggested TNT.
4. Same deal with above, take xxx amount for your trouble, but wire them the rest.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

At least they're polite. :r:r

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

:D

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

The whole thing smelled kinda funky. The guy was supposedly based out of South Africa, the shipping company was based in Ghana, and the Cashier's Check was from a bank in the UK. Requested that they clear funds before I left the bank and it came back as being fraudulent. The routing number was correct, but the account number didn't exist. Crazy deal, but I didn't lose anything other than a little time. The entertainment I got was well worth that much.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

That is a good one.

I lived in Iowa for a few years, it did feel like I was in a different country.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Thanks for the heads up.


:tu


Chris.....

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

The wife and I have used Craigslist before and understand what we were in for. Tons of replies from deadbeat scam artists who kept up with their ruse. We had one girl from New Mexico send a cashiers check to us,,,but we gave her the address of the Chief of Police in our city with his real name. These people are always using "agents" and stories about their sick family members to try and get you to trust them,,,,as if they are really human beings who care,,,please! I had one person who used AOL as their address and I caught them on AIM and started talking to them as to why they are scamming people,,,they were very truthful and told me the reason they do this is because they hate Americans and they were doing this from another country. They kept saying that they are a very organized group of people who's sole purpose is to scam Americans out of their money,,,nothing more and nothing less.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Out of curiosity, why do they always insist you remove your ad right away? I haven't quite figured that part out.

Thx,

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

They do that because they keep a file on all of the "scams they are running" and don't want to send duplicate responses to their targets,,,,they know it looks shady when they are trying to scam you and it appears as if they forget that they have been talking with you and send you another email like it was the first time they responded back to you.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Thanks for the explanation. I knew there had to be a logical reason but I just couldn't figure it out. It makes sense now.:tu

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Wow, thanks for the heads up guys. I hope you're able to sell everything David.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

:D How you doin' in ND? :D

Awesome.

Wow...how terribly sad.

Ah! I didn't think of that either! Although it's obvious the same guy is emailing me about every item I've posted and often confuses the 'item' for a cabinet even though it's clearly a BIG-A$$ mirror so it's obvious the guys are carpet-bombing with abandon. It's a shock they even care if you take it down or not.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

OOH! Way to start a Friday morning! Fresh meat.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Yeah, it's like playing with yourself after awhile. I just completely stopped communicating with these idiots when I see stuff. They could really care less what you think of them,,,,they are a very organized and relentless lot of parasites whose sole purpose is to seperate you from your money. You can tell a lot from how they write their emails to you as to whether this is a scam or not and it's a "boiler room" set up they have. These idiots hardly deviate from their scam in how they write their letters and they always use the same type of banter,,,,they are from the Midwest,,,they have sick relatives,,,they always have a shipper or agent that is going to set up the payments,,,yadda yadda.

I even told one scammer ( after they sent the check to me ) that I was not going to send the money to them until I met with them personally and I also told them that the check they sent to me was cashed at one of those places that charge 10% to cash checks like they sent. ( They sent a check for $2000 to cover the cost of the item plus they overpaid $1500 so they could get the money back from me,,,supposedly because I'm an idiot and wouldn't think twice bout sending them $1,000 back while keeping the extra $500 for my trouble ,,,,yeah right) When they found out I cashed their fake check ( which I really didn't,,,just said it so it would piss em off ) they were all over me like a white on rice to send them their share of the money. I kept answering that I just couldn't send that kind of money thru the mail so if they wanted it they would have to send their agent to meet me on a certain day at a certain place and I'd give em the money. They never answered me back about it,,shucks,,,otherwise I'd have involved the police in a sting operation.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Great thread. I tried selling some items on the craig only to have people contact me and tell me that they are going to pay 50-100 extra for "my troubles" I emailed back and told them that I am the po-po and I have all their information and I am reporting them. Never heard a peep again.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

More fun with craigslist scammers!!!

This guy wrote me today:

To which I responded:

And he responded:

And I responded:

Jim would love to hear from you guys....

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Here's another one.......this from janemorgan04@gmail.com surprisingly at the very same time as when James Colbert's came through:

the setup to get my email address

And I replied:
here you go, here is my email address, come & get me

And Jane replied:

and so the scam is set!

And I replied in very very large font:

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

oh, and i should mention that jane too would love to hear from you guys

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

what the hell dude i was going to give u that $20 why wont u give me all your details and i am nice i like to stick cryons on my ears thay get stuck sometimes tho

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

OMG.....:r:r:r dude, you didn't go see Raul...

love the cryons....

I forgot to mention that Jane's email I typed in 72 font size.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

[Reply to Jane]

ROFLOL!! :r:r

Funniest thing I've seen in awhile - thanks for the laughs! :D

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

thanks Bill! :D

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

You're having way too much fun David.
:r:r

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

:tpd: That is exactly what I was thinking!:r

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

I know....and no emails this morning to play with, damn it!

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Probably Nigerians, they are famous for internet scams, and a large group of them does 'business' from Amsterdam. Every once in a while there is a police sweep through that area, but deport 10 of those illigal scammers and 25 come back to replace them.

What about accepting the check and ship a box full of garbage?

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

I'm sure their 'shipping agent' would inspect the product....or maybe not...I like how you think though....and now we have our own Amsterdam agent, thanks for stepping up Ferdinand! :tu :D

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

now give me your address and phonenumber David, so I can send you a check for your troubles :ss

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Aha! You're not our secret agent man, you're one of them!

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

the ultimate scam, pose as a double agent :)

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

http://www.dontevenreply.com/

Now this guy has taking the screwing with Craigslisters to an artistic level.


Sorry for threadjacking.

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

no worries, yep, that's a freakin awesome website but aimed at messing with people who post their ads...hey, wait a sec...you don't think these guys are just messing with me instead of me messin' with the repliers, do you?

:dance::dance:

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

being unemployed I responded to this add on CLExperience in Driving (LOUISVILLE)
Date: 2009-07-29, 3:02AM EDT
Reply to: job-44yxu-1294645620@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Valid CDL. One year experience.
Clean Driving Record

* Location: LOUISVILLE
* Compensation: $500 weekly
* This is a part-time job.
* OK to highlight this job opening for persons with disabilities
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.



PostingID: 1294645620

This is the response I got back.Dear Applicant,

I am glad you responded to my advert posted, I need a Driver for my Grandma, someone who can drive well and have a good characters. She will be in your state and city soon and that is why i posted that advert there. She will be coming over soon but will get back to you with the specific dates and time. she will be going shopping Twice a week, she will be spending at least 2hours for shopping in a day. Get back to me immediately if you are interested and remember i want a serious and a well behaved Driver.

I have contacted my Grand Mum concerning the pick up and for other purpose which she might need you for, which she told me it's okay by her,i believe you are fit for this position in as much you will prove yourself a reliable and and good person. I will let you know her arrival date and time but do get it clear that your first payment will have been sent to you before then. I will be offering you $500.00 per week including Gas money per week. A 2009 Honda Accord car will be provided for you to drive her around so you don't need to have a car before you take up this job position.

Remember that you will make yourself available twice a week to her schedule for 2 hours each day. Also i want you to know that my client who is in US will be sending you a check payment which i want you to know that the remaining funds will be used by Grand Mum for her travel expenses,accommodations and any other expenses(overdraft), kindly get back to me with the following details of yours below.:-

Full Name...
Address(No P O Box)...
City...
State...
Zipcode...
Phone number...
Sex(M/F)...
Age...

Kindly Forward me this filled details above if you are good with the offer so that the paycheck can be issued out to you as soon as possible and i will appreciate quick response from you.

Thanks and please get back to me asap..

God bless
John Cole
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.392 / Virus Database: 270.13.44/2283 - Release Date: 08/05/09 05:57:00
Needless to say I will pass up this job and keep looking .

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Wow!

Re: Craigslist SCAM! Nothing new...just a heads'
 

Seriously, who needs references or a driving record or even proof of a drivers license when it's just Driving Miss Daisy. I also like the fact he sprung for a driver but it's in an Accord. Not knocking the cars, they are good cars, just not chauffer material.