Buying and Selling on Craiglist - Warning

[publican57]

I was selling an item on Craiglist for $115 and I had a guy tell me he was interested in buying my reel. We corresponded by email and work out deal. He sent me a check for about $1,960 and wanted me to wire the difference less an additional $100 for the trouble to ship item with wire through Western Union.

My scam alert was up; and I let him know first of all I would not be doing anything until I knew the check would clear and that would be at least a week. I called name of the company on the check and learned that the check was bogus. I had already decided I was not going to cash the check and go through the trouble but glad I learned more. I had already sent the guy that I wanted to talk to him first and that I would need a check just for the $115 and instructions on where to mail the reel.

I am posting this on the main board because I know many of you buy and sell on this site. I also know you often refer others to Craiglist. I am not saying don't use Craiglist, I am just saying be careful with who you are dealing with. If it looks like too good of a thing; it usually is.

By the way; checks take 5-10 working days to clear. Use caution with personal checks. Most people are honest; but it only takes one time to be burned. If you do a deal with a check in person; get information off their license and compare it to the check. Make sure you have address and phone number of the person also in case you have a problem. I know most of you know this.

[Carter1]

Have you forwarded this information to the Attorney General's office? If not, I think you should.

[publican57]

Have you forwarded this information to the Attorney General's office? If not, I think you should.

No; I notified Craig List and the company that the check was written on. I will contact them; but I just recently disposed of the check since the people at the company or Craiglist did not get back to me about whether they would want to follow-up.

[SirBob]

I responded to a secret shopper e-mail and received one check and a USPS money order with entirely differently names wanting me to deposit and send $200 to an address in Florida via Western Union. I called a TN bank on the check, it was bogus and they had 4 young adult girls in the bank that week with the same story. The USPS money order looked real but when I check the serial # with USPS, they were bogus. The bank and even the local state police told me there is numerous of these and the money gets transferred to off shore accounts.
Craig list has had its problems with people. I would advise them and forget it and not corresponded with this crook. You will probably get several anolying e-mails from him advising to cash his money order, send his product and his cash.
You were right, IF its sounds to good, it probably isn't!!!

[BuckeyeAl]

There's worse things going on than a little old scam. A couple of real brainiacs here in Ohio just a few days ago agreed to meet a guy at 1:30 in the morning to sell him a car for cash. Guy pays for the car and drives off. Less than 5 minutes later, two masked guys with AK's took every penny from them. It's getting to the point it's not safe to sell anything on craigslist.

[HURRICANEBOB]

I've had something similar happen on Ebay. Sold some old pictures, guy sent me a check for $1000 to much. Sale closed at $110. I called the guy to say "you sent too much". Guy says his secretary must have messed up, so ship what he bought, and send back the difference in the form of a cashier's check, of course less $100 "for my trouble". (No way I'm taking someone's personal check and laundering the funds for them by sending certified "clean money". )

I asked the guy if he was listening closely on the phone. When he said yes, I fired up the lighter so he could hear it click, and then told him his check was now buring in my ashtray. I told him the items were going back up for sale, and if I got a cashiers check or check for certified funds, we could do business. He hung up. Imagine that. My next phone call was to the Louisville FBI Interstate Crime Fraud Division, and I passed along the facts, and the guys name he had confirmed when I called, and the phone number I reached him on. Don't know how all that came out.

Rule of thumb to be safe, if paying customer does not 100% comply with the terms of the deal, then no deal exists, and walk away.

[jastew]

My daughter got 2 of these this week. One a personal check for $1950 and one a fake postal money order for $950.

The way this works is you cash the check at your bank, they get a big chunk wired to them. You're stuck with making the check good when it bounces plus the fees.

Like always if it's too good to be true....it is.

[DJD]

This scam has been around for years. Only reason it's still around is that it works....sad sad sad.

[publican57]

This guy sent me an email telling me not to scam him and send money and item or he would turn me over to the FBI. He has rejected all of my requests for him to call me. What audacity.