Craigs List Woes

[Non-Typical Solutions]

You remember my 67 Skylark???

 

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/forums/topic/37477-67-buick-skylark/

 

I have had some great learning experiences trying to get rid of this old car of mine.

 

Posted it on ebay, after only half a day on ebay I get an email from somebody in Michigan informing me that it is not a 67 Skylark but a 68.

Wow, the guy was right, I pulled out the title, sure enough 68.

 

So I get lots of traffic but nobody really serious.

 

I then decide to post it on craigslist. Down in the Phoenix area and up here on the mountain.

 

I start getting texts asking about the car.

 

One guy offers to send me a "USPS Express" check in the mail if I will hold the car for him. All I have to do is text him my address.

 

I am an idiot and text him my mailing address and can never get a response from him after that.

 

I waited 3 days for the "USPS Express" check and decided I had been took somehow some way. Probably going to get mugged by some stranger that I gave my PO box number to.

 

So then I get in touch with another guy who asked about the car but because I was "holding" the car for my Express Check I told him SPF.

He tells me to give him my paypal accout and he will make payment to paypal asap.

 

I am a slow learner but told the guy cash in hand at time of vehicle pickup. He insists his only way to pay me is paypal.

 

My son Cole, he said, Dad, probably the same guy working you to get your personal info.....he is probably right. Area code on the first phone number is 510 second one is 323......

 

Sure is nice to do business with CWT folks. I bought a pair of Swarovskis from CWT member sight unseen(pictures). Put a check in the mail and got my binos PDQ.

 

 

 

 

[rossislider]

That USPS thing is a scam. I have seen it several times.

 

However, if you do the PayPal thing correctly, it can be the safest way to sell something because PayPal offers buyer and seller protection. I have bought and sold several things this way. All you have to give the other party in the way of info is your email address that is inked to the PayPal account. If you would like it explained more, feel free to send me a PM.

[Snapshot]

I have been through that also. They should change the name to "Scam list". On any of my adds that I place, I put in big bold letters " LOCAL CASH TRANSACTIONS ONLY. I WILL NOT SHIP OR DELIVER. DON"T ASK"

 

The scammers with out of state area codes still try to scam anyway. I send them a nasty email and they go away.

 

I learned the hard way to never give out my email or phone number unless they live in Arizona

[Snapshot]

A new scam is targeting people selling items on Craigslist and it could cost you thousands.

When David Wolek put his 2007 Carolina Skiff fishing boat on Craigslist he didn't expect to get caught on a phishing scam.

"I guess since it's a fishing boat," said Wolek, "they're out phishing for a sucker."

Wolek placed an add offering to sell his boat for just under $16,000. Right away he got a bite from an interested buyer.

"He sent me a message telling me he was very interested," said Wolek. "He wanted it for his father but he was on an oil rig and he couldn't come take a look at it himself."

Emails detail an elaborate scheme designed to steal your money.

The fake buyer urged Wolek to join PayPal - then promised to overpay by $2500 to cover transportation fees. Then the buyer wanted Wolek to wire him back the overpayment.

"That's when it didn't smell right to me," said Wolek, a retired post master from Oklahoma.

The fake seller then sent a fake email pretending to be from PayPal.

"I mean it really looked legitimate," said Wolek.

Of course, it wasn't. The email claimed money had been sent to his account but to release it Wolek would have to wire the scammers back $2500.

"When it got to OK I've gotta pay before I receive the money," said Wolek, "that's a clear indication that something's wrong."

"This is definitely a scam," a PayPal spokesperson told Fox 4. "Online users should always be wary if somebody asks them to wire money especially if it's related to an overpayment."

So how do you know if a PayPal email is legit?

• PayPal will address you by your first and last name not "Dear Sir."
• There won't be a false sense of urgency (example: your account is about to be canceled).
• There won't be any attachments.

Wolek says he received another email, from a woman claiming to be in the Army, with the same scam.

He's still looking to sell his boat. But the only ride he wants to be taken for is out on the water."They rip people off," he said about the scammers, "and it's just aggravating."

PayPal Tips:

• Use caution when contacted by people that you don’t know, asking you to engage in a transaction that will not be protected by PayPal Buyer Protection.
• Find out more about the person you are transacting with by e-mailing them, using eBay’s feedback system, or calling them on the phone to check the validity of their requests.
• Be highly suspicious of anyone asking you to use Western Union or other wire services to make cash transactions.
• Be suspicious of deals that seem too good to be true – they usually are.
• When in doubt about the safety of a transaction, always contact PayPal first via phone, email at help@paypal.com or on Twitter at @AskPayPal.

[deercrazy]

Fruits, nuts, and flakes. Seems that only drunk people at 2 am surf Craigslist. Because everything I have I have posted for sale only seems to peak peoples interest after I have gone to bed.

[MT. CAT]

I had one who wanted to over pay for some stuff on Craigslist and wire back the overpayment to his account. All I had to do was send him my mailing address. I gladly gave him the address to the FBI in downtown Phoenix. Needless to say he never emailed me back.

[Coach]

This is kinda spooky. Non-Typ, sorry for what you have gone through. I was under the impression that USPS money orders were among the safest ways to perform a PTP transaction. Guns America recommends this form of payment over Pay Pal. BTW, I avoid Craig's List whenever possible - too many scammers.

[towerhouseclan]

My son just had that happen just acouple of days ago he was trying to sell his car also wee told him not to give him info cause it didn't sound right he tried and tried to get our address. After awhile he tried to tell our son he wanted to give him a check to hold the car until he came to pick it up.

WATCH OUT!!!!!

[Hoofnit]

I've sold some stuff on craigslist...had some of the same experiences described above. I have also met some real genuine regular folks just looking for a deal...use common sense, be proactive & above all don't give anyone your personal info...any of it !

[towerhouseclan]

AMEN !!! to that

[BurlyBear]

Craigslist has a whole section about scams you can check out here: "http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams" If it sounds fishy it probably is.

[Non-Typical Solutions]

Good info from everybody, thanks for pointing me the right direction. I have sold several items on craigslist just never before encountered the dark side.

Thanks again.........

[Pine Donkey]

I sold two vehicles last week and bought one through Craigslist. Plenty of scammers, but we ignore all but those willing to meet face to face, cash in hand. Sold both cars to very genuine people who were willing to deal on our terms. We just ignored those who live on an oil rig, or a cruise ship, or are deployed and buying for a family member. On the vehicle we bought there was a lien so we met at his bank and completed the transaction through them.

 

Craigslist reaches so many people, and it is free. I really appreciate their service. However, don't let the chance of a few bucks extra override your common sense.

[Anderson_HOTD]

Maybe it's just me, but I have had great luck with Craigslist. I got an HTC Thunderbolt with 2 batteries, wall charger, otterbox case, and original box and books for 75$. All I had to do was buy the SIM card (10$). I asked the guy if he would hold it till payday and he said yes. Gave him his money and pulled into the safeway plaza where the Verizon store was. Saw him walking out with groceries.

 

I got two Plott females was craigslist and a set of 2005 Toyota Tacoma alloy wheels, dogs were free and the full set of wheels were 100$.

 

I got an English Bulldog female for 100$ rehoming fee once. I for sure thought this was a scam but figured if it wasn't, be worth it. Sure enough purebred English Bulldog female. She didn't work out so I gave her to my friend in Gallup but still, that's a 1500$ minimum dog for 100$ lol.

 

I've tried posting stuff on there, and with dogs have had a lot of luck with tire kickers, but it's easy to spot scams on there.

 

I mostly look through it to see if anyone is sellin hound stuff or electronics.