Craigslist Scams
Craigslist is an excellent resource but remember when you are dealing with buyers or purchasers that you are not meeting face to face so your risk of getting scammed in substantially increased—be careful and be informed.
Craigslist is a great website for selling things, finding apartments, locating services and meeting people. It is particularly well suited for buying and selling local items. If you are deciding whether to use Craigslist, eBay or perhaps Amazon or even have a garage sale, click here for suggestions as to which is best.
If you plan to purchase or sell on Craigslist you need to be aware of the many Craigslist scams that are prevalent. Often those who post jewelry, old coins and money, or other easily-mailed valuable items to sell, receive responses from someone working a scam to get the items without paying.
Craigslist is a great website for selling things, finding apartments, locating services and meeting people. It is particularly well suited for buying and selling local items. If you are deciding whether to use Craigslist, eBay or perhaps Amazon or even have a garage sale, click here for suggestions as to which is best.
If you plan to purchase or sell on Craigslist you need to be aware of the many Craigslist scams that are prevalent. Often those who post jewelry, old coins and money, or other easily-mailed valuable items to sell, receive responses from someone working a scam to get the items without paying.
Craigslist provides this list on avoiding scams
- Trust your instincts, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is a scam
- Deal only with local buyers and sellers
- NEVER wire funds to a distant buyer, via Western Union or any other carrier
- Be wary if the other party wants to use an escrow service such as BidPay, Squaretrade, or even PayPal
- NEVER give out personal financial information (PayPal information, checking account number, SSN, etc.)
Make sure you are really on Craigslist!
There are a number of sites out there that mimic Craigslist. In most cases when you mistype the domain you will still get Craigslist but in some cases like if you type in www.Craigslists.com (with an “s” at the end) you will reach a different site altogether.
Some of these sites have similar domain names and the owner's hope that you will make mistake while typing in the URL and end up on their site instead of Craigslist. Some of these domains are phishing scams with layouts that look like the real Craigslist to fool you.
Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
Some of these sites have similar domain names and the owner's hope that you will make mistake while typing in the URL and end up on their site instead of Craigslist. Some of these domains are phishing scams with layouts that look like the real Craigslist to fool you.
Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
- Internet Fraud Complaint Center FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
Most scams involve one or more of the following
- An inquiry from someone far away, often in another country
- Western Union, Money Gram, cashier's check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a "guarantee"
- Inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before your final transaction takes place
Examples of Craigslist Scams
- The buyer or seller claims that Craigslist will guarantee a transaction, certify the purchase or sale, or says that Craigslist will handle or provide protection for payment.
• These claims are fraudulent, as Craigslist does not have any role in any transaction.
• The scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from Craigslist, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services -- all such emails are fakes! - The buyer offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier’s check
• You receive an email offering to buy your item, or rent your apartment, sight unseen.
• A cashier's check is offered for your sale item, as a deposit for an apartment, or for your services.
• The value of cashier's check often far exceeds your item - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service
• Banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR - Beware when a seller requests wire service payment via Western Union or Money Gram:
• The countries where most scammers reside are: Nigeria, Romania, the Ukraine, Spain, Italy, & the Netherlands. Beware of any location outside of your immediate city.
• Beware of apartment listings that are local, but the landlord/owner says he/she is "traveling" or "relocating" and needs you to wire money to them abroad.
• Beware when the offer seems too good to be true, price is too low, rent is below market, etc
• These scams usually include apartment rentals, sale of laptops, TVs, cell phones, sports tickets, and other high value items.
• These scammers try to legitimize the transaction by providing a Money Transfer Control Number or confirmation code before the money can be withdrawn but once you've wired money, it is gone and the code means nothing. - A seller not located locally suggests use of an online escrow service.
• Most online escrow sites are operated by the scammers themselves - Beware when a seller not located locally asks for a partial payment upfront, after which they will ship your purchase.
- Beware when a foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from their supposed customers and funds are sent to you. Most offer you a percentage of payments received.