Craigslist Scammers

[higgins]

I too have been boat shopping the last month or so for a smallish jon boat, restricting myself to the somewhat local area that I would be willing to drive to for a look. Maybe its because small, cheap boats are more likely to be involved in cash deals with friends and relatives, but I have contacted two Craigslist advertisers whose photos showed expired registration stickers to ask if the boat was registered to them, and neither replied. I didn't even tell them a bill of sale would be required; I can imagine what the response to that would have been. I've watched enough Judge Judy to know that I don't want to go near a registered item that is not registered to the seller. Not worth the potential hassle even for a $400 boat-there's too many of them out there.

[bedbugbilly]

A few years before we moved from our house in to town, I decide to get rid of a few things - a couple of heavy duty fiberglass extension ladders and IIRC, a snow blower, trailer mounted sprayer, etc. I'd never used Craig's List before so sogned up and decided to try it - MISTAKE! Like you - phone calls only and it wasn't but an hour after posting and the text messages starting coming in - offers of buying sight unseen and sending certified checks - as well as a few phone calls wanting to know the address where the items were at while not confirming an appt. to come see them which I could obviously tell were inquiries to "let me know where they are so I can come steal them". My whole experience with CL was not a good one and I closed my ad in just a couple of days due to the "scamming texts / phone calls".

I know a lot of folks have had good luck so I guess it's a case of "your mileage may vary". There's a lot of good folks out there but a lot of worthless scammers who are looking to prey on the unsuspecting. Moral of the story - BEWARE!

[Jeff Michel]

Craigslist and the like are worth exactly what you pay for it. Run an ad in the local paper, pay the money and if you have something that someone else wants or needs and it's gone in short order. Were me, I'd place a for sale write up and hang it in your local gun shop. I think four out of five people that go into a gun shop, secretly wants a lathe or mill or better yet both. I've actually sold a number that way over the years, and you will likely be dealing with someone you know. Good luck

[lightman]

While I have used Craigslist I have had better luck on some of the local swap shops. Face Book has one, and there is a mens swap shop locally and a county swap shop. But, there are scammers everywhere! Beware!

[David2011]

We really had much more response from Facebook than Craigslist. I probably will use Facebook and the local garage sale websites if we decide to sell anything else.

Our local paper is pitiful and I really don't have any relationship with the local gun shops. The one where I knew the owner closed because he retired. I've bought some reloading supplies at one but that has been infrequent. The other wanted $5.50/100 primers for years and $35-$45/lb for powder so I have bought very little from them and probably haven't been inside either for 2 years.

[David2011]

The buyer came this morning with a 40' trailer, a fork lift and fist full of cash. Everybody is happy.

[1911sw45]

Same buyer that sent the certified bank check? If it was I sure would check the bill for being counterfeit.

[Kent Fowler]

The Internet in general is the playground of flim-flam people, grifters and scammers.

Have you ever read The Gentle Grifter by O. Henry? Some devious scams going on in the book.

[dbosman]

Craig's list scammers are after your confirmed phone number. If they collect enough of them they peddle them to the next tier in their game.

[David2011]

Same buyer that sent the certified bank check? If it was I sure would check the bill for being counterfeit.

Not at all. Nobody sent any certified checks; they only offered to at which time I ended communication. He wasn't even even a Craigslist respondent. A local guy. Both of the CL scam responses I got claimed to be women. One said she was out of town at the moment. After checking the area code I was tempted to ask, "Out of Honolulu or Hilo?"

[TheDoctor]

Stuff rusts in Baytown fast. I'm 40ish miles from the water, and with our humidity, I have a hard time even without the salt!

[Tatume]

Have you ever read The Gentle Grifter by O. Henry? Some devious scams going on in the book.

Thanks Kent. I just ordered a copy of The Gentle Grafter from Abe Books.

[David2011]

Stuff rusts in Baytown fast. I'm 40ish miles from the water, and with our humidity, I have a hard time even without the salt!

My Rock Chucker came from a friend's garage in League City so the handle had a nice layer of soft rust. About 8 years ago, in New Mexico, I polished it on the lathe. It's just now starting to show a hint of rust again and I didn't even put car wax on it. In Baytown it would have developed a patina in weeks. I expect to run the air conditioner in the shop full time just to control rust.

[double8]

See post #7

Well, the $2,100.50 check did in fact show up in the mail. Very official looking.
Came from the
"Estate Of John Anthony Hubly. Alphonse Cincione, Esq Executor"
2200 W 5th Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
First Merchants Bank Check

He hasn't sent an email wondering what happened to his check. If he does, I'll tell him the FBI has it, along with his IP address.

[Smoke4320]

See post #7

Well, the $2,100.50 check did in fact show up in the mail. Very official looking.
Came from the
"Estate Of John Anthony Hubly. Alphonse Cincione, Esq Executor"
2200 W 5th Ave, Columbus, OH 43215
First Merchants Bank Check

He hasn't sent an email wondering what happened to his check. If he does, I'll tell him the FBI has it, along with his IP address.

He's probably using a VPN so the IP address would be no good