OT Craigs List

[Curran Copeland]

There is a lot of talk here from time to time about Craig's List, so I thought I would try to sell a couple of items on it. Listed the items with no trouble each one about $300 or so. Got four replies to the two items, one was legit but decided he didn't want it, the other three were strange. Two had the same line, I want your item, I will send a check to you by UPS courier, take your money and send rest to my shipper so he can pick up item, e-mail me when you get check. Three checks came each for $2900 by UPS courier (about $30 each to send) one had a mailing address to send the money to, the other two had no information at all, of course all three checks were phony. What gets me is that I told the two that contacted me that I would accept a check but only for the amount of purchase and shipping was up to them, they sent $2900 checks anyway. The third one didn't contact me or send instructions or tell me what they were trying to buy, just spent 30 odd bucks to send me a bogus check. Who is getting scammed here and by whom? I took one of the checks to my bank and they took one look at it and said they wouldn't even cash it for me. So who is losing money on this?

[marc rosen]

Curran, I got similar responses from my CL listings. I think these people come from SCAMdinavia. I think they also are able to defraud UPS or FedEx when they ship the checks to you. Marc

[Lew Hodgett]

All the scammer wants is your physical address.

If you insist on "Huld foor pickup" at the local UPS or FedEx station, they go away and try to find another sucker.

Lew

SFWIW, I use a PO Box.

[Curran Copeland]

Maybe a stolen Credit Card?

[Curran Copeland]

I use a Business address but think I will go to PO box it might be safer.

[Doug Miller]

Yep.

You are, by the people who sent you the checks.

You would be, if you had fallen for the scam. The way it normally is played is that they ask you to refund the "overpayment" by Western Union, and email them the security code to retrieve the money -- which they can do from anywhere in the world (most likely Nigeria). Once you send the money, it's gone. Then the check turns out to be bogus (of course), and you're stuck.

Google "419 scam" for more information. Also see

and for some pretty funny stories of people who have turned the tables on the scammers.

[yugami]

In my opinion, craigslist is just like the paper classifieds. Cash only and you have to pick it up (or we'll arrange something). No shipping. Ever.

I've sold a few things through craigslist, and stocked about 1/2 my shop through it. Table saw, Horizontal bandsaw, Thickness planer. Drill press was through a flea market. All cash, both sides of the transaction. Cleans up a few of the trust issues if you show up with your pickup and a fist full of dollars.

[DGDevin]

These scammers also do fake Post Office money orders that look good enough that they fool people into sending goods and forwarding part of the money to a "shipper" or whoever, of course when the check or money order turns out to be fake they get stuck for the item they sent plus the money they forwarded. Obviously one of the warning signs is when someone wants to send you more than the purchase price so you can forward money to someone else. Somebody suggested they have a way to defraud UPS as well, it's quite possible that they're using someone else's account to sent the checks overnight, they don't want to give their victims time to think about what's going on. These days it isn't just buyer beware, sellers have to be careful too.

[Curran Copeland]

[DGDevin]

Maybe criminals are creatures of habit like the rest of us and this is one scammer using various accounts to try to defraud you and he just got careless in between scamming dozens of other people this week. Or maybe experience has taught himm that's just the right amount of money to hook the greatest number of suckers, who knows? Glad you didn't get burned, I'm amazed at how many people fall for such scams.

[Fred the Red Shirt]

They expect you to send them 'change', that is the difference between the amount of their check and the purchase price and shipping costs. Then their check will bounce. Bank checks, can 'bounce' after they appear to have cleared, which is how that scam works.

Since you didn't fall for it, THEY lost money.

Good for you!

[Jerry]

I have sold a few things this year on Craigs List. Rule #1 for me is Local Only, I want to see who I'm dealing with. Rule #2 is Cash Only, for the reason you just described - if you fall for the bad check scheme, they get your item and your money.

Play by those 2 rules on Craigs List, and you'll avoid most problems.

Jerry

[Lew Hodgett]

I prefer to play mind games with them. Becomes a matter of how long for them to give up.

The "Huld foor pickup" routine just screws with their tiny little minds for awhile.

Becomes a matter of how long they want to suffer.

Lew

[John]

Those are the same rules I use. This year I've sold a truck and bought a chipper/shredder via Craig's list with no problems at all.

Amazing what face-to-face and cash can accomplish ;-)

I also picked up a 24" snow thrower with electric start on the free section - not much call for those things in Atlanta, but my son-in-law (n the DC area) was excited when I took it to him.

John

[Curran Copeland]

In this case the scammer got scammed. should happen more often.

[Curran Copeland]

Since both items were of a largish nature and not readily shippable for the average Joe, I did get a little concerned when one of the "buyers" wanted it shipped to California from Kentucky. Just didn't seem like a good buy for him to me.

[Fred the Red Shirt]

messagenews: [e-mail]...

They didn't get scammed, they shot themselves in the foot because OP didn't take the bait.

OTOH, this does suggest a way to screw them, by posting ads to Craig's list etc with adds for things only a scammer would offer to buy.

[Plano Bill]

If you look closely at Craig's List there is /has been a "caution", "disclaimer" there for quite some time. Regarding scams.. Sell locally and you can avoid these little hiccups.

[Swingman]

"Fred the Red Shirt" wrote

Highly doubtful ... they probably used Lew's debit card to charge the UPS shipping fees. :)

[Swingman]

"John" wrote

Problem is, in Houston "face to face" may well mean you'll be looking down the barrel of a $2 pistola ... and, they now know where your tools are.

I check out Houston's CL on a daily basis and I suspect that a perceptible amount of what's sold here is hotter than said pistola ... you can almost tell by what passes for "ingles" in some of the ads.