How do these craigslist scams work

[Gunner]

Got this email about one of my bikes

Hi thanks for the email, I am a marine technician and am always busy at sea.. I am contacting you via email because that works best for me as we are not allowed to make or receive calls frequently for security reasons. Presently, I am on duty and coming to your residence for inspection won't be possible as i have said earlier. I have gone through the add and for what am seeing through the add am highly interested in immediate purchase of it. So kindly get back to me with its present condition and Your absolute bottom price as I would love to go ahead with the deal right away.


Note that I have a pick up agent that will come for pick up after payment have been received which would be through PayPal If this is acceptable. I am buying this for my son as a gift, I will be paying you online via my PayPal account which is linked to my bank account because it is the only form of payment that I have access to right now and also because of its good security nature. All I will need is Your pick up location and Your PayPal Email ID to effect the payment. if you do not have a PayPal account yet, its pretty easy to set one up at WWW.PayPal.com.


I hope to hear back from you soon,


Thanks.

[Great-Kazoo]

fairly easy for those who have no clue they are being scammed. That reply is standard form letter / e-mail for most things for sale.

I tell them for the rock bottom price of $$XX they can purchase it.
HOWEVER i need a retainer / deposit of $2000. I would not ask such a small price for a vehicle as immaculate as mine, ESPECIALLY, for anyone who is in the military.

However due to the volume of interest in my vehicle, the $2000 deposit, guarantees it is here for your pick up agent. If this presents an issue i cannot accept nothing lower than $3000. Surely guaranteeing you ownership of such immaculate a vehicle as mine.

Please, i know such a sum is paltry to one of great stature as yourself. but understand it is a must to place such a fine immaculate vehicle in one such as your self's possession.

Please return your correspondence to me as soon as possible. This deal is one both of us will be most happy with for long time of our life.

[whitbaby]

Usually the first clue is that he never actually mentions what the actual 'item' is...
This is a typical bogus mass mailing response.
Don't even answer him because then he'll have your email addy and can do other crap.
Anytime I post an item for sale I tell them to include a phone number or no response from me.

[Jamnanc]

The paypal address would be fake, when you put in your username and password they would capture it and or your account info.

[wctriumph]

Total scam, just ignore it.

[OneGuy67]

Always deal in cash with craigslist.

[crashdown]

fairly easy for those who have no clue they are being scammed. That reply is standard form letter / e-mail for most things for sale.

I tell them for the rock bottom price of $$XX they can purchase it.
HOWEVER i need a retainer / deposit of $2000. I would not ask such a small price for a vehicle as immaculate as mine, ESPECIALLY, for anyone who is in the military.

However due to the volume of interest in my vehicle, the $2000 deposit, guarantees it is here for your pick up agent. If this presents an issue i cannot accept nothing lower than $3000. Surely guaranteeing you ownership of such immaculate a vehicle as mine.

Please, i know such a sum is paltry to one of great stature as yourself. but understand it is a must to place such a fine immaculate vehicle in one such as your self's possession.

Please return your correspondence to me as soon as possible. This deal is one both of us will be most happy with for long time of our life.


Good one Jim.... your grasp of the scammers native tongue is so scary good, I think you might be one of them.

[hatidua]

Always deal in cash with craigslist.

I've sold a number of fairly valuable items via craigslist to remote buyers. While many are scams, there are people (myself included) who search craigslist nationally for hard to find items. I sold a sofa from my beach house in FL via Craigslist to a buyer in Dallas, they paypal'd me the funds and a shipping van showed up the next day to pick it up. Recently I sold $4,000 worth of surfboards via craigslist to a buyer in CT. There are a lot of scams on Craigslist....but there are legit buyers as well.

[roberth]

We don't call him The Great Kazoo for nuttin'.

[Great-Kazoo]

Good one Jim.... your grasp of the scammers native tongue is so scary good, I think you might be one of them.

Many thanks most generous solicitor of humble acknowledgement. My name is George how may i be of service to one who calls such as your self.

[Fromk]

Assuming you use the anonymous email system through Craigslist (everyone should) then don't reply at all. They'll never get your real one that way.

[OneGuy67]

I've sold a number of fairly valuable items via craigslist to remote buyers. While many are scams, there are people (myself included) who search craigslist nationally for hard to find items. I sold a sofa from my beach house in FL via Craigslist to a buyer in Dallas, they paypal'd me the funds and a shipping van showed up the next day to pick it up. Recently I sold $4,000 worth of surfboards via craigslist to a buyer in CT. There are a lot of scams on Craigslist....but there are legit buyers as well.

I'm glad you have had success.

I receive 2-5 calls a week from people who fall for these scams and occasionally from people who are savvy to the scams and they want me to go arrest the person in another state for trying to scam them. All want me to get their money and/or stuff back. I always advise them to deal only in cash and in person somewhere other than their house (if possible).

[blacklabel]

The highest dollar item that I attempted to sell on CL was my phone number for $250. Dude PPed the money to me and then disappeared. After 24 hours of not hearing back from him (I needed his name and contact number to approve the assumption of liability) I refunded the money and moved on.