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

[mrreindeer]

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):

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html



hello
is will like to know if the posted adds is still up for sale??????

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:

Thank for the prompt response my secretary will process and mail a certified draft to cover the cost as am completely satisfied with it.I will need the details of whom & where to mail the payment 1.Name to be on the check 2.Home address 3.Mobile # preferably Please note 'United Parcel Service' do not deliver to P.O.Box addresses and i will not be mailing a draft to one.My mover will be coming over for the pick up right only after the payment as been delivered.Kindly delete the posting as am totally committed to buying from you to save cost,..Here is my relay phone # is (210) 209-8524 am deaf and will receive your phone messages via email , regards

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:

I will need your full name & address first. Better yet, please provide me with your Driver's License & Social Security Number.

And I will be reporting you.

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

Hello,
Thanks for the prompt response and i will like you to withdraw the advert from Craigslist,i don't mind adding an extra $20 for you to take the advert down from craigslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.I don't have time to come take a look. I will be paying via cashier's check,you don't need to bother your self with the shipment Ok,i will take care of that.So i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address
3.Your phone number.
I will have my mover come over as soon as you have the check
Have a great day
Chris

This was my response:

Why don’t you provide me with your name & address first, if we’re trusting each other here…in fact, you sound really nice Chris, I really like nice boys…are you a nice boy? Why don’t I come over.

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):

Hi,

Thank you for your reply..I want you to know that i want
the best for both of us in this transaction.I'm cool with your final price
which is $875,please let me know if you will accept payment with Money
order? as it's the only way i can pay you at the moment.I would have
loved to come take a look at it? but i am presently out of town on an
assignment that will take about months my company is working towards
securing a contract that is why i could not come over and look at
it.But not wisthstanding i will pay for it next week. Pls dont be
offended i wish I could call you? but i have hearing problem due to an
accident i had when i was small.Pls kindly send pics of it to
me."Also,don't fail to reply with your name and phone number and
address that the money orders will be mailed out to so that we can
proceed with this transaction asap,i will wat you to take the posting
off craigslist today so that we can confirm the furniture item as
sold..Do get back to me.Anticipating your prompt response.

This was my response:

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html


Note the above warning. I only accept payment in person, in CASH.

That being said, why don’t you send me your name, address and phone number.

And if you’re hard of hearing, why would you want my phone number anyway?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Here's another one of my responses:

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

The price is listed. If you are not a criminal, please let me know if you'd like to buy it. Serious offers only. Note the above warning.

Here's another from donaldwell1@gmail.com:

From: max well donald [mailto:donaldwell006@gmail.com]
Sent: Sat 6/13/2009 10:01 PM
To: sale-qnhqp-1220421903@craigslist.org
** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

--
Is this pasted item still for sale????????????????????

After I said 'yes'...

Hello,
I appreciate your response to my inquiry.I am interested in
buying and i am ok with the description and condition and i am also
satisfied with the price($499).I would have love to come and check it
myself but am not chance now,my secretary will mail a certified check
in us dollars to you to cover the cost of my purchase as am completely
satisfied with the advert.Please do withdraw the advert from the
website with immediate effect,as i don't mind adding $50 for you to do
that for me,so i can be rest assured that the item is held for me and
as for the pick up my Mover will come for the pick up once the
Certified Check has been cashed and i will like to complete this
transaction before Thursday the 18th of June.If this arrangement is ok
by you kindly send me both your name and full address to post the
payment immediately and i would appreciate you include your
phone#,i.e....

(1)..Your full name
(2)..Your full home address or your office address
(3)..your zip code
(4)...your phone number to contact you

And please i don't want a P.O BOX address because i want the payment
to get to you at your house or your office address to make the
transaction fast.Thanks and get back to me with the full info as soon
as possible.Thanks

My response:

Hi Donald - Due to the many scams on Craigslist and these specific demands you are making, I will only accept ****** from you. I will be happy to have the shelf professionally packaged and shipped to you using my local shipping agent, however, the piece is a bit large and awkwardly shaped so packaging and shipping will be $200. If you'd like to continue, ****** me at ------- the total amount of $699 including shipping and provide me with your address. I hope you understand and I look forward to doing business with you.

A favorite of mine....from Mike Greg (mikegreg01@gmail.com):

Subject: RE: HUGE Gold Framed Beveled Mirror - $899 (Rancho Palos Verdes)
Hi,
Good day to you over there,actually i saw your posting on craigslist ,and i will love to know if this item is still available for sale and its present condition.if it is still available for sale and in good condition try to get back to me cos am very much intrested in buying as soon as possible ,i would have love to come over and take a look but am unable to do that for now cos am very busy for now .till i read from you have a nice day there.....

After I said yes...

Hello Klein,
Thanks for your reply and the price is accepted so i will like you to send me this information below today,please considered it sold to me.OK

{1} FULL NAME:
{2} FULL ADDRESS:
{3}LAST ASKING PRICE:
{4}PHONE NUMBER :

To enable me to instruct my client to issue and send BANK DRAFT to you as soon as possible. NOTE: I DON'T NEED P.O BOX ADDRESS......................
Am a contractor and also a buyer of used GOODS,I based in USA but presently an in Iowa i will back soon.

NOTE;-the amount that will be on the BANK DRAFT will be for the amount of the cabinets and the shipping cost,so that when you get the cheque and cleared into your account you will now send the remaining money to the shipping agent for them to goahead with the necessary shipping arrangements so that's all let me hear back from you asap, Dont worry about the shipment the shipment will handle by my shipping agent . waiting for your swift response. Thanks for your co-operation.
Rgds
Mike.

And my response:

Mike, I apologize but your email is not very clear.

I am selling a large, gold framed beveled mirror for $899. It is not a cabinet. I also do not understand when you say that I will send money.

The mirror is $899 and you will have to either arrange for shipping yourself or pay for me to have it packaged and shipped to you.

In order for me to consider the item sold to you, you will need to send to me $899 plus $100 for shipping if I am to arrange the shipping for you.

David

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

[8ball917]

Nice reply's. I did the same thing when I posted my car on autotrader years ago. It's too bad that people fall for this crap.

[Bigtotoro]

Unfortunately typical. As per usual, just use good sense and ignore these people.

[itsme_timd]

Oh yes, I've had my run ins with these types before. They are especially bad when posting things like iPods, digital cameras, laptops, etc.!

One of my favorite quites from above...
I based in USA but presently an in Iowa i will back soon

I didn't know that going to Iowa took you out of the USA?!?! Wait, I lived in Nebraska for 10 years - I think I see where someone may think that.

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by itsme_timd

One of my favorite quites from above...
I based in USA but presently an in Iowa i will back soon

I didn't know that going to Iowa took you out of the USA?!?! Wait, I lived in Nebraska for 10 years - I think I see where someone may think that.

hahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaha!!!!



I totally forgot to highlight that part!!!

"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 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"

[Deuce Da Masta]

Typical Nigerian check scam! This is very common on ebay, craigslist among others. I used to do a lot of selling on ebay and am very familiar with these types of scams. Luckily for me, i was suspicious the first time i got one of these and decided against it! Just gotta do your homework when selling on the internet. Any time they want to pay for an item and send extra money in which they want you to wire it to a 3rd party is a dead giveaway!

[Nickerson]

Scamming is just Pathetic. I don't understand how these people can do it... I understand why, for the money. But how can they live with themselves? Aren't they embarrassed? Most scammers are egomaniac narcissistic immature fools and care of no one else but themselves, they actually take pleasure and think highly of themselves for doing such things.

I do web design and web development, and I've had people charge back scam over ******. It sucks. ****** is easy to scam for services. Buyers just open a claim saying it was a fraudulent charge (meaning someone else went on your ****** account and used money), and ****** removes the money from the sellers account. Then ****** "investigates" it for 10 days, during which time you CANNOT use that money that was taken from you and is on hold. All ****** does is basically say "can you show us anything beyond any shadow of a doubt that they are lying, otherwise we believe them and you get nothing". I had a guy charge back me who had a history of charging back people. ****** didn't even think it was odd that for 2 months he charged back a day later after every payment he sent to various people.

Its just sad.

[Nickerson]

Hello,
I appreciate your response to my inquiry.I am interested in
buying and i am ok with the description and condition and i am also
satisfied with the price($499).I would have love to come and check it
myself but am not chance now,my secretary will mail a certified check
in us dollars to you to cover the cost of my purchase as am completely
satisfied with the advert.Please do withdraw the advert from the
website with immediate effect,as i don't mind adding $50 for you to do
that for me,so i can be rest assured that the item is held for me and
as for the pick up my Mover will come for the pick up once the
Certified Check has been cashed and i will like to complete this
transaction before Thursday the 18th of June.If this arrangement is ok
by you kindly send me both your name and full address to post the
payment immediately and i would appreciate you include your
phone#,i.e....

(1)..Your full name
(2)..Your full home address or your office address
(3)..your zip code
(4)...your phone number to contact you

And please i don't want a P.O BOX address because i want the payment
to get to you at your house or your office address to make the
transaction fast.Thanks and get back to me with the full info as soon
as possible.Thanks

I would have went through with the deal, find out who hired the mover, let him scam you, go to the police, and let him spend the next few years sitting in a cell with his new "buddy".

[Bigtotoro]

Originally Posted by Nickerson

Scamming is just Pathetic. I don't understand how these people can do it... I understand why, for the money. But how can they live with themselves? Aren't they embarrassed? Most scammers are egomaniac narcissistic immature fools and care of no one else but themselves, they actually take pleasure and think highly of themselves for doing such things.

Its just sad.

In regards to most of your African scammers, I think the abject poverty that is part of their everyday life enables them to do it without too much remorse. With your domestic based garden variety gypsy/traveller, its just part of the culture in many ways. Not painting an entire group as thieves at all (the Roma are still subject to horrible racism in Europe), but for anyone that has had dealings with them, it can be pretty unpleasant.

[Nickerson]

Originally Posted by Bigtotoro

In regards to most of your African scammers, I think the abject poverty that is part of their everyday life enables them to do it without too much remorse. With your domestic based garden variety gypsy/traveller, its just part of the culture in many ways. Not painting an entire group as thieves at all (the Roma are still subject to horrible racism in Europe), but for anyone that has had dealings with them, it can be pretty unpleasant.

A majority of the African Lottery scams and other things like that aren't from outside the U.S. They require you to pay "taxes" in that country on your winnings before you can collect. They usually say you won the lottery or someone died and you were in their will or someone wants to invest with you.

[mrreindeer]

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

Originally Posted by mekamron@yahoo.com

Hello, I am Kamron Williams and I'm into buying and selling.I reside in the Dover the
capital city of Delaware I have a store in Wilmington so i check through Craiglist to shop
online and get my store loaded with goods. I will like to know if the goods is still available? and the condition of the goods presently?. Also,i want you to understand that i will be making the payment to you via check as you know that I'm not too close, to pay you cash, and i am having problem with my paaaaaypal account.....the check will be post to to you as soon as we reach an agreement.
If you agree with this then all you have to do for me now is to send me your Full name as it would appear on the check, Your home address where the check can be delivered, please no post office Address,Postal code and Home phone and mobile number so i can post you the check. After you pick up the money I will send my shipper to come over to pick it up from your place.Thanks and God bless you.Kamron

[havanajohn]

Thanks for the heads up.

[ToJo]

Originally Posted by Nickerson

A majority of the African Lottery scams and other things like that aren't from outside the U.S. They require you to pay "taxes" in that country on your winnings before you can collect. They usually say you won the lottery or someone died and you were in their will or someone wants to invest with you.

Plus they justify it by saying that it is only our western greed that enables us to fall prey to these scams in the first place. If someone wants to give you $10M just to clear $20M into a bank or some such foolishness, you really have to be blinded by something to think they're legit. I'm not sure whether that something is greed, or stupidity. Probably a combination of both. Maybe some desperation thrown in as well.

[mrreindeer]

Gotta love that....claiming it's our western greed.....too damn funny.

[mrsmitty]

get e-mails like these all day long, very annoying but I spot them right off the bat. Anyone e-mails you with a gmail account it's 99.9999% a scammer.