It’s funny how creative people get on Craigslist and other Free Classifieds.
The scariest thing is that I’ll bet their “creativity” is actually working on a few people.
I’ve written similar posts about Craigslist scams before, but the one I was the target for recently was a bit more unique.
I recently posted an ad on Craigslist for a 2008 Honda Civic. Basically I’m just testing the market on a car I’m leasing for business, but I think it’s an interesting case study too.
Here are a few of the emails I’ve received:
First Indicator of a Craigslist Scam:
The vagueness of the question. “Is this posting…”
Tip: If someone sends you an email that doesn’t say EXACTLY what the product is, it’s probably a scam.
Second Indicator of a Craigslist Scam:
The follow-up email they sent:
What made this scam attempt a bit unique was that they mentioned the brand of the car I am attempting to sell.
Most follow-up emails will still be vague and un-targeted.
Third Indicator of a Craigslist Scam
Offering MORE than the asking price. Maybe this has really happened for some, but I’ve been selling and buying things on Craigslist for 4 years now and have NEVER seen this happen.
The people who use Craigslist legally are generally looking for good deals.
Forth Indicator of a Craigslist Scam
Shipping, Out of Country Transaction, Asking for PayPal email ID, Shipping Companies, etc.
Fifth Indicator of a Craigslist Scam
Bad Grammar!
I mean, it’s not a requirement to spell or write correctly to sell things online, but things like “Hoping to read back from you soonest…” is pretty obvious.
Again, the thing I thought to be creative on this one was that they actually did mention the brand of the product when they emailed back.
Got this warning on another Free Classified website that applies to Craigslist too.
[Website name] is meant to be a local service for those in Utah and the immediately surrounding areas. However, individuals outside of the country will frequently contact sellers or post their own fraudulent ads. Do not be misled! These are not honest people with exceptional deals, but criminals trying to take your money. Watch for the following signs:1. Buyer explains that they are currently out of the county.
2. Buyer offers to pay with a money order or cashiers check for significantly more than the asked for price.
3. Buyer explains that a third party or service will pick up or deliver the item.
4. Email inquiry is poorly written, generic, or strange sounding.
5. Offer is simply too good to be true.
Have you received emails like these when selling products on Craigslist?
If you’d like help listing items on Craigslist in a professional way, contact us today. (include “CL Listing Help” in the message for a special MM discount)
UPDATE
I just received another email this morning, another perfect example of an attempted Craigslist Scam.
Notice how they follow they same warnings we’ve talked about:
- “…item posted…” (not specific about WHAT the product is)
- “…ready to pay for it immediately without any delay…” (this doesn’t happen very often, if at all, on Craigslist)
- “…tell me what price exactly will be your best asking price…will wait to read from you.” (grammar and unclear – if they had actually looked at the product, they would KNOW the asking price)
ANOTHER UPDATE
Hope these updates help you in your quest to make money via Craigslist:
Related posts:
About Nate
Interesting. This is a timely article as there are ongoing scams on Craigslist, along with some horror stories. I was warned about them several years ago and frankly, with so many options available, I don’t have the need to use Craigslist.
Having said that, I’m not suggesting that Craigslist doesn’t work, it’s just that I feel their policies are not being as well enforced as they should be. As with anything, the watchword should be buyer/seller beware.
one thing that tips me off is the person offering way too much information as that example. i don’t care if they are buying it for their grandmother or how she is, etc., i just want my money. this is true of all liars, they give out too many details. i had a guy email me to try and steal my motorcycle. he told me he was a marine biologist out to sea and had to use paypal to buy my bike for his son. i needed to send my paypal account info (another tipoff). he would put the money in my account and his agent would come and get the bike. i told him i had business with a credit card terminal, send his cc#, expiration date and three digit code from back, deal could be done instantly. he said “fuck you” and was gone. i called paypal and as i thought, i would have gotten stuck with no bike or money as they hold the funds in my account for three weeks to make sure money is there and not some bogus cashier’s check. i sold a harley through the paper and told him cash only. he paid with 150 $100 bills. sold a porsche the same way, cash. don’t be a chump…
Nice article. I deal with the same issues. It seems I expect the scam messages. I attempted to sells domains on Craig’s List. 99% of all inquiries generate either job responses or bad leads to purchase the item.
CL should make it mandatory to log in. Any person deemed in violation would be held accountable, such as their account being canceled. I waste my time responding to these scam messages. It’s frustrating. They need to figure out a more effective strategy to counter the scams.
Nicely written article.
My sister was trying to sell her elliptical machine on Craigslist and ran into a woman offering to pay more than she was asking. Subsequent emails revealed the woman was out of town and willing to pay by money order; the next email was where her money orders were switched and my sister was going to receive the money order for an increased amount and she was to return the money by Western Union…yeah, okay! I’m not certain if my sister will receive the money order, but it will be delivered to her local police station!
Sounds fishy to me! Money orders are generally a SCAM (per Craiglists scam warnings).
Hope your sister has better luck.
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one this has happened to. I am currently in the process of sending back a check that was written for $1100 more than my asking price for what we were selling… The buyer is from Minnesota (which I only found out from the FedEx shipping label – the buyer never actually told me) and the check was written by someone other than the buyer and the company was from Los Angeles, CA. On top of that, the buyer was using a “moving company” to pick up the piece from us and currently, the “moving company” is in NY, NY “picking up some other items”. The buyer asked that I wire the extra $1100 to a contact with the “moving company” so they could come to my house to pick up the item. NO THANK YOU! I asked him to clarify some of my questions with the transaction and he never did. That check is not getting cashed but will be on the first truck back to Minnesota!!
I use CRAIGSPAL
Been finding and FLAGGING many scammers.
It’s us versus them (scamers), If everyone flags his own “niche” of search that daily browse , craigslist will be CLEAN!!! of spammers and scammers. Craigslist removes post flagged from multiple IP addresses, if we have everyone search narrow to his own niche and flag spam posts, we get clean result.
I recommend this application to all my friends, and we keep our craigslist niche clean!
just 2 cents…..
i just encountered what i read in your articles! I have a car
listed on cl and recieved emails from -roland bort-stating
he wanted the car a.s.a.p. &he would have it picked up.
he would pay with cashiers check or money order or if
i preferred,i could send him my banking information!
not going to happen! i emailed him back stating that i
would accept a cashiers check &that was the last i
heard from him! his email address was …….thanks for posting your information about
scammers….howard byrd lenoirn.c.
We were selling a motorcycle. A guy wrote that he wanted it, was out of the country and would send a check via Fed Ex. The check arrived 2200.00 OVER asking price, allegedly for shipping overseas. We deposited the check and it CLEARED. Have not shipped the bike and will now call he bank to see if a cleared check can still bounce.
I’m not “certified” to give you advice but I would say BE. CAREFUL!
There’s a reason Craigslist warns, over and over again, about doing business with people locally.
I hope it all works out for you but I’m awful leery of oversees check stuff on Craigslist.
the same thing is happening to me dont know what to do got a CHECK 2100 OVER asking price not sure what to do thinking this is a bad scam dont know if i should even try and deposit the money?
Here is another Craiglist scammer. His email address is
david************@gmail.com
Hello,
How are you doing this morning? Sorry for the little delay in payment, the payment has been mailed out to you via FedEx, here’s the FedEx tracking #794*************** for the payment which would be delivered to you this morning and the movers coordinator’s information below…
Name: Charlse***********
Address : 2912 *********
Denver, CO 80****
As I’ve told you initially that the movers fee will be included in the payment, so the overpayment is meant to cover the cost of shipment for the item alongside my other properties including tax and insurance plus the movers fee.
Please do act accordingly as agreed after deducting your money for the item, make the rest fund available to the movers coordinator’s info via Western Union at any of their location around you and get back to me with the Western union details below (as it appears on the receipt) so i can contact the movers for the pick-up at your location …. Deduct the western union transfer charges from my fund also $40 for yourself (meant for any hassle or run around).
Sender’s name and address (as it appears on Western union receipt)
Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN 10 digits #)
Actual amount sent.
Do let me know your schedule for the rest of the week/weekend regarding pickup as i have some other properties to be moved alongside the item.
Hope i can trust you with the overpayment and this will be done in good faith. Your Honesty and transparency will be appreciated.
Thanks for your patience and understanding,
Regards.
Here’s a few examples that I’ve received…. the email address is dosezelbrat123@gmail.com
Hello,
Thanks for your reply concerning my inquiry and sorry for the late
reply,am quite comfortable with the condition of the item since i
won’t be making any repairs on it,i would mine adding extra $50 to
your asking price for keeping it for me. I am paying by Check/money
order. It will take few days for payment to get to you. As per
pick-up,You don’t need to worry about that as i have a Moving company
I will make arrangement with for the pick-up after payment has been
received by you . Kindly reply with your details on where the Payment
should be send to. I will let you know how i intend to pick it up.
Here is the information needed for the payment below.
(1) Full Names
(2) Mailing address, No P.O.Box Please
(3) Your direct Telephone Numbers(Home or Office and Cell)
Note:
As soon as you have your money in hand we can talk about the pickingup
of the item ok. I would like you to take the posting off craigslist
today.
Thanks and have a Blessed Day.
—————————————————————–
Hello,
How are you doing,i hope you are fine and alright.I have been
busy myself but doing great.There is something i think i must bring to
your notice.After a reconciliation of my account,i discovered that
somehow my partner must have over paid you.The payment that was meant
for another transaction was sent to you and the one meant for you was
sent to another,however i want to believe i wont have a problem with
you.
Please once you receive your payment,i will like you to deduct your
money and send the remaining via western union to the manager of the
shipping company that will help me with the pickup.I will provide the
info you need to complete the western union transfer once you receive
payment.Thanks once again for your understanding.
Warm regards.
————————————————————————————
Hello,
I will like to let you know that the payment will be delivered to you
this morning via Fedex with this tracking # (7*************),once you
cash it at your Bank,deduct your payment and send the remaining
balance to the shipping company information via Western Union in cash.
I got in touch with the moving company concerning pickup and they
told me to get words with you as to know when you will be available
for them to effect pickup after they have receive their fund.
They gave me their information that will enable the fund gets to
them via Western Union in cash and below is the information of the
Account Manager where you will send the funds to after you have
received the payment.
Use part of the remaining balance to pay for a MINUTE Western Union
Transfer fee.
Receiver’s Full Name : Jeanien Wilson
City : Jamaica
State : NY
Zip code : 11434
Country : United States
After making the payment,you will have to send me the following
information about the transfer so that i can forward it to them.
Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) :
Senders Name and Address:
Total Amount you send:
Amount for Western Union Transfer Fee:
I will wait to hear from you upon receipt of this email.
N.B: You will have to go to any Western Union location and send the
remaining balance to the shippers information in cash
We were scamed for 3000 dolars on a 4 wheeler! The guy had us western union the money to him claiming he was a women! The deal was to good to be true but we were blinded by it! Problem is people don’t look up scams till they have been scamed! Guess lesson learned just very frustrating!
someone just tried to scam me. the name is dorsey ray and this is what she said.
Do you still have it? is the price negotiable??
i said
yes it is still available but i would like full price because it is in very good condition and it is oak.
she said
hello,
thanks for getting back to me, just so u know i’m okay with the condition and the price and i am ready for its purchase.my form of payment will be by check which can be cashed instantly, or deposited for clearance and after that we could proceed with pick up arrangements so you can be rest assured.Payment with be sent by via UPS or Fed-Ex with a next day air delivery.
I’ll be responsible for the pick-up and the movers\pick up money will be included in your payment so as to avoid delay and enable movers to schedule an appropriate time for the pick-up at your location. After the check has been cashed as i have other properties to move alongside.
Would love to come for viewing but i’m afraid it won’t be possible due to my work frame. It won’t fight into my schedule but more pictures would be deeply appreciated deeply. Kindly get back your full name, and address including your cell and land number so i can make out the payment.
Thanks.
does that sound like a scam??
Hello Jasmine,
We’re not by any means “legal council” but, from the looks of the information you pasted here, this would be a great example of a shaddy scam.
The fact that they don’t mention anything specifically about the product, the fact that they don’t mention your name, and the fact that they are having it all shipped are “3 Strikes, You’re Out!”
Good luck selling your stuff on Craigslist!
I was wondering about scams going the other way? I responded to an ad, and whoever wrote back said they were worried about trusting people on CL and wanted to verify who I was, which required me to enter my phone number on a website CLsafteycheck.org…Do you think this is a scam or genuinely worried people?
Yep, that sounds like a scam too. Anytime they ask you to enter information like that to a website or a link, it’s probably a scam. Most of the time, if it’s not a scam, they will provide a contact phone number where you can call them to talk about meeting somewhere in public locally.
Thanks for bringing that to our attention!
I have received several requests like this on my ad. “Send phone number as I have questions” My phone number is included in the ad. Only thing I can figure is if I respond with a number they now have my e:mail address. They have my phone number and by reverse lookup, my address as well. Best bet is to refer them back to the ad.
I almost fell into a horrible CL scam- I answered an ad for an apartment, and the person responded that they were living overseas, so they couldn’t show the apartment, but if I wanted it, they would send the keys over to me. They said that they were a professor, and gave me a story about their background and education. Then when I said that I would take the apartment, it turned out that they wanted me to deposit money through an ebay account, and it would go straight to them, and then the keys would get sent over. They gave detailed instructions on how if I didn’t like the apartment, I would have 14 days to return the keys, and they would give me my money back.
The apartment was basically a too good to be true price for the neighborhood that they said it was located in, but just to be sure I went to the address that they had given, and it was a very nice apartment building. I asked the doorman if there were any residents living overseas who had put an ad out on CL to sublet their apartment, and the doorman told me that it was a scam, and they had been doing it many times. He even told me the name of the person and their email address, before I was able to tell him it. I knew the apt was too good to be true, but I cant believe that this scam has happened before, and I hope that no one has ever fallen for it!!
I just inquired about several cars I saw listed on Craigslist and received responses that just didn’t sit well with me. I decided to do a little investigating and that’s how I found you.
Two of the cars I inquired about generated near identical responses…even though they were different cars and one “seller” lives in Florida and the other is in Ohio. I sent this reply back to “one” of the sellers:
Hi “Jessica”,
Thanks for your reply.
It’s funny how you and “Mrs. Jones” from Ohio are selling your cars for the exact same reason and both your husbands hold the same job! If you really want to pull off a successful scam, you might want to change things up a bit when you send out your email responses!
Hugs and kisses!
“Jim”
The scammers I dealt with are: Patrick Jaynes (a bailiff from Philadelphia), Jessica Stan (from Ft. Lauderdale, FL) and Judith Jones (from Cleveland, OH). “Judith” and “Jessica” were the ones with the near identical email responses.
I haven’t heard from the 4th seller that I contacted but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it’s probably a scam too!
Patrick Haynes situation can you tell me about that?
Did he reply back to what are the details.
We just tried listing a vase in Craigs List for $250.00. Some guy using his “wife’s” email sent the following:
Thanks for the prompt response to my mail.I will be buying from you so
please kindly withdraw the advert from C.LIST. Please be informed that
i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank .I will need the
following details to mail the payment as soon as possible.
1.Name to be on the payment _________2.Home address__________
City_________State _________ Zip Code___________3.Cell phone
#__________I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you
have your money .I am completely satisfied with the advert and the
payment will be delivered within 2-3 working days.** I use a hearing
impaired phone # and will receive your calls via email **
Thanks
Name was Mary Williams, address jwjoswill4@gmail.com
Almost fell for it, until my 18 year old computer genius son looked it over, then I really got to thin king about this. I told them I knew they were scammers & I haven’t had an email since.
Thanks,
Liz
this guy or lady whatever is trying to buy an antique from me tryed to cash check noone would cash it thinking it is a scam MAry williams is the email name and the email address is jwjoswill4@gmail.com fell for it dont know what to do now thank you….
i got exactly the same email from exactly the same sender (jwjoswill4@gmail.com) yesterday for an antique dresser I’m selling, and identified it as a scam. i’m adding another bump on this comment thread to increase the likelihood that future googlers will come here before they get tricked. red flags:
1) not interested in seeing the item before buying (would YOU do that?)
2) has an excuse for not giving a phone number (I’ve corresponded with hearing-impaired over phone before, “my phone works by email” is totally bogus)
3) wants to pay via weird method, not in cash or in person
4) payment before receipt clearly constructed to give me a false sense of security.
amazing this thread has been active for over a year! I wish I knew who to report this to. CL seems primarily interested in scam postings, not scam buyers.
if you’re using gmail, i’d recommend hitting the ‘report phishing’ button on their response email. then at least somebody knows about it…
I just got a similar message from the same email addres that you listed.
Thanks for the prompt response to my mail.I will be buying from you so
please kindly withdraw the advert from C.LIST. Please be informed that
i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank .I will need the
following details to mail the payment as soon as possible.
1.Name to be on the payment _________2.Home address__________
City_________State _________ Zip Code___________3.Cell phone
#__________I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you
have your money .I am completely satisfied with the advert and the
payment will be delivered within 2-3 working days.** I use a hearing
impaired phone # and will receive your calls via email **
Please, send me your physical address for easy and saver delivery
Thanks
I listed a new top-quality backpack for half of what I paid for it.
The first week I got 4 replies.
All the people had unusual “foreign” names, phone numbers that were in states very far from me and one word responses like “Interested” or “Terrific”,… “call me @ …..”
Didn’t make sense so I ignored them.
We are trying to sell our couch and received wellllll over what we initially asked for. Check out the e-mail below. We received the check, but we are turning it into the police asap. Problem is, we didn’t realize it was a scam until afterwards, so we gave him our phone number. Bigggg mistake.
——-
I’ve just been notified by the movers indicating the pick-up time and date with a detailed explanation from the coordinator regarding the movers fee and they made it clear that all payment should be made to them via western union as a preferred payment including a receipt confirmation prior to pick up.
Here’s the details below:
Receiver’s Name:
Address: .
Do let me know your schedule regarding pickup as i have other properties to be moved alongside.
Please act accordingly as agreed after deducting your money for the item, make the rest fund available to the movers via Western Union at any grocery store or any of their outlets near you and write back with the western union details below (as it is on the receipt) so i can forward to them as confirmation of payment prior to the pick up and they can schedule for it at your location …. Deduct the transfer charges from the remainder also $40 for yourself (meant for any hassle or run around).
I never thought I’d fall for one, its a bit more complicated, I wanted to rent a house and the lady I was emailing told me she was in africa and would send me the key tru fed ex bt I needed to give her a deposit and send it to africa tru money gram then she would send the keys and stuff, then I realized the key was on the house door so I askd her to just gve me the code and if I got it open I’d send her the money, she refused so I thought it was too strange besides the fact that it was a 3 bedroom house for 750 month (too good to be true) I began doing more research on the house to find out the owner wasn’t in africa and he was selling it for more than $380,000 because it was newly remodeled! the neighbors told me they recently had an open house on it last sunday. I called the person I was dealing with and told her I had found out it was a scam, she insisted and began telling me how sad she was for me rejecting the offer! Incredible!! I let go of it and after a while she stoped calling me. This happened today!!
I am selling a tv and have a person in uk that wants to purchase and pay the high shipping. He wants me to send a payment request to him through paypal to pay me. Sounds fishy, but what could I lose by letting him pay me through paypal?
here’s a starting rundown of ways you could lose:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110321151130AAs6gcH
every well-conceived scam will be built to make you think that you are in control / have complete security at each step.
Same here, this AM I received an email from a different email address than where this afternoon’s offer came from. It didn’t ring true. This is what I received this afternoon….
{Thanks for the prompt response to my mail.I will be buying from you so
please kindly withdraw the advert from C.LIST. Please be informed that
i will be paying with a certified check from my Bank .I will need the
following details to mail the payment as soon as possible.
1.Name to be on the payment _________2.Home address__________
City_________State _________ Zip Code___________3.Cell phone
#__________I will make arrangements for the pick up as soon as you
have your money .I am completely satisfied with the advert and the
payment will be delivered within 2-3 working days.** I use a hearing
impaired phone # and will receive your calls via email **
Please, send me your physical address for easy and saver delivery
Thanks}
Thanks for yor posts and this site!!!
Warning to others: We just got hit by a scammer trying to sell a Sofa on Craigslist very similar to other emails. There verbiage was the same and we received a check for $2,100 over the asking price wanting us to wire the cash to mover in LA. We are in Chicago, The check mailed from hospital in North Carolina, Check drawn on bank in Lake Charles, LA and mover in LA? I am contacting Craig’s list about this.
Email I received from Louisekelseyx55@sify.com
Hello,
How are you doing today? The check has been delivered via Fedex,Thanks for your honesty towards this transaction so far.Well, the overpayment is meant to cover the cost of shipment for the item alongside my other properties including tax and insurance plus the movers and agent fees.
Please deposit the check today so that it clears tomorrow after the check has cleared,All you have to do is go the bank and have the rest of the money withdrawn in cash and have it sent to the movers via money gram
Here’s the movers information below.
Name : Veronica Ponce
Address : 1172 Isabel Street
City : Los Angeles
state : CA
Post code : 90065
Do let me know your schedule for the week regarding pickup as i have some other properties to be moved alongside the item. Please do act accordingly as agreed after deducting your money for the item, make the rest fund available to the movers via money gram Money Transfer at any of their outlet around you or check on http://www.moneygram.com{click find us} and check for their outlets around and get back to me with the transfer details below (as it appears on the receipt) so i can contact the movers for the pick-up at your location ….Deduct the money gram money transfer charges from my fund also $50 for yourself (meant for any hassle or run around).
1}Sender’s name and address
2}Reference number {which is the 8 digits number on the Money Gram receipt}
3}Actual amount sent after the fee had been deducted
Hope i can trust you with the overpayment? Your Honesty and transparency will be appreciated
I await your response
Your Tracking Information
I just posted some furniture and received inquiries from this exact person – they used three different emails though then it ended up being at this address. They wanted to overpay me by $50 and arrange for movers to come pick everything. Thanks to these posts I just “reported phishing” with google and won’t be responding to this user any more!!
Well, I fell victim to the scams…not once but twice in fhe same week. Now thanks to the wastes if human life, I am homeless. They even webt as far as to quote scripture….
I have a question… is there anything a scam-er can do with a replied emailed?
I have had 2 emails asking for me to call them about the item I listed.
I called and both of them are wrong numbers.
I do not understand. If I reply in an email saying that they gave me the wrong number are they able to get more information on me?
I just do not get it.
Thanks!
i had the same thing happen, i posted two things and had two emails from weird names (one for each item) within a minute of each other. saying to call and the numbers had no area codes, so I ignored them and flagged them. I am not sure what they are trying to do, but it is fishy
Hi Nate,
I’m think this one could be a scam. Its from henrylopez190@gmail.com. Starts out-
Hello,
I have received your email message. My Sister will be coming from (Hawaii) .She is 36 Years of age. She speaks English fluently. We need you tor elder.o be honest and trustworthy in this Position. And if you dont know hing tow to drive, you will hire a car for her. So kindly provide me with the requested information below so that we can ensure the housing agent get her an apartment which will be closer to your house.Also we will be paying you the first week wages upfront via a certified check.
I did not include the whole email; too long. First off in the craigslist listing it says Caregiver for elder. Since when is someone 36 an elder. Also because I do not know how to send resumes through a computer, I was waiting to get someone to help me and because it was already past 24 hours, I decided to write an email saying I would send the resume later. I included my phone # and said it was from Hawaii. They did not ask for my bank info; just name, address, phone #, age,and marital status. So I was thinking what could they do with that info. Would they have asked me to cash the certified check and send some money back? I would like to post this on craigslist and say its a scam. Is there a way to notify the people at craigslist+
Hi, i encountered the same thing,i just got the check yesterday im guessing its a scam too. from amendomeyer@gmail.com..so have u gotten a check in your mailbox?
How are you doing? I’m sorry for my late response, i got your e-mail
about the Elderly Care position but was unable to reply on time owing
to my busy schedule. My name is David Mayer and my sister (Sherill)
will be coming from (Oregon) and she will be moving before 10th of
next month. she is 59 Years of age, 140lbs and 5.8ft. She speaks
English fluently. We really need someone to take care of her. You must
be honest and trust worthy in this Position.
The work basis/duties are below.-
-You are to be checking on My Sister at least and spend at least 3
hours with her, 3 to 4 times in a week for proper caring and to know
how well about her health and i hope you have little medical
experience? Cos that will be an added advantage.
- You will be earning $400 weekly for handling this job properly.
- You will be driving her to hospital when she is needed for medical
check up which should be at least once in a month and if you don’t
know how to drive, you will hire a car for her but you must go with
her.
– Your working days is flexible.
You will have to prescribe the convenient hours during each of this
days which will not affect your other regular work in case you have
one as this will be a part time work for you and if you want to live
with her in the house for other assistance there will be no problem.
If you are okay with this job conditions, kindly provide me with the
requested information below so that we can ensure that the housing
agent get her an apartment which will be more closer to your house and
I hope about 6 miles will not be too far for you. Also we will be
paying you the first week wages upfront via a Certified Check because
you will help her to get some medical tools like one touch basic
machine, acu-check machine and test trips in any nearest pharmacy
store around.
So I want you to respond back with the following details so that we
can ensure you are ready for the work.
1. Full Name as it will appear on the check payment.
2. Mailing Address, NO P.O BOX PLEASE
3. City
4. State and Zip Code
5. Phone Number
6.Age, Sex and marital status.
I will give you her living address once the rental agent find her a
suitable house. We’ll be awaiting your email soonest so that we can
proceed as you can understand that the date is fast approach.
Kind Regards
David
Thanks so much for responding back with the requested information, i
really appreciate it. I want to inform you that your details will be
forwarded to my sister and the agent who will be getting her the new
APARTMENT somewhere not too far to your area. Also, further details
about her health condition will be forwarded to you as soon as we have
more detail reports from her Doctor but just be aware that she has
diabetis, she walks very slowly and she is pertially impared but could
grap things easily when communicating with her and she is a bit okay
on her own but needed attention often time. Maximum of 2 to 3 hours
each day will be okay for her. So since i can trust you on taking care
of my sister, i believe you can take care of things for her and i
believe she is in good hands. The payment of $2875 will be sent to you
which you will be deducting your first week payment of ($400) that I
already promised and the rest of the fund will be needed for the
purchase of some needed items for her and payment for the Rental Agent
for the new apartment she will be staying in your area. I will be
sending the information of the rental agent to you upon the
confirmation that you have received the check payment, I am entrusting
you on this payment that will be coming to you and I will need your
full trust along this line because I must ensure of your honesty and
full satisfactory of your well being.
Kindly let me know if you are okay with the term and condition for the
job and if i can trust you with this. I would also need you to confirm
the information below if they are correct to avoid mistakes when
sending the check payment to you and ensure that you include your Cell
phone number to reach you…
I have an item currently listed on CL – $350. Received email asking “is it still available” – I replied that it was. Received second email stating he would buy it – He was going out of the country but would have an assistant mail me a Cashiers Check or MO and arrange for it to be picked up once the funds had cleared. He asked for my name, address and phone number. I replied with my phone number only – telling him I’d give him my address once I had spoken to him. Assuming I hear from him – I’m going to tell him to mail the Cashiers Check or MO to whomever he has arranged to pick the item up, have them cash it – and bring me the cash.
I received two suspicious e-mail offers today, one from brucesmith0006@gmail.com and the other from nichojohn001@gmail.com. Both emails contain similar text, something like this:
Hello,
Thanks for your response in business time,i would have love to call you but due to the schedule of my work,i will need your name and address with your phone number for payment,As am only able to make payment by certified check, because i am on business trips and i will be pleased if you can send me more pictures.It will take some days for the payment to get to you.As per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment has been received and cleared in your account.i would not mind adding 50$ if you retain it for me and Please take the posting off Craigslist today and consider it sold to me. Do reply back with your full name and address in which the payment will be mail to you.
Expecting to hear from you soon.
Regards…..
Nicholas
I was initially duped as I am new to Craiglist and gave them my address and phone number. They went on to talk about the “mover” and wiring them the overpayment, so I became suspicious. After reading websites such as this one, I became convinced this was a scam. I linked them a website showing their operation is a scam and they stopped contacting me. I am a bit concerned I gave them my contact information. Any thoughts?
I just got a message from the same email. So far just asking if the item is still available. It will be interesting to see what is sent next. I think giving your contact info is fine. They are long gone fishing for the next victim. I;m guessing most of what you gave them is available in the phone book anyway.
nichojohn001@gmail.com sent me exactly the same emails so glad i checked these sights before i did what he asked i just wrote him back and told him to send me a prepaid credit card we will see what he says about that lmao ty so much
i recieved the same email from Nicholas John today. It was word for word as the one you recieved! I knew it was a scam due to the bad grammer and spaces and gaps in the sentences as if it was a computer generated message!
I was looking for a job on Craigslist and answered an add for a mystery shopper. I thought it was legit because I have known people that have done this. I received an email back saying that I was “hired” and my assignment was to choose a local Walmart and a local Western Union to asses. The Western Union aspect made me suspicious so I wrote back saying that I wasn’t going to participate. Then I received an email saying that a fed ex. package would be arriving with money orders and instructions, money orders in the amount of $1800. I found the package on my porch and really just wanted to send it back but that would cost $27.00. I still have the money orders. The local police don’t want anything to do with it saying that unless I was a victim of a crime, no crime has been committed. What would you do with the package?
We are trying to sell a car on CL and it is usually pretty easy to tell if an email is fake, if they don’t mention the item, price, etc…. I have NEVER gotten a text that was a scam before, until now. I’m about 99.9% sure it is a scam/spammer. This is what the text message(s) said;
Hello, is your 1996 Buick Roadmaster, Limited – 3,600 on craigslist still for sale (my husband replied “yes”)
Reply:
“Sound great , I accept your price but i would love to know its present condition and the reason why you wanted to sell it then i need to see more pics since i will not be coming to view it in person and i will arrange for the pick up from your side as soon as the payment clears, so kindly get back to me with your paypal email address and full name with the total cost. So i can proceed with the payment as soon as possible. Thanks and hope to hear back from you soon.”
THEN he got another text saying
“I am a serious buyer here is my information Name:Steve Evans Street Address, 30 Leicester Square. City, London. Country, United Kingdom. Postal/Zip Code WC2H 7LA Phone number: 447023076678 but sorry you can’t reach me because i’m on the ship right now…. i can pay you via paypal as only online safe and secure online payment. So kindly sign up at http://www.paypal.com and get back to me with the paypal full name and email address with the total cost so i can make the payment as soon as possible Thanks hope this is alright for you.”
Obviously, super fishy, but I have never had a text like that. I tried searching online for other examples, but couldn’t find any.
I got the same exact email. The person said she was in the military and was not able to come and see the item I was selling. I didn’t reply back and got another email two days later but she or he had a different email address asking got the item and offering to pay through paypal.
I post alot of items on CL. I think for the most part I can spot a scam but, I am as stumped as the few postings above mine. I get an interested party stating “Hey, im interested”.
What exactly is the scam?? Most of the e-mails are from an earthlink account. Names dont usally match but when I responded, 90% of my e-mails were returned for “address unknown”.
Its hard to believe people are still trying the western union or “my shipping company will pick-up”. That one has been being used for a couple of years now.
Lately, i have a couple of generic statements saved that are fairly rude and sarcastic that I like to send back (hopefully, they aren’t REAL people looking to buy…..otherwise, i just lost a sale) but it seems that almost what every interested/potential buyer is these days are nothing but scammers.
Has anyone found anything fishy happening by responding back to a “hey, i’m interested”? i have never given my number but they do get my e-mail address. Can that pose a threat to any of my personal information to someone that might have some computer skills?
I will continue to use CL as there are still a few good people out there looking for good deals just as I am. I agree with all these post above and encourage people to be cautious of ANYTHING that seems fishy or to good to be true. Stay on top of the most up-to date scaqm teqniques.
PS: I almost had a 2010 Fatboy Harley for $3,000 from a widowed woman who moved to Santa Barbara. The bike was in a Florida shipping lot ready to be shipped ANYWHERE as soon as I sent her the money order. I was a little disapointed when i told her I was at the shipping yard and wanted to see the bike and never got a responce back…… guess she already sold it……. I did forget to mention to her i lived in Minnasota and have yet to ever step foot in Florida
I actually pass a few moments of lazy fun by baiting morons like these guys. I’ll play along, give them the number of the desk sergeant at a nearby town’s police station, address for an open field, make up phony Western Union reference numbers, ask a bunch of questions that sound like a newbie might ask, etc.
My favorite scammer scam is to pretend I don’t understand what they’re asking for. When they ask for a phone number, I’ll post back “Do you mean my phone number or any phone number?” Or I’ll write all in low case letter an act like no write good sorry englihs not my tongue plese excuse question an terible spell, yes?
For email spam that’s for male enhancement products, I’ve got my standard reply with even more outrageous claims than they had, like developing 11 inches in three days, etc. I always use a throw away email and false name. It’s all great fun and for a good cause…
I received an e-mail about the treadmill I am selling. I got the samething everyone else is talking about. I’ve told this guy that I’ve sold the treadmill (which I haven’t) but the jerk doesn’t listen. Now he’s sent me a check for 2100.00. I looked up the address on the chech and it’s a casino in California. Now what would a casino want with my treadmill. He’s going to be surprised when he get nothing back.
Here’s one from nichojohn001@gmail.com:
Thanks for your response in business time,i would have love to call you but due to the schedule of my work,i will need your name and address with your phone number for payment,As am only able to make payment by certified check, because i am on business trips and i will be pleased if you can send me more pictures.It will take some days for the payment to get to you.As per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment has been received and cleared in your account.i would not mind adding 50$ if you retain it for me and Please take the posting off Craigslist today and consider it sold to me. Do reply back with your full name and address in which the payment will be mail to you.
Expecting to hear from you soon.
Regards…..
Nicholas
BTW Here is my response:
Great! That sounds AWESOME
Here’s my name and address, more pics are on the way!
Iam A. Sucker
100 Stickitupmyass Lane
StupidVille, NH 03054
(603)888-8888
- Iam
This is all great information as I almost fell victim but warning signs when off when the “buyer” said she sent a check for nearly $2000 more than the asking price. I’m curious. None of the postings here actually spell out what the next step in the scam is. Do these nutballs ask for bank routing numbers, or social security numbers? Like I said, just curious as it appears most of us have stopped the scam at the very beginning.
I have two “people” wanting to buy my iPhone and have it shipped to Nigeria??? They are wanting to send money to my paypal but the money us in my paypall account! What should I do?
I recently posted an ad for a blackbery on craigslist. I got an email saying they wanted to buy it as a gift for their grandson and that they were out of town so they would send me money via paypal or money order including payment for shipping and offered $100 over asking price. Knowing money order is guarenteed, I agreed to money order and gave him my address. When he told me the address he wanted me to send it to it was to Nigeria. My brother told me this was a scam and not to do it. I researched craigslist scams and I am 99% sure this is a scam. I haven’t sent the phone but I am worried about the fact that I gave him my name and address. Should I be concerned about giving out this information??
By the way.. this website helped tremondously, so thank you!
Purchased this name gogo tent from the guy on a Craigslist in Seattle WA. When I met him I handled him a 100 bucks and he gave me the tent. I didnt ask his name but he has a green jeep and himself is about 6 ft tall. He said that the tent was in good condition. When I brought the tent home it didnt have a pump. I called the guy and he said that he would bring it once he finds him, however he has never picked up his phone. His number is 425 591 4210. If you will happen to buy anything from this person please make sure you take your time and check what he sold you.
I have been trying to sell a sofa and loveseat on CL and am a little suspicious of some people who are satisfied with the price. The warning bells on two of them were that they were using “English” language such as advert instead of ad and draft instead of check. But also the fact that both had the exact same: Hello,
Thanks for the swift response,as the furniture is still available, I
will send a check to cover the cost of my purchase as am completely
satisfied with the “ad”.I will need the details of whom & where to
mail the Check..It will be delivered by USPS…
1.Name to be on the check
2.Home address
3.Mobile #
Kindly delete the advert on Craig’s List as am totally committed to
buying from you and My mover will be coming over for the pick up after
you must have received and cashed the check, Also I would have love to
call but I’m a deaf, So please send me an email only.
Regards
Both people claimed to be deaf. Mike Stone is the name of this one and the other is Julianna Williams.
My real question is this: I received another email from a “deaf” person and we have been corresponding back and forth via email. She has given a lot of quote personal information. She’s a teacher in Rhode Island and her assistant will send out the check (this has been going on for a month). Says that we can text back and forth but because she’s deaf she can’t call. When questioned why I haven’t received the cashier’s check she said she just found out her assistant was in an accident. Just sounds suspicious. Her name is Jade MacFish.
I find it ironic that with one ad I have had 3 deaf people. I’ve told them that I know how to use TTY but they never seem to want to go that route. I commented to my husband that there must be some kind of contest for deaf people to furnish their homes as inexpensively as possible. As much as I want to sell this set I think at this point I’d rather deal with someone locally and lower the price than to be possibly scammed out our money. I’ve personally received some really good deals through CraigsList and will continue to use it.
Sorry it was Elizabeth Williams that had the exact same email, not Julianna Williams and the spelling for Jade is actually Mcfish.
the spelling for Jade is actually Mcfish.
Like the sandwich? I got one from a guy who insisted on being called Breakfast Jack. Sometimes, I think they’re just toying with our psyche.
Most of these posts are worthless as nobody describes the end of the story. What exactly is the scam not the come on. Could it be that it is a special check that can be voided after you send the shipping fee? In cohorts with a fake bank. Somebody expose this thing. How can one lose if the check clears or do they come after your boat before the check clears and pressures you to complete tranaction as they are in a hurry blah blah.
This is why sending an amount more than the asking price is such a common scam. If you deposit a fraudulent check YOU are responsible for it. The check often posts to your account, but that does not mean that the money is drawn from whichever (frequently foreign) bank printed on the check. In the meantime, you have sent the scammer your real money (usually a few thousand dollars), drawn on a real bank. So then you are out however much money you sent, the item, if you ship it to them *and* responsible for depositing a fraudulent check. Don’t fall for it. If it seems too good to be true, it is.
what i have been getting lately its very frustrating for people who are seeking legitimate work,
Hello
How are you doing today thanks for Getting back to me ..Well am very happy to read from you ..And i Just wanna congratulate you that your application as Been Approved..And am Talking this time to assure you that you have been Fully Applied has my Assistant
I’m sure you’ll understand I tend to have a very busy schedule at this point.
Please note that this position is not office based for now because of my frequent travels and tight schedules, it’s a part-time, work from home basis and the flexibilty means that there will be busier weeks than others, so it’s a little difficult judging the exact number of hours you’ll be doing per week.If you can manage your time properly, this job may even give you some extra while you do something else on the side.
I am glad you are willing to work with me and i promise to be a good BOSS .I am also glad on the commitment in working. I have been checking my files and what i would want you to do for me this week is to do shopping for office equipment/printing materials for my new office,A check will be mail to you from a Client this week , the money is needed to get some Tools need for my new office.
So the payment you are receiving is from my Client and the Money is Needed to furnish my New Office , the Money is needed to get some Equipments and tools into the Office .
So once you received the Check all needed for you to do,.. Is for you to deduct your $500 weekly Pay from it and send the remaining money to the Manager to arrnage those Tools inside the Office ,..Well Before They payment get deliver to you I will email you the Tracking Number of the payment and My Manager’s Informations where the rest Of the funds Goes to .Hope you Understand ?
I want you to email me back soon as you received this message for me to be rest assure you are still with me .
I await your mail
Just received the “check” from Jade Macfish (alias Jade Carpenter) it was made out from The Hill School (real school in PA) and for more than the amount of the listed item. Had my bank check everything out and sure enough it was fraud. The check and bank were both in the same town but the routing number was in New York. My bank told me a lot of times the scammers will do this to get your checking information to “clean out” your account. So beware! The newest scam is involving “deaf” people so that they don’t have to talk to you. This check and information will be passed on to our local constable’s office (he’s a personal friend) so maybe something will be done.
here is another one i have recived since starting my work search!!! thses people are unbelivevable
Hello,
Thanks so much for your interest in taking care of my aunty.I have received your email with resume message,My aunty (aunty victoria)will be coming from (chicago IL) and she will be moving on the 15th of NOV.2011.she is 79 years old now and still healthy.she is of 140lbs and 5.8ft. she speaks English fluently.We really need you to be honest and trustworthy with this work. The work basics are below.
You are to be checking on My aunty at least 4 times in a week for proper caring and to know how well about her health and i think you
have little medical experience.
You will be earning $650 for 1 week of handling this work properly.
You will be driving her to hospital when she need arise for proper medical check up at least once in a month and if you don’t know how to
drive, you will hire a car.
Your working days will be Mon,Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.You will have to prescribe the convenient hrs during each of this days
which will not affect your other regular work as this will be a part time work for you and if you want to live with her in the house for
other assistance there will be no problem.
So kindly provide me your full name and mailing address so that we can ensure the housing agent get him an apartment which will be more
closer to your house and I hope about 10 miles will not be too far for you.
Also we would be paying you the first week wages upfront via a Certified Check because you will help her to get some medical tools
like one touch basic machine,acu-check machine and test trips in any nearest pharmacy store around.
So I want you to feed me back with the following details so that we can ensure you are ready for the work.
1. Full Name
2. Mailing Address,
3. City
4. State and Zip Code
5. Phone Number
6.Age, Sex and marital status.
I will be sending you her living address very soon so that you will know where you will be working.I will give you her living address once
the rental agent find her a suitable house.
I will be awaiting your email soonest and we can proceed as you can understand that the date is getting approach.I look forward to read from you
As soon as possible.
I am selling a fuel tank on cl, got one of those scam looking emails, anyway long story short i received a check today for $1100 more than asking price, whats gonna happen if i deposit the check? Cant i just wait to see if it clears? If it does cool if it dont then oh well! Im asking here guys please email me and give me some advice!
I just a scammer try to con me into sending him money today and he used the same techinique listed above. Here is the email:
Thanks for your swift response, I’m seriously interested in buying it
for my Brother this week for surprise gift, your asking price is quite
reasonable and affordable considering others I’ve seen lately, I’ll
take it. I would have loved to come check it out my self but am
currently in camp as military seer instructor for new recruits. I
won’t be able to leave the base until 23th of December. I however
squeezed out time to check this posting as all personal dealings are
highly restricted here, i really want this as a surprise gift for my
brother so i won’t let him know anything about this until it get
delivered to him and due to the fact that phone calls making are
restricted……i will be paying you with my PayPal account because
it’s attached to my bank account and its safe and very secure way to
make payment. If my mode of payment is accepted just send me your
PayPal email address,(Paypal ID) so i can pay in right away. I have a
private courier agent that will come for the pick up after payments
has been made, so no shipping included. I’ll need your name, the
pickup address or location and please include your PayPal email
address for the payment and send me some recent pictures if available
And if you dont have a paypal account, you can easily go to
http://www.paypal.com and sign up. its very easy. I await your reply asap
Thanks Donald
The scammers email that tried to get me to send them money through Western Union on Craigslist is drich1968@gmail.com
Also beware of the International Shippers, they are working with this guy also or might be the same person. They tried using a phoney PayPal account that notified me that I had funds, but I contacted the REAL PayPal and they said it was a scam.
I think these scammers have software that scours CL for newly posted items becasue the last few times I posted something for sale I received very short “Item still for sale” inquiries within about 20 minutes of the item hitting CL.
The first time I replied it was followed up by the whole “my brothers in the military, I want to buy him a gift, I’ll send a cashier’s check, blah blah blah” email but the address of the sender was different from the original “item still for sale” email.
Got the same reply today from two scammers when I was trying to sell a sofa (glad I did some homework visiting this link!):
“Hello,
Thanks for the swift response,as the item is still available, I will send a check to cover the cost of my purchase as am completely satisfied with the “ad”.I will need the details of whom & where to mail the draft and It will be delivered by the a courier service within 2-3 days.Please note the courier service do not deliver to P.O.Box addresses.
1.Name to be on the check
2.Home address
3.Mobile #
Kindly delete the advert on Craig’sList as am totally committed in buying from you and My mover will be coming over for the pick up after you must have received and cashed the check,I would have love to call but I’m a deaf,So please i will appreciate email conversation and let me know the present condition of the item.
Regards
The second one was almost identical!
I, too, received an offer on my very first posting…
*******
Thanks for the prompt response, I am quite satisfied with the condition .I am also interested and I will like to make an instant purchase, so kindly end the advert on Craigslist, I do not mind adding an extra $25 for you to close the advert on craigslist so that I can be rest assured that I am the prospective buyer, I would have loved to come take a look but I am a very busy man I am very sure you understand. I will also want you to know that I will be paying via Certified Check, and it will be sent to you via courier service due to the distance. You don’t need to bother about the shipment, as that has been taken care of…… So I will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1. Full Name on the check
2. Address where payment will be sent to not p.o.box (because my courier service does not deliver to p.o box)
3. City
4. State
5. Zip Code
6. Phone Number
Once again, I will like to remind you that you will not be responsible for shipping as I will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check .
Have A Nice And Rewarding Day Ahead
*******
When the check arrived, it was $2000.00 more than the asking price. Oh, my secretary made a mistake, please wire the additional amount to my movers.
I think the end of the story is, even if you deposit the check and wait for it to clear before you wire the funds back, you will be out the $2,000. A bank has the right to come back to you for depositing bad funds. The check may be drawn on a legit bank, and out of a legit acct, but when the company it is drawn against reconciles its bank statement and finds a bogus check, it will contest it with its bank, who will in turn take the money back from your bank, who will take the money from your account.
Bingo. They have two grand, you don’t.
My question is, why do they always want you to delete the ad from CL? Jerks, now I have to repost, and have lost a week.
so i was looking for a car on craigslist. it was probly a car that was alone more than the asking price with out the 3 grand of mods. this car was DECKED OUT! no way, near a $2,300 asking price. i didnt look into because it seemed way too good to be true.
then, a couple weeks later…
looking at another car. it was also very flashy. price was a little better, but still. seemed too good to be true. what striked me so odd was that… BOTH of the ads on craiglist, were literally an “add”. it was put together with photoshop or any other photo editing program, to make it look better and more appealing.
the last thing that striked me very odd was that…
after emailing both of them, they said that the car was sent to “AutoTrader” in Texas. and the last person that bought it couldnt finish the payments. so it is sitting at the “AutoTrader” in texas. no shipping fee because the last person payed for it. i know what auto trader is and it might be in texas, but beside the facts… does it look to good to be true?
I cant believe how similar these all are, i thought something was weird about the email address, both the same and domain (poland), and then the response came….really?
johnsmith01 johnsmith01@tlen.pl
1:29 PM (24 minutes ago)
Thanks for your swift response, I’m seriously interested in buying this for my son, your asking price is quite reasonable and affordable considering others I’ve seen lately, I’ll take it. I would have loved to come check it out my self but am currently in camp as military seer instructor for new recruits. I won’t be able to leave the base until 12th of January 2012. I however squeezed out time to check this posting as all personal dealings are highly restricted here, i really want this as a surprise gift for my son so i won’t let him know anything about this until it get delivered to him and due to the fact that phone calls making are restricted……i will be paying you with my PayPal account because it’s attached to my bank account and its safe and very secure way to make payment. If my mode of payment is accepted just send me your paypal email address,(Paypal ID) so i can pay in right away. I have a private courier agent that will come for the pick up after payments has been made, so no shipping included. I’ll need your name, the pickup address or location and please include your PayPal email address for the payment and send me some recent pictures if available And if you dont have a paypal account, you can easily go to http://www.paypal.com and sign up. its very easy. I await your reply asap
I just received email correspondence similar to the primary example posted by Nate. They said “Still available? get back to me and let me know the service historyand the current condition asap Thanks ”
I replied with the info and gave my phone number for them to contact me then received this one: “Thanks for getting back to me, i just wanted to make sure nothing isbeen left out. I will be buying this for the price you have listed it for. Payment will be sent using PayPal and i will handle the PayPalsurcharge as well. I will arrange with a shipping company to have this picked up at your location once i have paid as i am out of town at themoment. Am a marine engineer and due to the nature of my work, phone calls making are restricted,so you can send me your PayPal email account so that i can send the payment at once and its easy to sign upfor one just log on to http://www.paypal.com, i will be responsible for the pick up charges Note: i’ll also include the Shipping company’s fee so kindly Get back to me with your PayPal email account so i can proceed with the payment asap..Thanks”
Very odd that they want to purchase my vehicle sight unseen……….I didn’t even post pics yet of the vehicle!!!
99.9999% sure that this is a scam, right?
right, the marine engineer. that was what the guy said he was that contacted me about buying my bike for his son while out at sea. i thought marine engineers designed boats and systems? asking if “it’s still available” the same day it is posted is kind of weird too. he asked me that as well.
(this was an email we received from jrphillips.
I was selling toddler toys and got a response from a guy whose email handle came through in my inbox as AA and who wanted me to call him immediately. I didn’t, but we traded several emails to set up a time for him to pick up items, and when he said he was on his way, I gave him my address. He still wanted me to call him, at which point I typed, ” Offer is reneged. You ask too many questions.” He replied rudely, so I’m sure it was some sort of attempted scam, but what exactly can someone do with your phone number that they can’t do with your address?
Thankfully I did a Google search and found this article before I gave him any information. I received a few emails from nichojohn001 @ gmail.com, and I wasn’t 100% sure about them, but they were better than the ones posted already. Here is what he sent me:
Hello,
I got 8 Pentium IV dell laptops . Below are the things needed to be done one on each laptops.
1 Format Hard Drive
2 Install Win Xp with Service Pack 3
3 Microsoft Office Package
4 AVG Virus Software (Free Lifetime Updates)
5 Adobe Acrobat
6 Laptop Cleaning of the keyboard, screen and other case.
7 Diagnostics of the entire system after to check hard, cdsrom, floppy,
etc. Get back to me with your total cost for the services of 8 Laptops. I will pay you with a certified check .
I await your urgent response so that i can make Moving arrangements and payment as soon as possible….
Thanks
Nicholas
Then, after my response, I got this email:
I have all the necessary software needed for the service installations….get back with your price so that i can check with other and know who will handle it for me…OK?????
Thanks
Nicholas
It seemed unprofessional, but I didn’t think illegitimate until I responded and got this email just 5 minutes after:
Thanks for the reply. I am very sorry for the late in response and i am okay with the price i have all the necessary software needed for the service installations…. I will instruct my secretary to prepare a check for you on your name and address .Do send me your full name and address and your phone number so as to prepare the check and shipping of the laptops to your address. i have a reliable shipper that will pickup the laptops when you are done with it and am giving you extra $50 for your running around. I am looking forward to hear from you,so we can have payment and shipping asap.
Thanks
Nicholas
DO NOT trust nichojohn001 @ gmail.com
Typical Scam Letter, this time from markglover00@gmail.com:
Sounds Good,
Am okay with the price & condition, my mode of payment will be via a Bank Certified Check drawn on my Bank(Bank Of America), i will handle the shipment via my private shipping company, they will come for the pickup when the check clears your bank, the check will be mail via USPS in which i will need your full name and address to mail out the check to you,if this is okay by you,you can proceed to delete the advert on craigslist because i don’t want any other interruption by another buyer.
Thanks
Mack
Funny that “Mark” misspelled his OWN name. Also funny that he uses the same stupid form letter used by the same stupid scammers time and time again…
My response:
Excellent. Please send the check to:
FBI Washington Field Office
601 4th Street NW
Washington, DC 20535
Phone: (202) 278-2000
Use tracking for the mail, and make sure to pay for the mailing with your valid credit card. When you have noted that the check has arrived, let me know right away. I’ll go straight there and your shipper can meet me immediately. How’s that sound?
For some reason, I’m not expecting a non-profane response. *smirk*
This looks VERY FAMILIAR.!:
Something i realized that may help others is that the scammer i encountered yesterday and today used the same name with each message but a different email and the only way to realize this is to scroll over his name(which is uncommon to do) in each diff. email. You can also see this because instead of the email getting longer and longer with each reply, it starts over each time.
Mark Lawrence<— This is the name used & as for the 3 emails; here they are:
leopatrick00@gmail.com
rreric026@gmail.com
lford8983@gmail.com
Here are the three messages i received from him:
1) "Did you still got it for sale?I'm interested."
-2) " Hi,
Thanks for the swift response to my mail,I am highly elated with your
advert,Hence it is still available. I will send a bank check Check via UPS
next day delivery.
I'll be responsible for the pick-up and the pick up money will
be included in your payment to avoid delay and to enable pick up
company to schedule an appropriate time for he pick-up at your
location after check has been cashed,as i have other properties to be
moved alongside with yours.
I would have really love to come for the viewing but due to my
work frame that might not be possible,but if you have the pics,might
want to have a good look. Please do get back to me with your full name
and address including your cell and land number so i can make out
payment.
I'm waiting for reply….
–
Mark Lawrence.."
-3) "Am still interested like i have said Ill send you certified check is easy to cash in any bank at all and around you I'll be responsible for the pick-up and the pick up money will be included in your payment to avoid delay and to enable pick up company to schedule an appropriate time for the pick-up at your location after check has been cashed,as i have other properties to be moved alongside with yours.lets get on, on this ,kindly avail me your details as am totally committed to having them"
I sent him my info AND THEN read this post.! I'm so glad i did read it though. I wrote him a followup message stating i received another offer cash and that i feel more comfortable with that transaction. Also, that anything sent to me will be mailed back immediately.
My son and husband have been listing items on CList and I can not convince them that I believe the following is a scam….especially since the bank check arrived today….please help me convince them.
Hello,
How are you doing today?As promised, the check finally left origin yesterday and should get to you today unfailingly by USPS Express Mail Delivery with the shipping funds included.Here is the tracking numbers i got at the USPS Office ( Label #: EO 906 958 700 US ) you can track online using the link below so you can make yourself available at time of delivery. https://www.usps.com
Once you have the check, deposit it and when it clears (which shouldn’t take more than a day or two according to my bank), you will be sending the shipping agent the shipping money I added up to enable them make necessary delivery arrangement.
Please you are to deduct your money for the item purchased and send the balance to the movers through Western Union money transfer who will later come for the pickup immediately they confirm the cash payment via Western Union,However, I’m sorry for the inconveniences this might cause you but i’d want to assure you that you can also take out $50 for the run-around to the Western Union.
Also remember that Western Union money transfer charges should be deducted from my money.
Mover’s Details To Send Western Union:
Receiver’s Name: Constance Jones
Receiver’s Address: 47 Country Club Pl
Receiver’s City: Bloomington
Receiver’s State: IL
Receiver’s Zip Code: 61701
So get back to me with the following information on the Western Union receipt.
Senders Name……..
Senders Address….
10 Digit(MTCN)……
Amount sent………
Thanks.
The part that has me concerned is James Morrison (emailer)…check is from Kents Hill School in Maine and address on USPS envelope is Angela Bonaccorsy from Jefferson Hills PA
I was able to at least convince them to have check sent to different address then our home and item is stored elsewhere.
Thanks for any and all help.
CASH IS KING? Maybe not…
Most scams have to do with sending “extra” money somewhere far, far away and then finding out that your certified check was drawn on the First Bank of Etherville. But don’t get too comfy with a local person and good old cash. A nearby city had counterfeit 20s showing up at stores. If you have one, even innocently, and you’re found out, you can look forward to a lot of explaining and losing your “20″ and any others like it. Turns out they were some reports of passing some on Craigslist, not huge ticket items like cars but electronics etc. in the $300-$400 range. They would meet in person, give you cash and of course, no ID was needed for it.
Some guy who sells on CL a lot had a great idea that he posted. He said he meets the buyer in a favorite neighborhood bar and gets his bartender friend to check the bills. Just telling buyers to expect this has actually lost him two deals.
If anything sounds funny to you, it might pay to have someone who handles money a lot check the bills, or get the pen and read up on the security items embedded in bills. Even “cash” in person can’t be trusted these days.