craigslist oddity

[lane912]

have any of you got a reply to a sale item like this? i am thinking that it is a scam
first i got this:
"Hello,

Do you still have this up for sale ?

Frost."
thenthe reply: "Hi,
Thanks for the swift response, just wanna let you know that am okay with
the condition and price of the item, am ready for its purchase and my
form of payment will be by PayPal. I would have really love to come
for the viewing but due to my work frame that might not be possible as
am on work inspection to Santa Fe in New Mexico at the moment and I do not
have access to a phone, but if you have more pictures, I would like to have a
good look.

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
funds has been received as i have other properties to be moved
alongside with yours.
All i will need is your PayPal email address to make the payment and
then I will make arrangement for pick up. I will be expecting your
email.

Thanks,
Joseph."

then from another person: "Do you still have it for sale?"

and the reply:I'm okay with the price and I'll like to proceed with the purchase
with immediate effect. My mode of payment is via check, you will have
to send to me your full name and address for the payment to be sent to
you asap. I have a reputable shipper that will come for the pick up as
soon as payment is settled. Also I will be adding an excess to the
payment that will be sent to you which you will assist me in sending
the the balance to my shipper for their shipping cost."

i have asked them both to call me to make arangements but neither seems to be able to though they can send and recieve email.

what would you all do?

[McLovin]

of course they are scams.

Ignore them and move on.

[Bob Clucas]

it's a scam. they send you a fake cashiers check for more than the amount and ask you to refund the $ (in this case pay the transportation). it takes about 7 days for the cashiers check to bounce and you're out the car and $. Delete and move on....

Bob

[bwall]

If you're not sure if it is a scam then ask them for their phone number. No scammer will EVER give out his phone number. Guaranteed.

[techweenie]

Clue number 1: "the item."

Clue #2: sending you more than the amount you're asking for

[lane912]

those where the things that tipped me off too

[derx]

I posted ad for my old "BOAT TOP" . I posted it sale on CL last week because I am getting a new one made in a few days

I got an email yesterday saying:

" hi does it have a clear title? thanks Danny"






---------------------------------------------------------------
phishing for email addresses I guess, be careful out there .

[techweenie]

I'm getting a lot that are a couple of random words or a stream of characters. In no case have I ever gotten CL spam in good English (granted 40% of CL ads aren't in good English).

[chaozz]

anyone that will not meet you and pay in cash..is a scammer..
don't get happy by the to good to be true..

they have no limits on what they will try to scam you out...buddy of mine has had a guy trying to get him to ship him a tivo and will even give him a extra $100 for his trouble..

run run and run..

[umfan866]

Uhh ... this may not be true all the time, especially for large transactions...
"anyone that will not meet you and pay in cash..is a scammer.."

I agree, for small purchases, yes. But as a buyer, I think if I bring a legitimate cashier's check (not cash) --- am I considered a scammer?

In fact one guy who I got to know on the boards told me never to bring 100% cash for a car purchase-- because you could get robbed - not get the car, and the seller takes all your money and runs. However, given that cash can be very persuasive, the same person said AT THE VERY LEAST if you are going to see the car don't TELL THEM you are bringing cash, the cash offer can be a surprise.

I know as a seller, when the guy pulled out a wad of bills it was very persuasive. But even then I was sellling a 1k BMW, and the seller didn't have more than 1k in cash to lose.

Not to hijack this thread, but can those with more experience comment on the cash/ non-cash question.

[Kjellsve]

Not to hijack this thread, but can those with more experience comment on the cash/ non-cash question.[/QUOTE]

I have bought two cars from the other side of the planet (USA), and both times I made sure to mail/telephone the seller in order to get the feel of who this person is.

In addition to that I also did as much research as possible. What kind of house does he live in, and what part of town, what clubs is he a member of etc.

After I am pleased with all the answers and have made a deal with the seller, I wired the money and got the car shipped

Kjell

[chaozz]

If your worried about the cash part, then meet inside your bank and deposit it the money.
with him there.
even craiglist has major warnings when you click on the forsale link

I'm guessing they have these warning for a reason.

* DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts on craigslist.
*[ AVOID ALL OFFERS TO SHIP VEHICLES ]
* NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
* FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
* CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
* NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
* AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.
* DO NOT RENT HOUSING WITHOUT SEEING THE INTERIOR, OR PURCHASE EXPENSIVE ITEMS SIGHT-UNSEEN - in all likelihood that housing unit is not actually for rent and that cheap item does not exist.
* DO NOT SUBMIT TO CREDIT CHECKS OR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR A JOB OR FOR HOUSING UNTIL YOU HAVE MET THE INTERVIEWER OR LANDLORD/AGENT IN PERSON.

[Danny_Ocean]

Originally Posted by chaozz

anyone that will not meet you and pay in cash..is a scammer..

Bzzzt...wrong. I've purchased 12 collector cars over the last several years (99% of them via the Internet) and have yet to exchange cash person-to-person. I've only personally met one seller.

If purchasing from an individual, I have them e-mail me a scan of their driver's license and a copy of the vehicle registration. If the names/addresses don't match, I ask for more docs (e.g. utility bill, etc.). If they can't/won't produce docs that add up, they don't get my funds.

[techweenie]

Agree with Danny. I've rarely met my European buyers, but in my experience, they are the best. Decisive, willing and able to get money in your hands promptly and never seem to be over-ruled by the wife. Excellent experiences lately with Aussies, as well. People all over the world scan Craigslist constantly.

[lane912]

so i insisted that they call me and their reply was " due to hearing problem that is not posible."

this is making me laugh now-

[chaozz]

Originally Posted by lane912

so i insisted that they call me and their reply was " due to hearing problem that is not posible."

this is making me laugh now-

nope thats not a scammer.

[Christien]

Tell them your wife is also deaf, and you have a TTY-enabled phone.

[MikeD930]

Originally Posted by lane912

so i insisted that they call me and their reply was " due to hearing problem that is not posible."

this is making me laugh now-

Not always true...I'm hearing impaired and can hardly understand over the phone. BTW, I used email many times and my wife for necessary phone conversation when I negotiated with a seller for a 930 that was located 900 mi out of town. I now own this car.

[DCinVA]

A lot of seasoned craigslist posters, say they require a phone number in any response to their add. And they add that any response without a phone contact will be ignored. I believe this is a result of two things, 1) spammers fishing for valid email addresses, 2) scammers never want to talk on the phone. Scammers want to hide behind the internet where it is difficult to catch them.

As to you original question, I would ignore them, or if you want to have some fun, play the game for a while and have a few laughs at their expense. If you decide to play along, keep us posted so we can enjoy the fun.

Dave

[zakthor]

In craigslist ads I always put in a bit at the end telling the buyer to demonstrate that they're not a machine by asking something intelligent about the item, that otherwise I'll ignore their responses. The responses are usually pretty funny.

The guy that bought my last car was very cool and professional, and out of state, so it felt like a scam to me. We used the same bank so he bank transferred the money into my account, I verified the funds with the bank (there is no waiting for intra-bank transfer) and the next day a car mover came and got the car. Felt to me like he was taking all the risk.