Keeping your transaction local will enable you to finalize a sale in person. Ask to look at the item in person. Fraudulent checks can be impossible to fight. By that time, the buyer has vanished with your goods, leaving you responsible for covering the funds you used while presuming it cleared. The most secure way to pay or collect funds for a Craigslist transaction is with cold cash.
If the idea of handing over a large sum of money to a stranger scares you, you can make the exchange of money and goods in a safe place like your local police station or even at Diamond Valley Federal Credit Union. As always, when online, keep your personal information to yourself. If a contact is asking too many questions, back out of the deal. Escrow services, in which a company holds onto a large sum of money for two parties in the middle of a transaction, can be super-convenient when buying and selling things online.
However, they can also be a clever trap for unsuspecting victims. Whether they are scams involving fraudulent money services, fake products, or sketchy meet ups, criminals have certainly become crafty in figuring out how to best scam users out of their money -- or worse.
And while Craigslist scams may not always look obvious, there are a few key scams that have been used frequently -- and can often be spotted by being extra cautious or by examining the situation. Ticket scams are among the more common scams on Craigslist -- and elsewhere. While scalpers in general can cost you quite a bit of extra cash by buying tickets cheap and selling them at a steep markup, you could lose completely if you're scammed into buying fake or cancelled tickets.
Some scammers have been able to make fake tickets that look real to a lot of big events like concerts or sports games. According to WiseBread. Scammers on Craigslist will often list tickets that are either fake or already cancelled -- making you pay through the nose for a disappointment. LYV Report or the actual venue -- and for airplane tickets, never use Craigslist to avoid getting scammed. In general, whenever an ad is not local meaning the person posting the ad isn't in your area , it's generally not a good idea to pursue it.
Because posters of non-local ads generally won't be able to meet up with you and will often require transferring money through some online platform which scammers can use to their advantage. Some ads may be from on-duty soldiers in Iraq or other distant places that necessitate online transactions that could be fraught with scams. And Craigslist also claims that the service is meant for local transactions in most cases -- so beware of the non-local advertisement.
While there are certainly some precautions that should be taken when actually meeting and conducting a transaction in person such as meeting in a public place or bringing a friend with you , some people that are unable to meet in person or refuse to could be scammers on the site.
Perhaps surprisingly, a lot of people get scammed by using fake Craigslist sites to begin with. In the past, scammers have used fake Craigslist sites with very similar domain names in hopes of snagging internet searches from the real Craigslist site and convincing users to trust the fake ones. Some of these sites look very realistic and could cost you a lot of money. Some scammers may use PayPal or rather, the promise of PayPal to send or receive money on Craigslist.
Post by forkhorn » Tue Jul 24, am. Post by RickBoglehead » Tue Jul 24, am. Post by RickBoglehead » Tue Jul 24, pm. Post by shawndoggy » Tue Jul 24, pm.
Post by LordB » Tue Jul 24, pm. Post by htdrag11 » Tue Jul 24, pm. Post by Katietsu » Tue Jul 24, pm. Post by nasrullah » Tue Jul 24, pm. Post by LordB » Wed Jul 25, am. Post by StevieG72 » Wed Jul 25, am. Privacy Terms. Time: 0. Quick links. Craigslist payment by PayPal - safe or scam? Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities. Post by htdrag11 » Mon Jul 23, pm I listed my friend's expensive grand piano on Craigslist CL for a lot of money.
Got a buyer the next day who sent me the following verbatim. Is it for real? The selling price is roughly about a third of the original, in mint condition it was used for less than hours in 20 years due to a moving sales.
I won't be able to come for pick up due to my work,So i will arrange for the pick up and the delivery with a shipping agent. I'll make the payment through PayPal for the safety of both of us.
I'll need your name,the pick up address and your PayPal email address to proceed with the payment. What steps would you have taken in the response?
I'll at least ask his county and state location, at a minimum. I'm also concern about buyer's regrets. Thank you in advance for all your suggestions and insights. BTW, I'm a member of PayPal for over 15 years and did not have any issues in getting my money back, but then this is a lot of money. I understand that there is a 2. Re: Craigslist payment by PayPal - safe or scam? Report it using the CL link, do not reply. Validate money order at Post Office before depositing.
Last edited by RickBoglehead on Mon Jul 23, pm, edited 1 time in total. Post by shawndoggy » Mon Jul 23, pm scam. If you even get a hint of a whiff of a scam, ask the potential buyer to call you. Most scammers won't, and most who do call will obviously be scammers. Ask lots of questions when you talk to get comfortable. Post by mmmodem » Mon Jul 23, pm That is textbook scam. One of two things will happen if you fall for this scam. An actual payment is made through paypal.
You'll receive a genuine confirmation. However, there will be a hold on the transfer of funds. PayPal will notify you of this hold. Some people don't notice the funds are on hold and ship the product anyway. A week later when Paypal realizes the payment is made from a bad account, they cancel the payment. A spoofed email from the scammer will be sent to look like a real Paypal payment confirmation email. You send the product out.
You check your account and notice no payment arrived. Some people do not check their Paypal account to confirm receipt of payment. I've had both happen to me on eBay. I didn't fall for either but because it was an eBay transaction, I had to wait until Paypal and eBay confirmed this was a scammer before I could relist the item. It took up to 4 weeks to clear. Post by bob » Mon Jul 23, pm Scam I've sold several items on CL and replies like you received, I ignore as the are cookie cutter replies.
For clues watch for misspellings and grammatical errors too! Post by arf30 » Mon Jul 23, pm PayPal automatically sides with the buyer, who will have up to 6 months to claw his money back after the scam is complete. That's why Craigslist warns you to always deal in person and with cash. Post by keepingitsimple » Mon Jul 23, pm I think it's most likely a scam.
Personally, I would discontinue any communication with the supposed buyer. Don't give phone number unless it is a GV number. Post by alfaspider » Mon Jul 23, pm Good advice on this thread. I also note that scammers tend to have certain quirks related to their writing that are dead giveaways. Most often, they write in overly-formal prose that does not fit with how most people write emails. That formality is often combined with incorrect grammar or awkward language. For example, a normal person in the U.
Only scammers use language like that. Language-wise, note the misuse of the comma in the first sentence. Although not present in this scam, be very wary of anybody who has a sob story or claims to be associated with the military. Also, any references to Paypal, Ebay, or especially Western Union as a means of providing security are highly suspect. Finally, read the email again- note that it makes no specific reference to what you are selling- scammers will often refer to "the item" or other similar generic term indicating the scam email could be sent to just about anything listed for sale.
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