Pay Pal Scams on
Craigslist
.
I have recently come across many people asking questions on other blogs and postings about using Pay Pal (the real one) for completing transactions through Craigslist. We all know there are several Pay Pal scams on Craigslist that are always taking place and for a full description of those scams you can always read them on my website www.beatcraigslist.com but what about using the Real Pay Pal? Does that work and is it safe? Let me address some of the issues here.
Here is a sample questions that I have come across (there have been many others along the same line but this sums it up nicely):
I recently posted an item for sale on Craigslist and the buyer wants to use Pay Pal. I spoke with the guy (gal) on the phone and it all seems legit. They want to use the real Pay Pal to pay for the merchandise, so it must be OK right? Pay Pal will protect me from fraud right?
Think again. Pay Pal (the real one) will only protect you (maybe) if your transaction goes bad on Ebay, NOT any place else.
So how can they possibly defraud you and Pay Pal once the money is in your account?
Here are a few quick ways, and there are probably many more! (feel free to leave me comments if you have seen or heard of any other ways you can be defrauded on Pay Pal)
1- They (the scammer) will send you a phony (but legitimate looking) email from Pay Pal indicating that the money has been sent but won’t be credited to your account until you email back the tracking number. This is complete BS because Pay Pal will NEVER asks for a tracking number before crediting you the money. If you log in to your real Pay Pal account (not some link in an email) and there is no money present and no copy of that email, then it’s obvious that there is no transaction, but how many people will go through this extra trouble?
2 – They send you an email from Pay Pal (again phony) saying that the money has been sent but you must click on the enclosed link to confirm the transaction. The link then takes you to a very real looking Pay Pal site where you enter your log in details and BAM, you just fell for an old fashioned phishing scam where the Craigslist scammer hacks your account and takes your money!
3 – The scammer pays you with a hacked Pay Pal account, (like from #2 above) the money goes in to your account, then once you send the item the real account holder reports the theft and Pay Pal
debits the money from your account. Now you have NO money and NO merchandise.
4 – The Craigslist scammer pays you with a real Pay Pal account and ask you to ship the merchandise to a different address. Once you do so and they have the merchandise in hand, they turn around and file a charge-back saying that they never received the item. It doesn’t matter if you have a copy of the delivery confirmation or an email from them asking you to send the merchandise to a different address. You have NO protection from Pay Pal if you ship anywhere other than the verified Pay Pal address – (scammers know this and are hoping you wont).
5 – The oldest scam in the book is where the scammer sends you MORE money than you asked for. They will then apologize and say that they made a mistake but if you could please just wire the balance to their “shipping agent” through Western Union they will arrange a pickup. You do this, then the scammer files a charge-back with Pay Pal saying their account has been hacked, and that they never intended to send you any money. Pay Pal then turns around and debits the money from your account. This one really puts the SUCKER stamp one your forehead because now what happened is that you just sent the merchandise PLUS your own money to the scammer using another fake name through Western Union. How will you EVER live that down? Oh, wait…fortunately you read this article and you wont get stung! You are now SMART instead of STUNG!
These are just a few methods that any Craigslist scammer can use to defraud you and the Real Pay Pal. If you keep these things in mind and still wish to go forward with a Pay Pal payment on Craigslist I hope that it all works out for you. Considering these people are always looking for new ways to scam you from your money I would be very hesitant to proceed with these types of transactions. One thing I have learned is that the BEST way to cut off a scammer on Craigslist is to keep ALL your transactions 1- Local, and 2- CASH ONLY!
Craigslist is also full of local scammers, don’t get me wrong. Not all criminals live in Nigeria. That would be just foolish to allow yourself to think that locality has anything to do with the criminal element. There have been numerous reports of people being robbed or assaulted by local criminals from Craigslist. One very important rule above all others is to Always meet in well lit, very public places. Never allow yourself to be pulled away from crowds since the old adage is correct that “There is safety in numbers”! I hope this helps you out and keeps you protected. I will add more scams here in the future but at my website www.beatcraigslist.com I have an on going list of scams that just keeps growing. Check that out for the latest, and don’t get discouraged by the HUGE list. You don’t have to read it all in one sitting. Stay smart and stay safe!
Craigslist's Dirty Little Secrets Revealed 
I tried to sell a $25 gift card for $20 on craigslist and got a pretty quick response asking if the gift card was still available and giving me a contact phone number. I texted the person asking where/when to meet and she asked if I could come to Riverside (which is about a 30 minute drive from the location I had in the posting). I said no because I’m a university student without a car and she said my city was miles away and asked if I had a PayPal. I said I didn’t have one so she said making one was easy and she wants to use PayPal “as it protects both the seller and buyer”. She said she would make the payment first “for you to feel comfortable” and then I could tell her the number/code on the gift card. I was tempted to agree to this because it was more convenient and quick than meeting in person but I read on Craigslist that I should only do in person, cash transactions. Does this sound like a scam? I feel that a $25 gift card isn’t worth scamming people for.
Yes, it can be. I obviously don’t know the intentions of this given person, but “scammer gonna scam” is all I can say. It’s in their blood to scam for any amount and they will use the info as a springboard for large scams when possible. One time I was making a purchase at a store and the cashier asked for my ID when I was paying with my credit card. I was rather annoyed and told her “If I was really trying to pull a scam I would do it for hundreds of dollars not the $2.00 item I was buying.” She responded by informing me that many scammers will test fraudulent credit cards to make sure they work first by making really small purchases because most merchants wont bother to check. Then they go for the big stuff if it worked. So ever since then I realized that you cant ignore the little things because they could be indicators of a larger problem. Small scams lead to larger scams. What bothers me about your story is that it sounds very scripted and typical of what scammers like to do.
I think the trick is that they send you an email that looks like it’s from PayPal saying you have a payment. If you believe the email and it’s a fake, you’re screwed. To make sure, check your PayPal account and see if there is really a payment there.
That is not a guarantee. The problem is that many scammers use stolen or hacked accounts. They will make a purchase and later either pull the money back calling it fraudulent, or that they never got the merchandise, or the real owner will alert paypal to the fraud and it will be reversed. Paypal does not protect anyone, TRUST ME! I have had several bad dealings with paypal and there is NO ONE to contact or talk to. I have had what I thought were legitimate transactions to later have them reversed because they other side said that they never authorized the transaction or that it was done without their consent. Paypal doesn’t care if you are out the merchandise, or service, they only cover their own behinds.
Alright, thanks! Another person messaged me asking to buy the gift card via PayPal; from now on I’m just going to be very clear that I will only deal with cash.
Update: I’ve now had four or five people ask me to buy this gif card with PayPal. I can see why someone would much rather use PayPal to buy a gift card because it’s instantaneous and you don’t have to physically go anywhere. Should I keep turning people down because they want to use PayPal? I’m not sure what to think anymore.
I can only give you advice. The final decision is up to you. I will say that it’s a common practice of Craigslist scammers to “gang up” on people when they are trying to sell something and they want to scam you. This is to cause you to feel exactly what you are feeling now. “Well, if 20 people are asking me to use PayPal then it must be safe” This is a common practice. Remember that they have hundreds of emails, and phone numbers available to them. What you need to do is think the reverse. Isn’t is funny how ALL these people want to do the EXACT same thing, and the SAME time?! I think it’s a set up. Remember, once you give it away, it’s GONE!
Just wanted to post somewhere about the guy who tried to scam us via Craigslist. He claimed his name is Anthony Thomas but his voicemail said Freddy. His number is 510-883-8665. He was interested and was going to mail the check and wait for it to clear before sending movers to come ship the equipment. Big red flag that he was going to include the money for shipping in his check so my uncle could pay the shipping people. He seemed interested to talking on the phone but then when it came down to it, he would only text my uncle. Wanted to share this info somewhere so it could help someone down the road. Glad we weren’t fooled.
Yeah, sounds about right. Like I mentioned before, if they wanna talk, then talk to them. Chances are it will never happen because it will show their broken English and also be a dead give away as to where they are really located. Even though 510 does show up as Oakland, it can be a spoof number. So many things are fakeable (is that even a word?) these days.
Any thoughts… I am selling used mailing/printing equipment in Boise, Idaho. The guy texting me is located near Oakland, California. He was fine with the price (which is a good deal but is still $4,000). He quickly asked for a name and address to mail his check to and that when it cleared and cash was in hand, he would arrange for a shipping company to come get the equipment. I told him Craigslist advises against taking cashiers or certified checks. He told me he would be sending a certified check. I told him that wouldn’t work. Then he asked if we could do PayPal. I told him I needed to talk with my uncle, because it’s his equipment, but that I am pretty sure he will NOT want to do PayPal due to scammers. I suggested he talk to my uncle on the phone and he seems open to it. I am still unsure. Any thoughts? How can my uncle figure out if he is legit while talking on the phone? Should we have him mail $4,000 cash?! Is there a way to do distant transactions and not be scammed???
I would talk to the individual on the phone. Have him call you so it’s not your dime, and you can see what the number is and where it is located with your caller ID. Also, printing equipment I would think it would be a company buying it not some individual to put it in his back yard. Ask info about the company and check it’s credentials. Then you could always call the company later and check to see if the story is true and if Joe Blow actually works for them. If it’s just some dude buying it for himself, then I would be very leery. Also, you can do long distance sales and not get burned, people do it all the time. You can ask for a wire transfer if the other person is willing. You can ask for a money order since that requires cash up front, but that does have risk just like a check. You can ask for an E-Check since that requires them to have the cash in their account. If it doesn’t clear then you do not proceed. PayPal is good with those. I have had order with e-checks and pay pal will hold the transaction until it clears. If it does not clear PP will tell you that it did not clear and NOT to proceed. They also do not bill you anything if it doesn’t clear so you are safe. I would not ask anyone to send you CASH. NO, NO, NO, because I do NOT trust government employees either. Mail gets stolen and opened all the time. DON’T do that!
I want to sell my $1,200 computer but I want them to send me their ID AND meet at the local police station. Is it illegal to request for their ID before meeting?
No, it’s not illegal. You could also ask for blood type, and anything else you want, but would that really help you? The reason I say that is because they would be sending you a digital copy which is very easy to create a fake, (there are dozens of fake ID sites on the web) so it wouldn’t be very helpful to you. The meeting at a police station or very crowded place, that is a much better idea, and could prove very helpful in warding off crooks. There are many hit and run crooks out there that pull out a gun and take off with the merchandise at the meeting so, they wouldn’t be willing to meet at a police station.
Actually, there is something we could do. We could buy into their crap and send them something that will make them miserable. I’m not sure what yet, but I am open for ideas. Maybe spiders, dead fish, or something that will make them pay. I’m not talking things that will cause harm but some way to make them regret it just a little. Any thoughts?
My thoughts are that your idea is hilarious, but I will tell you not to do anything like that. The reason I say this is that if you are in the U.S.of A. our government is very reactionary and the laws here punish the law abiding citizens more than the criminals. If you send anything that can be considered harmful (by USPS) you could find yourself in a world of hurt. For example, lets say you sent someone a small amount of talcum powder in an envelope. Maybe you wanted them to keep their private parts nice and dry. Nice person you are, except the Government can consider that a terrorist threat because the don’t know if its Risen or some other toxic substance. Even though it is only talc, it could land you in prison. Now if you were a real loony and did try to kill someone they would probably slap you on the wrist and send you to a local shrink to talk about how much you hate your mother. Comprende what I am saying pardner?
I have had so many sometimes i go along with it for a while, they’ll send me a check for like a thousand over the price of item and they think I’m going to cash it and send back the extra. Then a week later the the check will come back to me insuffient funds and I’m screwed and they have a thousand dollars! Last time the guy wanted his money sent back and I said I knew you were a scammer all along, and he goes thanks for wasting my time! Oh yeah and they are always out of town on business.. they’ll pay first and have someone pick up after the check is cashed they never show up for the item. I asked one if he’d give me a couple hundred extra because I knew he was scamming and he’s like sure! They’re always very agreeable and accommodating that’s the first sign!
I have had so many sometimes i go along with it for a while, they’ll send me a check for like a thousand over the price of item and they think I’m going to cash it and send back the extra. Then a week later the the check will come back to me insuffient funds and I’m screwed and they have a thousand dollars! Last time the guy wanted his money sent back and I said I knew you were a scammer all along, and he goes thanks for wasting my time! Oh yeah and they are always out of town on business.. they’ll pay first and have someone pick up after the check is cashed they never show up for the item. I asked one if he’d give me a couple hundred extra because I knew he was scamming and he’s like sure! They’re always very agreeable and accommodating that’s the first sign!
I posted tickets for a football game on Craigslist. Buyer contacted me through the ad and then by text message. He paid through a PayPal account and I sent the tickets to the email address associated with the account. Weeks later, PayPal contacted me saying the buyer reported he didn’t recognize the transaction. I explained what the transaction was for and followed up with documentation showing I had forwarded the tickets to the email address associated with the PayPal account. I have been debited the amount of the sale plus a fee. PayPal says it is up to the buyer’s financial institution whether and out of PayPal’s hands. I still don’t understand what happened, nor how the financial institution, who we have no way of contacting, has the final say. Any ideas?
Yes, that is correct. That is a dirty little secret of PayPal right there. There are times when a buyer uses a credit card (instead of paypal credit) to make a purchase through PP, and if they later dispute it with the credit card, PP will do nothing to help you. Depending on the card, they can cancel the transaction and debit your account, and generally you are charged a $20 charge back fee plus the original amount that was in dispute. PP will say that they will do everything to help you but in reality I don’t believe that they do anything at all. Also, you are correct, in that you have NO idea who the credit card was or what the dispute was or how to defend yourself. PP completely isolates you from the transaction. This isn’t something that happens very frequently (but of course it burns you when it does) but if this does increase in frequency, PP will have to do something more concrete to deal with it or there will be big lawsuits against PP if this becomes a common scam. Some lawyer may decide to take this to Class Action status if it continues.
I’m trying to figure out my legal recourse but it’s difficult when I don’t even know who the parties are. Thanks for the moral support.
I hate to tell you this, but don’t waste your time. Legally you probably couldn’t handle this on your own (unless you are a paralegal or attorney). But if you plan on paying an attorney, they either will not take your case (if they are ethical) or they will simply take your money and laugh all the way to the bank. Attorneys charge around $300 an hour. So even if you lost $300, it would be eaten up by just consulting with an attorney for one hour. I have been involved in lawsuits both at the small claims level and in Superior Court represented by attorneys. All I can say is that attorneys have a well deserved reputation for being the lowest form of life on earth. I won my cases, but it depends how much money you want to throw at something.
805 3356074- Nuel, a marine, willing to pay 250 when I asked for 180 for an iphone. scam!!
I got hit for 2000.00 last summer.scamers used Amazon gift cards .well they got me but what sucks is Amazon knows who done it.I didn’t know got card no. Deposit in there account . Amazon said I found cards and said I was scamming. Still have cards the local law around here are dumber then a bag of hammers.
Is there a way to turn the tables on these Craigslist scammers so the
the shoe is on the other foot ? There must be a way . Don’t get me wrong , I get
plenty even when specifying cash only plus they always seem thrilled on price
as most legit buyers on Craigslist typically negotiate, and if agreed to price we
then meet nearby before going to where merchandise is .
There must be a way to turn the tables , get there money and have no
backdoor to retrieve then notify paypal or craigslist to what occurred so
the money they hypothetically paid is trapped and no merchandise is sent .
I think turning the tables in a legit manner and notifying paypal would help.
No, there is no way to turn the tables on them. You are making the same mistake a LOT of people make. You are assuming that there is money coming. There is NO money coming, so there is NOTHING to hold ransom. I wish there was a way and I would shout it from the mountain tops, but sadly there is not. The best revenge is to just ignore them and block their email or number. The other huge problem is that no one cares. It’s your problem not theirs so they turn a blind eye. Craigslist doesn’t care and neither does paypal. Our own government doesn’t give a crap. Your on your own, so just stay clear of the fray and don’t get scammed.
Totally totally accurate, such sound advice
No way to turn the tables, but here’s what I do the moment one of these scammers mention PayPal… I just text them this pic: https://imgur.com/a/Js5xp
It doesn’t do anything, but makes me feel better.
Funny as heck!!! 😀
Like many people on here I was hoping to sell something on craigslist. I texted by a person who called themselves Curtis Spencer with the number (347-919-6677). Wanted to pay via paypal. I use paypal all the time and this didn’t seem strange, but he could not handle the sale himself and would use a hauler (red flag – especially from my wife) but I really wanted to sell this item so I engaged him. Would not give him my address but a local major intersection. Then i let him know that I would not open any paypal emails but use paypal a lot and I would know when something popped in. Then I found a website and mentions of “Curtis”. Sent him a screenshot.
I found your sight by googling the phone number that I was given by a supposed representative of a mystery shopper company, named George Vang. I did some research and learned about the scammers who send you a large check and ask you to cash it and then send the majority of the amount to two different people by money gram. Then you find out at some point that it was a bum check and that you have to return the amount of the check to the bank that you cashed it at.
Glad we could help you avoid that problem.
Wanted to follow up. Just got back from selling my iPhone for only $50 less than my original asking price. After a couple months of being bombarded with scammers, I think I got one or two legitimate inquiries. But when this gentleman suggested meeting at the Apple store, I knew I had a winner (unless, of course, this cash in my pocket is counterfeit). So, it *is* possible to sell — just got to be careful like CraigsLisStaff says.
Thanks for the follow up, and I’m glad it worked out for you.
Hi there, I would love some guidance about an ad on Craigslist. I was looking through gigs and saw an ad to write reviews for amazon products. They pay $10 a review and said payment is made through PayPal, so my Pay Pal email would be shared. What do you think?
Thank you
Yes, your paypal email would be shared with this person or organization. What can happen from there, I do not know. I would not be too energized about jumping at this easy money. I have heard about scams like that where they get you to write stuff, and the payments get stalled, are slow or never come. You may write 100 reviews and get paid for 10 because the rest were “Not good enough” or “Didn’t sound real” or whatever excuse they through out. These kinds of things are seldom 100% above board. So all I can advise you is “Caveat Emptor!”
Thank you for this site. I just put my used phone up on CL late last night. First time I’ve ever done anything like this. I received the first text about an hour afterwards. Thought it was a little strange for someone to be up at 2:00am looking for a phone, so didn’t respond until I woke up today. Since then there are 6 more texts from 6 different people. All 7 have the same story — 1. out of town, 2. want phone as gift for relative, 3. want to pay by paypal. When I read the first text this morning, I had a hunch something wasn’t right and did a google search for craigslist and paypal. Your site came up near the top. Thanks for the education. Fortunately, I’m not desperate to sell this thing — but 7 scammers and no real inquiries in less than 8 hours? It’s kind of scary.
This is very common. At least now you are aware of what is happening and what to watch out for. Keep trying to sell your phone and hopefully you will get an honest, REAL buyer soon. Remember, Local and Cash only will save your day every time.
thank you so much for this blog..Very helpful… i was selling my macbook pro and same thing happened to me… Several people wanted me to ship and use Paypal… I responded with :”that’s why i’m not using Ebay and i’m using Craig’sList instead, to meet in person, no paypal, cash only….some of these scammers get super pushy when you tell them you don’t ship but it gets the point across quickly….
Well you just saved me $550! Thankfully I listened to my gut and did a little research before finalizing the deal. The buyer emailed me about the computer I was selling and asked me to text her, so I did. She asked if I used PayPal (I’m over here thinking wow this is legit! PayPal is guaranteed!) because she felt safer using that. She said she was out of town (I live in Georgia) and wouldn’t be able to meet in person, but she wanted to buy it quickly so she could send it to her niece in New Hampshire without even inspecting the computer? I told her I would send my PayPal info to her the next day cause it was late and I was going to bed. At first I was excited, but over night I started to feel uneasy about the deal. The next morning she text me “Hello good morning” I guess because I was taking too long to send her the info. I text her back letting her know that I didn’t feel comfortable doing the deal through PayPal and asked if we could meet in person when she got back in town. She became somewhat rude and sort of demanding after that. I didn’t respond and started researching and found this! I blocked her number and flagged her on Craigslist. Thank you!
Her name was Martha Green, phone# 938-238-1508
Hello,
Someone is selling me a item and willing to ship it for an additional $30.00. Ok.
But, I asked that we use Pay pal and then he said that his Pay pal account is the same as his email account.
He also asked that I say that it is a Gift. It’s not a gift. Wouldn’t this hurt me as the buyer to mark gift because it seem that I wouldn’t get my money back if all fails.
For most people their paypal account is the same as their email account, that is normal. Only businesses may have different account for whatever internal accounting reasons. The reason he may have asked that you mark it a gift is probably so he wouldn’t have to pay fees on the transaction. You can say “NO” to this and see what his response is. If it still makes you nervous then don’t go through with it.
I’m selling a boat and 2 different people saying their in the military want to buy the boat. One is emailing me saying that’s the only way he can contact me. The other is texting me same story. They both say they want it and they will pay by PayPal. They say when the money clears my account they will have the boat pickup. Does this sound Fishy to you? Is it a scam?
Let’s see…. I will give you one guess and your guess should start with the letter “Y” promptly followed by the letter “E” and ending with the letter “S”. 😉
I am also selling a boat and the same mo, in the military and want to use paypal. Want to send money and send someone down to pick it up. Thank you for the post.
I just had someone try number one on me. I’ve sold multiple mobile phones via eBay so I know the ins and outs of pay pal. When he said there’s no confirmation until I enter the tracking number accessed through the PayPal email I was out! You got the wrong guy dude! This is good info. I hope people read up before selling on Craigslist and pay attention to your intuition; if something feels off, don’t do it.
I just got the following text regarding a pricey Sectional I’m selling:
“I hope you don’t mind my questions as you can never be to careful.What is your final asking $? Are you the first owner of it? Where is its location? Does it have anything negative i should know about?”
I responded and mind you she claims to be from
Michigan my listing is in Indiana and her area code on the phone was Florida. Here was her response
“Ok great. I’m okay with the price and present condition, i believe with that i wont be disappointed in buying it from you, what is the zip code for the pick up arrangement and do you have an account with paypal to receive payment? Caroline.”
I tried to call her number and got a voicemail from some app called “text me” so her number wasn’t legit. I told her sorry not selling anymore here is how she responded:
“Okay. Get back to me if you change your mind. I feel more comfortable transferring my money via PayPal due to their high security measures at ensuring safe and secure transaction between the seller and the buyer.”
What a phony! The whole thing didn’t make sense. Why would you pay almost $3000 for used Furniture site unseen? Be careful people!
I received the exact same text. I became suspicious when the person became pushy and started using all caps. One Text read…I will pickup TODAY. Another said CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR PAYPAL DEPOSIT ASAP. Funny, the email was caught in spam filter and delivered 12 hours later, it said deposit of $825 was received for $375 item.
Here is my latest
My name is zach please i will like to know the following details:1) Why are you selling ? 2) What’s the present condition ?3) Are you the first owner? 4) Re-confirm asking price? 5) any more pictures?.Thanks
Sounds great i am okay with the price and condition,I Want this as a gift for our Son.we sure he will be more than happy with it.i’ll like to pay u through paypal so get back to me with your paypal email and name so i can proceed with the quick transfer.
I just got this almost verbatim for my motorcycle. Glad to know my instincts were correct. What’s amazing is that the scammer would think it reasonable to buy a motorcycle sight unseen. I guess they really just don’t care and hope for someone who won’t think it through.
Yeah, that and relying on people’s greed. Greed makes people not think things through, so they step in the turd and regret it later. offer full price and people see heaven.
I’m new to poshmark and somebody wanted to purchase an item via not poshmark. (Violation)
I am so sorry that i couldn’t email you earlier i had to work overtime, I will be having a little change in my schedule, my son had an emergency and was rushed to intensive care unit , My initial plan was for me to make the payment and have you ship it to our address but now that we have to leave the house it wont be possible that way but I already arranged with my usual local shipper who will be picking it up After you have been paid and he will have it kept safe since i wont be available at home, myself and my wife we will have to keep an eye on Brandon for now My little man he needs us most this time,I am OK with your price, i will be making the purchase but my mode of payment will be a certified bank check which i will send through ups on monday and you will get it on tuesday . So when you cash the check, I will call you to arrange shipment I believe everything should go smoothly. I will need to have a name the check is payable to, an address to give to the courier (mailing address),also your phone number so i can give you a call when i send out the payment and the agreed price…
It’s the same type of scam used on CL. My initial reaction when reading something like this is “Your son is in the ICU, YET you have time to contact me and write this lengthy email about shippers and payments, REALLY?!” No parent would do this, it’s a scam.
Selling an iPhone on Craigslist and received the following…
Sorry for the late respond,My name is James, i’m in the United State Marine Corps (USMC)but i’m no longer in town to meet in person. I’m buying it for my cousin in LA as a surprise gift since he doesn’t know about it. I’m okay with the price and i’ll pay $150 for the overnight shipping. Do you have a PayPal account? Let me know asap so i can arrange the payment through PayPal.
Just seems super shady!
We posted a car online this morning and locked the Reply button so people can only call my husband’s cell, not email us. We got one call from an interested party, but then we got one text. The texter said he needed us to email him because he was texting us from his work phone and that he could not reply from the same number. Ummm… if you can’t REPLY from that phone, then how did you SEND A TEXT to begin with?!? My husband said, “Call me when you’re available.” He responded “I want you to tell me what might be wrong with the car and why are you selling it.” Rude. My husband sent a short reply. The person’s next says, “All right, I’m going to pay you via PayPal and send my hauler to come pick up the car…blah, blah, blah.” He wanted us to believe he was willing to buy the car, sight unseen. Right. I told my husband not to reply, and I went to my laptop. Found this site. He promptly blocked the number. Ridiculous. By the way, the caller had a 401 area code, just like Dorothy Danelle Jozwiak below.
Smart woman. I’ll bet your husband is glad you were there. 😉
THANK YOU for sharing this! I have no experience with PayPal and the same thing just happened to me – no questions asked, hauler going to pick it up, sending money for me to pay the hauler, etc. Something didn’t feel right so i got online and found this. You just saved me a HUGE ton of grief – thank you!!
Thank you for all the comments. I am trying to sell on a craigslist for the first time (used kitchen cabinets) and already received 2 text messages and they both wanted to pay via PayPal. Once I asked for cash (thanks to you!) I haven’t heard back from them. Obviously a scam!
Thank you again!
Glad to find this thread. Selling a $2500 saxophone, my husband got an email from “Bianca” who says she’s a flight attendant with a crazy schedule – she will pay with PayPal and have her mover pick up the horn. She didn’t like the paypal.me link we sent, wanted my email id instead – we were about to send it when I found this discussion.
There you go. The paypal.me link would have made it harder for her to pull a scam, that’s why she wanted just your email so she could yank your chain. You were smart to have that ready.
What happens if they obtained the email but the transaction never went through? I almost fell for it 😦
Absolutely nothing.
Thank you for your post. I had a similar story from “Ann Grove” who’s supposedly a flight attendant and wants to purchase a Dining Room set for $2900 via Paypal without looking at it.
Exact same name I just got — exact same story. $18,000 grand piano. As soon as she -he-it mentioned paypal I shut it down.
Thank you. Very helpful. Few weeks ago i almost got scammed out of $3K buying a false ad posted on craigslist. Now im selling, and a buyer wants to pay with paypal total without seeing the car. No way Jose! Cash Only ! 🙂
Got one from letgo now. 928-589-2152. Wanted to buy my ring for $1,100 and pay for all shipping. My ring was bought off wish for $5
I just one scammer’s phone number: +1(714)3402945. He said he is in the military and will send a mover to pick up my stuff on the craigslist. Hope this info can help good people to avoid this scammer.
Hate those scammers
I just received the same scam from 401-684-9934 asking me to email him at carloswater11@gmai.com called himself Sgt Mayer and wants to pay me via paypal and he too will have a mover come to pick up the item. I told him local only and cash only. I figured it was a scam after he said he has no access to his bank acct online(seriously)
I too got an email from carloswater11@gmail.com, same story, wants his mover to com pick up the item, its a $2000 mountain bike and he does not want to even see the item. Bad news.
thanks for the info, I had one of those just like this today.
After 1 hour I posted our SUV for sale, I received this email:
“Hello,
Thanks for the response, My name is BaileyThomas. I am buying this as a surprise to someone very dear to me and I want to keep it that way(AS A SURPRISE) after delivery day. I work with Turner Construction, we are currently working at a very rural area which makes it very hard for me to make phone calls due to bad network reception here but you can always text me . I will not be able to view it but I have a Mover who will come for the pickup so please get back to me with more pics and also I will be making the payment via PayPal as that is the only payment option I can access from here I hope you understand.I have some questions for you;
Are you the first owner of it?
Where do you live?
What is your final asking price?
Does it have anything negative i should know about?
Hope to read back from you soon…..
Regards Bailey”
I did not know about all this scams, but when the sender came back to me within half an hour, accepting the asked price, I got online and read your posts.
THANK YOU! I just wrote the sender back: Local Sale and cash only!
Well done! It never ceases to amaze me how stupid these people are. This guy claims to be working in a very rural area so he cannot chat on the phone with you. REALLY!? Even people in the back woods or Colorado or Alaska have internet access via satellite and they can use voip, skype, or some phone apps like facetime if needed. Were not in the 1800 any more. It’s just plain BS what they put forth as lies. I always say that if you are going to lie to someone, at least put some effort into it and make it a good one. If not it just insults my intelligence. I tell people that sometimes. “That was the worst lie I have ever heard”. They don’t like it when I do that. 😀
You say the scammers are stupid. On the other hand, they wouldn’t keep running these scams if there weren’t naive people who fall for them.
Well, yes and yes. Stupid is a relative term, but, Scammers are stupid because in my opinion if you are going to do a scam, make it the best scam possible. Close all the loose ends and cross out all the question marks. Make sure that you answered every possible question in the mind of the person being conned. If you want to be a con man, take pride in your work and create the best con you can. I also agree with you that there are many, many people that are either not informed, gullible, stupid, or whatever the case. That is why this blog is here to help those that want to be helped. Some are blind because they do not want to see. Those I cannot help, nor can anyone. For example I have seen documentaries where women (an men) were scammed out of thousands of dollars by men (or women) that would give them a sob story and pledge to be their spouse once they got X amount of dollars so they could pay off their debt and join them. That is sad as it is, but sadder yet is that some admitted that they KNEW that they were being scammed but kept going HOPING that they were wrong. HUH!?! Yeah, that’s the strange way the human mind works. We are the only animal that can actually delude itself and alter reality to be what we want it to be.
Fascinating! “Bailey Thomas” just messaged me with the same scam — except he’s stationed on an army base at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. I think scammers might wish to change their names. So glad I found this forum!
I have been dealing with this for several years. I have always known these exact type emails and texts were a scam. I just found this thread last night and Ive spent over an hour reviewing it.. Okay, Im A bit pissed off at this point. Stay tuned. I am either going to set up scam against scam some type of hook that will catch or convict these Ass**les. Im over the disrespect that they not only think they can lie, cheat, and steal from us, they are wasting much of our valuable time.. I have one on the line right now.. Im going to try to catch a fish.. LOL
Happy Fishing! 😉
I recently had someone put my phone number under the sex ads on Craigslist for calling them out and messing with them about being a scammer so be careful. I had 4 different people text me if I would meet them. I was like wth?! Luckily, The last guy said he would report the ad for me. I was livid. So be careful when you are messing with scammers
Very good point. This goes back to what I always warn people about giving out personal info online. I am old fashioned and believe that personal privacy is the last currency we still have. In this day where people divulge all their personal details online, I believe that one should not do so. I believe that you wait before you divulge. Be certain of whom you are speaking with (or texting) before you divulge any info. Specially on CL. Before you release any info about yourself, be sure you are not dealing with a scammer. Use the CL anominiser email system, or use a throwaway email, or use disposable voip numbers available online for texting. Etc. If in doubt, google the name or number of whom you are dealing with and see if they are legit. If a scammer in many cases it will bring you here since many people are good enough to post the names and numbers of scammers here on this blog. And I appreciate them helping us all out by doing this.
I am currently trying to sell my SUV and on the post I have no (paypal) and this whoever it is has been trying to tell me that She is interested in buying my SUV and asked how old were the pics on the add and asked all kinds of information that I normally ask before I go look at something that I want to buy. Then the person tells me that she is in the Military and for the past few days they have been on a no call exercise but she can still use email and get online. She continued to say that she wants to buy my SUV for her father and that she will set up for a shipper to come pick it up and that she will pay for all shipping when she pays me, as in she will add more with the payment to me so that I can pay the shipper. Right there in knew it was a scam because the seller does not arrange for the item to be shipped unless it is a part of that sell and more the shipper is not supposed to pay the shipper in person like that. Well to get on with it I asked her to give me her information, Name Rank MOS and other information so that I can contact her administration office to verify that she is in the military and that she is real. Well I get another email telling me that I can not do that because they will not allow me to talk to them and it is illegal for them to tell me if she was in the military or not. I told he that if she is on a field exercise and they are not allowed to call or use the phone but she has access to the Internet it is a punishable offence because communication blackout means no contact with the outside period and that means internet as well. According to the rules of the UCMJ she will be in some deep shit. A few hours later she emailed and asked me how I know this stuff? I told her/him that I am only Active Duty and that I am the Staff NCO at the administration office at the station I am at and this is how I knew that everything they have told me was pure bs and that over the past few emails I have traced the IP Address location and have reported to the FBI. No further emails after that.
Every time I get a scammer that try to tell me these stupid stories about them being in the military and that they can not call or text because they are on exercises or whatever I can not resist not messing with them and waiting their time while I track down their locations lol.
Sorry for the long post I’ll make it shorter next time.
Good job. Currently I also am like you that I call BS on people. I didn’t do that when I was younger because I was taught it was rude, but its a “Brave New World” out there (or so the progressives like to call it) so we have to call BS when you see it and shut it down. Too many people telling lies to your face and they expect to get away with it because we have all been taught it’s rude to call them out. I have reprogrammed myself to not believe that any more. It’s funny how people get tongue tied and don’t know what to say when you tell them “That’s not true, so let’s try that again”
Im sorry, maybe this is a bitchy response but some of you guys on here seriously lack common sense. First, no one in their right mind is going to offer you more money for an item then what you list it for. (Common sense) Do you go to the store and say I know this is $12.00 but I want to give you $50.00? Umm no! Secondly, what (smart) person is going to pay for shipping of an item for someone they don’t know that contacted them on craigslist….? Also, if they say they deposited money into your paypal account and nothing has shown up on you paypal well then ummm DUH! They didn’t. Your paypal account has a message center so anything that goes through your paypal account will come up in there. Me, myself LOVES messing with these craigslist scammers. It’s hilarious and easy. Drag them on for a while. If they are going to waste your time and others might as well have fun with it. I tell them alias names. Then I tell them I didn’t receive the email if they could send it again. I’ll then tell them that someone else offered more money, 99% of the time they will come back with, “I’ll pay more then what they are going to pay.” Then I’ll end with something like this, “Thank you so much for your IP address. This was fun. What’s even more fun is the fact that I have an uncle in the FBI who loves when I send him scammers. Even more, my husbands father is a judge who loves charging scammers. If you feel like someone is watching you, they are. I would be real careful who you scam next, it’ll probably be your last before you are behind bars. God Bless.
Now will this scare all scammers? No, but I’m hoping maybe it get to a couple and at least make them think twice.
🙂 God Bless
Yah just had a person going by the name Collins Parker showing interest in my wedding dress for sale. They did the whole courier thing and requested that I accept an additional 250 to pay the courier in cash. I kindly informed them that I did not feel comfortable doing that and if this was a legitimate transaction that I would prefer to still receive the payment via paypal, but i would like to mail the dress and include a tracking number with a signature required upon receipt and also that the address must match their paypal account. They stopped messaging me real quick
Good response. You dealt with it very nicely and they didn’t even come back with the insults as is usual.
I am selling a used laptop on craigslist and someone is asking for my paypal information with the name on the account. They want to ship it through US Postal Service in Express mail international. They said “Just send me your paypal info’s so i can transfer you the money”
If they money goes into my account can they scam me?
Yes, read through all the other horror stories people have posted here. Not all have asked my opinion before they acted so some have actually been scammmed. Say NO to this person and watch all the hateful comments you will get in response. Oh, and get ready for the threats of sending you to jail also.
Hey Craigslist,
I sell a bed DE LA ESPADA.
I received an email this morning, a guy wants to buy it.
He ask me my account for PayPal and my address for a pick up.
He say he very want to buy it and he’s ready to pay 1000$ more than the price.
What do you think ?
I told him we prefer he pay cash and go with us to a bank for the deposit to be sure it’s real dollar he didn’t answer.
I think his response (or lack of one) has given you a very clear answer already. 😉
I have a phone im looking to sell on craigslist for $700 and someone said theyd buy it but they were going to send a check.
this is what the first message said:
“Thanks for the quick respond, im okay with the price and condition ad i want you to consider it sold,Am plan to send the money in a bank check via USPS to you, then i will arrange for pick up after checked cleared at your bank. I will need your full name, address, apartment number, city, state, and zip code so that i can mail the check out to you quickly.”
So i gave them my address and name and the second message read:
“the check will be mailed out asap and i will get back to you with a tracking # as soon as i mail out the check the certified check will be mailed out cover your money for the items also with the mover fud that will come for pick up, as soon as the check is cleared. you will deduct your funds and send the remaining to the shipper so they can set up a day and time to come for pick-up.”
my response was:
Movers funds?
their reply:
yes after the check clear i will send you the movers info to wire the remaining money to at Walmart or money gram. you can also take $50 from the remaining fee. Do you understand now?
Does this seem like a scam to you?!
Hmmmm, let me think about it….. How many times do you need a mover to come and pick up an item that weighs just a few ounces, such as a phone? Can you pick up on my sarcasm? (Don’t mean to be rude, just having fun) Yes, it’s a scam.
Thanks for documenting this :). Here’s one I just got while trying to sell my motorcycle.
“Oh okay..am highly interested in it and i have read and understand the posting so please let me have the zip code where it is,I want to forward it to my Hauler to calculate how much it will cost me for the pickup.because i will not be able to come and see it due to the nature of my job. Thanks Well am ok with the price and am willing to proceed with the payment but am currently out of town cos i work as an airborne maintenance and engineering service i will be requesting this transaction via PayPal as it is my only means of payment,do you have a PayPal account…?? “
Is it too late for me now? The package is already in the recipient and I still did not have the money. The paypal wants me to refund the money through western union. Is there anything I could do?
Let me see if I can follow this. The package is in the hands of the recipient? Yes, it’s too late to get the package back unless that person wants to cooperate. Then you say PayPal wants you to refund the money through western union, what? That makes no sense at all. Why would PP ask you to refund through western union? Also, you say that you never got the money so what is there tor refund? I can’t really give you any further help unless you can clarify this for me, but it sure looks like you got scammed and there is little that you can do.
After they receive the package, they email back saying
“We encounter little problem while crediting your PayPal account. You have a pending payment of P47,500.00 PHP but we have a problem crediting your account with that amount because the status of your PayPal account is not a business user which makes your account has limit and this amount seems to be above your limit, this will not make us credit your account until you expand your limit.
Note: You have to take this urgent step to expand your Limit.
Contact the last payer of your account Glenn Terry (glennterry053@gmail.com ) to send in an additional payment of P35,500.00 PHP so that your account limit can expand and as soon as this is done, we will credit fully into your PayPal account with the total sum of 83,000.00 PHP.
Note: An alert has been sent to Glenn Terry (glennterry053@gmail.com ) in regard to the P35,500.00 PHP additional payment he/she has to send to you, we will secure this transaction with high priority that neither the payer nor the payee will lose fund in this transaction.”
then, Glenn (scammer) sent a 35,500 to expand the limit, then they reply back with
“You have an Additional Payment of P35,500.00 PHP From Mr Glenn Terry (glennterry34@gmail.com )
Payment Details:
Purchased From: Shyrine Nicole Piñao (shyrinenicole23@gmail.com)
Transaction ID: 3S710238U04303607
a
For your account to be credited fully with the sum of P83,000.00 PHP. You are require to visit any Western Union Transfer outlet around you or Bank, Walmat and make use of the Western Union bank in there to send the sum of P35,500.00 PHP to the below information so as to secure the additional payment
Mr Glenn Terry (glennterry053@gmail.com ) sent to expand your account we want you to know that your account has now been expanded and you are having the total sum of P83,000.00 PHP pending to be credited to your account.
Powered by
Below is the Western Union Transfer payee details:
Receiver Name : THENG PISETH
Country : Cambodia
State : Phnom Penh
Address : 238 sangkat Boeng trabek
zipcode: 12100
Text Question :Color
Text Answer : Green
Mtcn : ………………. ?
Sender Name : ………… ?
Get back to us with the 10 digit”
Yes, this is definitely a scam and, sorry to say that you will never see your merchandise again. PayPal will NEVER ask you to use any other payment source. These emails that you have been getting are fakes from the scammer himself. The only advice I can give you and everyone else, is that when you get an email from a source (ie:PP) and you want to make certain that it is really from them that source, 1- log into your account and you will most likely have that email as a notice notice in your account, and/or 2- Check the email in RAW format and read all the crazy details and see who it really comes from. You will find interesting stuff such as the addressee will say something like “from: customerservice@paypal.com (scammer047@gmail.com)” The RAW format will show you the fake address that they used PLUS where it REALLY came from. Easy way to spot a scam email if ever in doubt. Sorry to tell you but all that stuff that they wrote you was just to confuse you further so that you would just follow through and send them money aside from the merchandise. Be happy that you eventually woke up from their spell of confusion and came here.
I listed some stuff on Craigslist for my dad, one guy replied that he wanted it. This guy sent a cashiers check with what we were asking plus an extra $100 plus $950 to pay his “pick up agent” and keeps texting for us to deposit the check. He is actually sending another check for another item the same way, $xxx+$100+$900. We’re not entirely sure if it’s a scam. And he is also using different phone numbers
Yes, ofcourse it is a scam. First off check scams are the OLDEST scams in the world. Secondly, who the heck pays extra or even uses a “pick up agent”. If you deposit that check it will bounce so hard it will give you whiplash!
Delicious, this is absolutely 100% a scam. Do NOT deposit/cash the check; it is a fake and your bank will charge you for it. Do NOT send your merchandise or let them “pick it up.” You will lose both the merchandise and the money.
The only safe way IMO to do a Craigslist transaction is locally, face-to-face, in a neutral location for all cash.
Almost had me, his name is “David Mark” or “Stewart Mark” and he does the paypal thing and the number is 305-307-4618. Watch out.
I am so glad that I read this before I continued my correspondence with a scammer. I would have basically given my 2001 Harley Davidson Sportster away. I have had several messages from scammers all claiming to be in the military where they were unable to use cell phones but can still email. If they were not in the military they claimed to be helping someone out who is military or gifts for special people. Even after stating that I will only accept legitamite cash transactions a few of them still insisted I use paypal and one even sent me the link. It is so sad that these people exist in this world. I will never post anything on Craigslist again. Thank you so much for posting this so that we are all aware of the risks.
I received an email this morning asking if an item posted on Craigslist was still for sale. The string is as follows:
Craigslist respondent: (Hope your Ad on craigslist still available for sale? if yes .contact my boss through email(markjones0145@gmail.com) his name is Jason kingly (sic) email him because i was helping him with this ..Thanks.
I suspected it was a frauster because the respondent reported the potential buyer’s name as Jason, but provided an email address as markjones… I sent an email to the address provided and got the following response:
Thank you for responding. I am okay with the Ad,and what your (sic) asking price and ready to make a fast purchase. Kindly send me some pics close up. I would like to see any imperfections just to be sure but if it is how you have described it everything is Ok. Also I am wondering if you are you the first owner of it? Also does it has any fault? Why are you selling it? How have you been using it?
Sounded legit so I provided more details about the item and got the following response:
I’m just asking about it to make sure it’s in good condition,I’m deployed out of town because I work with the Military and have been in camp for some time and due to my deployment i will not be able to come for it, I have a pickup coming for it on my behalf.So i am requesting this transaction should be done via PayPal so the PayPal charges are on me and PayPal is very safe and I have access to my funds there, that’s the only reason why PayPal is the only payment option. I am straight up with you and I want you to be honest with me as well. Do you have a verified PayPal account?
I asked him to call so I could explain a repair made to the item, but received the next reply instead: Thanks for been honest with me, I would have love (sic) to call you but due to the nature of my Job here making calls is restricted
I asked him what branch of service he served and his full name. I received the next email:
I work with the military as a SDI 8T000 and am stationed in Lackland Air Force Base AFB LAFB San Antonio
Being suspicious I cut and pasted his credentials into a search engine and found the following entry on an entirely different site:
Thanks for the response, My name is Michael Smith. I am buying it as a surprise to someone very dear to me and I want to keep it that way(AS A SURPRISE) after delivery day. I work with the military as a SDI 8T000 and am stationed in Lackland Air Force Base AFB LAFB San Antonio which makes it very hard for me to make phone calls but you can always text me on (210) 239 3494. I will not be able to view it but I have a hauler who will come for the pickup so please get back to me with more pics and also I will be making the payment via PayPal as that is the only payment option I can access from here I hope you understand.I have some questions for you…
My next email was: CASH ONLY!
I have been selling my motorcycle in Craigslist for a while now, I actually post it everyday, so everyday I got this storm of scammers texts, like you said, just by the head of the messag, mostly of the times you can spot a scammer just by it, they usually use words as “is your item still for sale ” i usually respond which one? I got thousands of items in Craigslist? Or, it is your ad available, same as the last one, they will ask you a couple of stupid questions, “what’s the present condition? Are you the first or second owner? No matter what you answer, they will respond with a quick “ok, I will take it, and I’m ok with price, but I’m a oceanograph , or a military, or something like wow, and they can not pick up in person, and as fast as the message came there is the question, “do you have a paypal account? It is very safe and so and so”, that’s the moment I have been waiting for, I will say yes I do, and I will play as much, games and ask as many questions s I can until I finally write back, “ok , my paypal account is, stopscams@fbi.gov, and they stop inmediatly, one of this guys was brave enough to answer back with some strange worlds (I think he was really mad), I google it the words and turn out to be two really offensive words in an African dialect, so I started calling the number, and the person was just replaying with messages like, “leave lone, oloshi, (that’s one of the words) I’m surrounded by CIA and you have the police knocking in your door” and some other stupid stuff like that, anyways, I like to have fun with them and make them waste heir time
Thank you for this post!
I am in correspondence with someone on CL this moment who wants to purchase my leather sofa via paypal. He sounded suspicious and overly proper, which led me to search for paypal/craigslists scams. So glad I followed my instincts.
Ugh, so many douchebag scammers out there.
Much appreciated.
Hello,
Sadly I am one who is looking at this website a little too late. I AM VERY SCARED. I need big time advice. I sold my apple computer on craglist with “funds” waiting for me in PayPal once he got the computer. Long story short the whole thing was a scam. Lost my computer and $100 on top of that for shipping. What I’m really worried about though is that whoever I sent this computer too could have information on my computer. I don’t know how good he is with computer and what he can do. I am expecting the worse given my situation. He also has my adress as I did mail him the computer and my rerun adress was on the package. I’m all around scarred. I know it was a stupid mistake but now just worried for my safety.
Unfortunately there isn’t much advice that I can give you. The harm is done as you said and the crook has all the info. You should have wiped all the info on your computer if you were selling it so unless this crook is a cryptologist and can read old, overwritten data clusters on a hard drive, I’m sure you are OK. As far as having your personal address, emails, etc, I wouldn’t worry too much. This person is a scammer. Most scammers are the types that specialize in these crimes because they don’t want any violence or real problems. They prefer to hide behind their own anonymity. They don’t want to be found either. Violent criminals generally don’t have the patience for this type of crime. They would simply break into your home and take stuff. So all I can say is that I wouldn’t worry too much, but discretion is the better part of valor. Put up a cheap security system (you can get one for a couple of hundred $$ these days) if it will make you feel safer, and change all your passwords just to be extra safe.
Thank you for posting this article. I am actually texting someone who wants to buy the apple watch I have listed for sale and the situation fits right in! You just saved me from losing money and my merchandise and I appreciate that more than I can express. The number this scammer is texting me from is – 804-537-2915
I’ve had a jolly time screwing with one of these people. I told him I was a Satanist and that I was sending him a chicken foot in the Hand of Voor configuration (Satan symbol, apparently) in order to keep his “pastor son” safe. And I sent him a fake tracking number and fake email from FedEx just to further waste his time. This guy’s attempt at scamming me was laugh-worthy; he sent an email “from Paypal” that made it into my spam folder, had 2 different address on it and grammar mistakes, and didn’t even have the sent address obscured (was sent from gmail). It’s nice when they mess up so badly because then I don’t feel as badly about messing with them.
Thank you so much for this blog. I was selling my phone on craigslist and I got a similar reply as stated above in many posts. The guy was willing to pay extra $100 for shipping and wanted the payment through PayPal. Somehow I was suspicious and decided to do some search and it led me here. Thank you so much for saving me.
I listed a diamond bracelet for $700.
“Pastor Andrew” emails me, offers $850 to my paypal if I ship it to AZ for his friend.
Here’s the text of the message
”
I hope this is real and not a scam,i’m a member of (United States Marine Corps),i want it shipped to my Friend as a gift in (Tucson,Arizona),Am willing to pay you upfront 850$ including shipping,do you have an account with PayPal to received the payment now?
”
This sounds like a scam as described here in this article, correct?
Absolutely! I would have fun with Pastor Andrew who is a “Marine”. I would tell him something like “Of course this is a scam, Duh! You found me on Craigslist, so what else would it be?! Sorry but $850 will just not be enough. You will have to send me $2,000 and then I might consider getting back to you, or maybe not. Probably not! I’ll just keep the money and the bracelet for myself. Reply promptly since I have other offers pending and will scam the first one to respond”. That should play with his brain a little. 😉
LMAO.
Here’s what I do…first when they offer the check..say your company only accepts certified mail..this way the Indonesian mudhut living scum will have to use some of their money..Also find the local director of your FBI office..police department etc and have them send the amount to them.. Ask for tracking and when you know the scam was mailed..you extort them for 500 bucks since I now have your prints and DNA..
Hi i recently just bought items from someone via facebook groups. The seller stated he needed the money via paypal and needed to transfer the money into his bank account to be able to ship the items due to him recently loseing his job. I then sent the money via paypal and got an email saying the money has been sent and the seller confirmed it and has trasnferred it to his bank account. But ive yet to recieve the items or a money refund due to him withdrawling the money from his paypal account the same day. I was wondering if anyone has heard of this before or knows if the seller will be chaged with anything for just taking my money with no merchandise??
To be honest if someone told me they needed the money that desperately I would be VERY leery of this happening. But, now that you are in the hole, let’s focus on getting you out of it. First contact Facebook and PayPal and file a complaint. PP does have the ability to do a charge back and take the money back from his bank account if they choose to. Anyone that can put money IN to your account also has the ability to take money OUT of your account, those are the banking rules. Also, that persons PP account will be frozen and he will not be able to do this to anyone else so he is effectively shut down until your money is returned. So file a complaint with PP immediately and I hope things work out for you.
This is a great blog. I have a motorcycle up for sale on CL right now and got the text from a buyer wanting to pay 1950.00 more than the asking price so that I could pay the “movers” when they come to collect the bike. He first asked for my email address to send PP payment. I then asked for his so that I could send him an invoice through PP. He gave me his email address which is michaelscot101@yahoo.com. I then tried to call him becuase this is a big purchase and I wanted to see if he had questions. His phone number is 414-400-7223. It went to voice mail and the VM was for a computer based texting site.
I got suspicious and did some searches which led me here. Again, thank you for this blog. I had never heard of this scam before but will be looking out for it from now on.
I use Craigslist often and recently have been saving the phone numbers used by scammers. Here is a list that I’ve collected over the last few months from various Craigslist sites located in cities throughout Florida. if the person you’re dealing with is using one of these numbers you’re definitely being scammed.
(352) 616-2215 (813) 421-0723
(415) 612-8344 (813) 702-3679
(813) 551-0913 (610) 455-5108
(206) 596-8326 (813) 815-6385
(501) 683-9185 (510) 621-5432
(202) 852-4061 (813) 408-3420
(276) 582-1547 (813) 325-4706
(517) 701-9499 (520) 457-7277
(208) 252-7186 (727) 228-9471
(727) 317-1198 (937) 249-2045
(813) 815-6366 (813) 967-8620
(301) 636-5100 (813) 693-5936
(813) 575-5676 (321) 586-1549
(352) 474-5431 (336) 701-2941
(678) 753-4955 (727) 310-0271
(813) 358-0794 (813) 308-8567
(352) 515-9891 (727) 260-4385
(269) 459-7447 (801) 893-5520
(904) 990 3096 (786) 480-5568
(813) 358-0799 (786) 322-6535
(727) 998-3331 (205) 719-3688
(813) 609-8287 (813) 658-5928
(813) 337-2749 (786) 480-5600
(813) 308-1453 (870) 586-6872
(305) 697 4757 (801) 997-6636
(701) 660-2519 (813) 603-0159
(610) 422-7124 (813) 609-5821
(214) 612-6423 (801) 980-6033
(909) 334-2113 (435) 710-7865
(310) 870-8784 (813) 852-5217
(352) 606-0888 (321) 351-9585
(612) 361-1563 (408) 868-7083
(508) 296-0794 (786) 766-6984
(651) 317-5130 (313) 854-4765
(702) 714-7405 (662) 228-5210
(507) 512-5131 (601) 274-3747
(813) 280-5914 (205) 719-3688
(916) 304-8115 (813) 320-3760
(904) 601-3206 (980) 428-6219
(314) 782-8957
(630) 455-0799
(817) 668-8415
(813) 803-2661
(305) 340-5176
(727) 998-3196
(813) 575-5844
(305) 647-6965
(727) 755-6453
(813) 815-4935
(813) 444-9337
(813) 280-5833
(325) 305-4352
(813) 906-7215
(813) 906-7435
(352) 437-6702
(407) 216-4662
(972) 784-5309
(424) 262-3406
(218) 309-1349
(213) 262-9571
Excellent list. I applaud your effort and I’m sure this will help out many people down the road. Thanks for sharing.
I applaud your effort. add this one to your list. Confirmation email as was stated in #1 from this number.
+1(402) 892-1491
I have someone trying to scam me right now! They are offering an extra $100 to send the merch to a friend in Russia. The number they are texting me from is 804-537-2915
This will not help, since it is easy to get a new number. Simply look up the number using twilio and if it is Voip, it is a scam, report their number to the voip service provider.
Hi,
Here is another number (614) 996-3785
This person deposited more money than I asked in a PayPal account, and wanted me to wire $550.00 to a mover of their choosing. Then, I would get $1600.00 deposited into my PayPal account. I smelled a rat and told them so.Threatened me with the FBI, until I told them, I too have friends in the FBI. No more communication after that. I can’t believe how disgusting and dishonest some people are. Names being used are Molly Decker–buyer, Movers who would receive my money, Joseph Smith in Avon Indiana, changed to, Tommy John of 1930 Perry Blvd NW, Vancouver, Washington 98661USA
Also (925)326-9625. I’m going to text-bomb them when they figure out that PhuKhyou. KihlYurzelf@yahoo.com isn’t my paypal account.
Just saw a cl ad in FL that looked too good to be true, googled the number and it’s on your list. Thanks for posting this 🙂
Something Similar happened as well. Trying to do #4. For his acclaimed daughter in texas where he lives in a different state. His #4039072263. Stated you can send a cashier check, once check is cashed then I’ll send out the merchandise. It was on a gaming 18″ laptop that the screen doesn’t work but the DVI does. Gave a long excuse and promptly told him have a nice day not doing this deal. Haven’t heard back since then.
add 425-689-0123 to it! Sent me a text that I needed to send the CL ad I have to his wife’s e-mail address. So I did but then I got this:
Thanks for getting back to me regarding my text…I hope it is in good condition? and there wont be any cause of disappointment if i purchase it from you? I want to buy it for my dad and I am ready to pay the asking price. I’m a Marine Engineer and am currently on sea right now which is strictly no calls. My Mode of payment is PayPal because i don’t have access to my bank account online, but i have it attached to my PayPal account. Since I’m requesting this transaction to be done via PayPal, I will be responsible for all the PayPal fees/charges on this transaction, if you don’t have an account with PayPal, it’s pretty easy, safe and secure to open one. Just log on to http://www.paypal.com I hope we can make this transaction as fast as possible. Less I forgot, I have a Mover that will come for the pick up once payment is cleared in your PayPal account and they will be handling the everything for me, as I look forward to hearing from you with your PayPal information as requested below.
Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Firm Price:
Address for pick up:
Many Thanks.
***Also scammer is going by the name Jessica Walker. Odd that they can’t access their bank account but have great internet connection to get e-mails!
LOL, nothing odd about it. It is all by design. It’s a scam just like you pointed out.
I think my son is being scammed on craiglist right now! What do we do?
My son posted his motorcycle on craigslist. A guy texted him and said he wants it. He said he put money in his paypal and paypal sent an email to my son varifying its in sons payplal. Then guy said he had to put extra 1000.00 for shipping charge but my son has to pay a 3rd party thru walmart shipping the 1000.00 so my son borrowed it from his dad and went to walmart and paid the 1000.00 then guy said he just had to pay 750.00 More for ins.to get the paypal money into my sons bank account.
I told my son do not, you are being scammed! Son called paypal and they said there are no transactions in your paypal. So my son texts the guy and says what the hell! And explains what paypal said. Now the guy is texting and calling him non stop and calling my son the theif and threating to call fbi on my son.saying hes stealing this guys money. What do we do? He is acting like its a legit deal. It is a scam i think? The guy expects my son to pay another 750.00. My son is selling his bike and already paid 1000.00. Do we contact fbi or someone that can catch this guy that is scamming my son right now? Any way my son can get his 1000.00 back?
Thanks for any help you can give
Sorry to hear that this is happening to you. It can be a very difficult experience to be scammed this way. I hope your son has finally woken up and realized that you are the voice of reason. Sadly all you can do no is cut your loses and run. You can contact any and all law of the enforcement agencies and you will get to enjoy the fun of filing out reports and giving all these agencies your personal info but in the end they will do NOTHING. It will just become another report and another statistic. Just like identity theft, our government just doesn’t care about these crimes. Your only option is to block this persons emails, maybe close the paypal account (if you feel it is best thing to do), and move forward. I would even take the bike off CL and wait a while before trying to sell again. Sadly the money he paid has flown away and will never return. Chock it up to a life lesson learned the hard way.
I realize hind sight is 20/20, but never let the buyer dictate the terms of the sale. As soon as this guy would have started telling ME how I am going to complete the transaction, I would have blocked and ignored him. That’s a tell tale sign of a scammer.
I think I am safe using eBay & Paypal selling my car. Guy came, left me $500 on Paypal in front of me (verified on my account). Then, sent me $9,500 for the remainder of the car a week later. Going to wait until it clears my bank account before giving him the title. He also sent it via Paypal using Family & Friends- is there any chance the money can be taken away or he can file a claim against me? Please confirm I’m safe receiving Paypal! Thank you!
Well, you were smart to meet with this person and have them transfer the funds in front of you. But, maybe I’m just an old fashioned, overly cautious individual, but why didn’t you just have him hand over the physical money to you and save any headaches? I know everything is digital now, but man I like cold, hard, greenbacks in my hand just to be safe on such a big transaction. You are safe in using ebay and paypal, yes, BUT they also protect the buyer and you do leave yourself open to potential headaches. Paypal does give the buyer a long time to file a claim or reverse a transaction. Off the top of my head I believe it’s 90 days. So I can’t say if this person finds an issue with the vehicle he may come back and file a claim or reversal. One common thing is also using another persons account like a wife, girlfriend, etc. Then that person can come back later and say the purchase was unauthorized and reverse the charges. I hope NONE of this happens to you, but this is what you must watch our for in the future. If you are meeting with a person, just ask for the paper money next time and you will be assured no problems.
Here are two phone numbers recently trying to bilk me on a craigslist item, and both shamelessly using Armed Service members as their cover. Despicable! (978) 238-0593 and (813) 320-3388
I had similar issue with my first craigs list sale item. It was a scooter and i immediately received a text message from 980-354-1996 which is a NC phone – saying he was in the airforce in massachusettes and wanted to buy the scooter and will have pick up van sent to my house. He kept saying – kindly get back to me asap with the paypal email address … must have said five times in a matter of a few minutes. I was eating dinner – so I didn’t worry about it, but I finally dug into it and it was a scam.. The thing that pisses me off – they are using servicemen as their scapegoat. That just pisses me off. Second one – ten minutes later – same thing – serviceman – but I just told them i sold. I am a skeptical person – but this felt wrong from the beginning.
Hello!
This site is wonderful. You just saved me $950! I put a piece of furniture on CL for $500. I got a text asking if the item was still available. I reply yes and four hours later I get a another text by a man calling himself Frank saying he’s in the military and he wants the furniture but he’ll have to include an additional $400 (for a shipping agent) plus an additional $50 for a wire transfer to this agent. It’s seemed rather fishy but I figured if the guy is going to give me the money upfront, what kind of scam could this be. I hadn’t figured on him disputing the charges after I sent the transfer to his ‘shipping agent’ Luckily I did a search online before agreeing to anything. He did get my email addy for my paypal. Do I have anything to worry about? Also his number is (505) 399-3965 and his email addy is frankkenny78@yahoo.com. Curses on these clowns. Karma Claus is coming to town!
Nothing to worry about. If he does send you an invoice or something just ignore it. It can only hurt you if you complete the transaction that is sent to you. Think of it as SPAM in the PayPal box. Ignore, Delete, Rinse and Repeat for healthy shiny hair. 😉
Hi. Is this a new Craigslist paypal scam? I posted tix to a ballgame the other day on Craigslist. Guy responds after a few hours, and offers to buy all the tix. I send him a Paypal money request, via paypal. He responds and Pays via paypal the agreed upon price, but he pays with an “e-check.” I receive email confirming e-check has been sent via paypal. And this is where the scam exists. I forward the buyer the baseball tix via mobile phone ticketmaster app. 5 days later I receive an email from PP saying the following: “This payment from Al** *******wski has failed. If the payment was for an item you sold, physical or virtual, do not ship or deliver it until you’ve been paid.” The guy canceled the e-check via his bank on the same day he purchased the tix! Meanwhile for 5 days I was waiting to see the funds in my PP account……and nothing was there except this email.
It’s not new, it’s been around for a while. I’m surprised you didn’t get a warning from PayPal when you received the echeck. Most of the time PP is pretty good about warning people that echecks are NOT good until the money is actually transferred. I have had several transactions with echecks and I generally ignore them because I know that they are bogus. They NEVER have come through with real money. So yeah, next time you get an echeck is not worth the paper it’s written on. I don’t think the guy cancelled the check, I just think that they are easy to write, but once the check goes to clear, there are NO funds there. There is always a 5 day delay like a real check so that’s what these guys are banking on that many people will NOT know and ship the items instantly.
hahaha.. nice… just posted ad about selling iPad… and as this was my first EXP, a guy from AL saying, I will take it, but you have to ship and I would send $120 extra for shipping, and here my mind stuck as he would have ordered new iPad from amazon and why he is insisting on PayPal. and then here comes the new message that I am in marine and have to send it to my son and i would send extra $80 for shipping and i am sure OK SO THIS IS ALSO A SCAM.
and i googled it.. i am damn sure many would have trapped in it
This is great! Im selling a horse, guy wanted to know condition and if it was still for sale. I indicated that it leaked oil, had high milage but ran good.
The idiot wants to send me a Certified check. Ill let him. would love to see his face when he realizes that horses require an inspection from the local brand inspector, so his shipping company is going to have a very difficult time. Ill frame the check for laughs.
Most old horses leak a little oil anyway, so I’m sure he can get a few hundred thousand more miles out of it. 😉 Good one. Don’t spend too much on the frame for that check cause the frame will be worth more than the check itself.
I posted offering to work for anyone who needs their dogs to be walked in my area. Someone responded and offered me a job, which I inquired about. They then told me they would be paying me through paypal to post ads on craigslist for them daily, which has nothing to do with my original post. They also write with bad grammar, leading me to think they don’t know English very well. I don’t know their name, where they are located, a phone number, or anything else. What should I do?
Do nothing. Ignore it.
Got a text asking about Item I posted, said they were in military and could ot use mobile phone asked me to email them. I did and got this email back:
“Thank you for getting back to me. What’s the condition and why are you selling it? Any offer yet and are you the owner? I’m just asking to make sure I would not Be disappointed in it so can you Assure me that it is in good state and that i will not be disappointed with it? I’m ready to pay your asking price, but the issue is I’m a Marine Officer and I’m not in my own state now, I’m on a secret mission in Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany GA and use of mobile phone is currently restricted at the military base, But I’m able to access email anytime as we will make use of laptop so my only quickest payment option is PayPal as i can send money via PayPal anytime.Since I’m requesting this transaction to be done via PayPal. SEMPER FI”
I immediately realized this was a scam and haven’t responded to it in any way. Do I need to worry about any future problems such as Phishing since I gave them my email? If I understand phishing correctly you have to click on a link in your email in order for that to be done. Just want to make sure I don’t have any future issues from this bum.
You don’t need to worry at all. Scams are like dancing the tango, it takes two. You don’t do anything, and that bum can’t do anything to you. Worry not! Secret mission at a logistics base, I love this stuff. I remember when I went on a secret mission to a dairy queen. 😉
We are selling a bounce house. A guy texted and said he wants it. But he will send check which will cover shipping costs and then we have to ship it. The number says he is in West Hollywood but when I inquired, he said he has recently moved to New York. It seems to me that the cost of shipping plus our price would be equal to him buying it brand new. I have had 2 other texts before this one that offered same thing but when I texted back they failed to respond. This guy is communicating back and forth with us. How do I do this transaction without being scammed or should we not do it?
Don’t do it. Your gut feeling is correct. Would you buy any used product plus pay for shipping from another state if you could get the same product, BRAND NEW locally for the same price? No you wouldn’t. All the other text messages are bogus. They are generated by bots.
Hi, so I’m selling a camera for 450 on CL. A guy. Emailed me the next day after I posted it, and said hes interested but asked to negotiate the price. I told huim that the lowest I was willing to go was 400. He told me that that was resonable and then asked me if there was any marks on the camera and if I was the first to own it. I told him those details, abd he said alright and then asked if we could talk through our personal emails and not through craigslist… I said sure. Then he said “I’ve just finished (some sort of military training, I believe) and I’m wondering if i could send you the money via pay pal? You’d have to ship it to me, so it’d come out to $489 but it would mean so much if you could”.
^yhis is where I am so far. Could this be a scam?
It’s possible. The negotiation seems very cursory and basically you did all the work. You gave him the bottom price so there is no need to haggle further. I don’t see why any military training would have anything to do with him getting the camera. I would be skeptical. Ask for more details like how and where you would be shipping it. If you get a bad feeling do what Jim camper here has done. (read through the comments to find Jim Camper) Throw in a bunch of irrelevant details and see if they take the time to read and respond or if they ignore your comments. That would be a sure sign of a scam. Scammers hardly ever read through the entire emails. They usually just ignore what you say and cut to the chase.
Hi, I just had a person from Philly text me (I specifically asked for text) and asked if the Bass Guitar I was selling is still available. I messaged him back that it was and sent two more pics. I also asked if he was interested. He messaged me back asking for my name and address and said he would do up a Money Order and he would mail me payment. No haggling or questions yet and I have not responded. My red flags went up as soon as I got this message back so I wanted to ask what your thoughts are. After reading so many posts I don’t even feel comfortable giving this person my name and address.
Thank You and Great Post!
Scott
You have a difficult situation there. By what you tell me it seems to be fairly straight forward. Hasn’t offered MORE than the asking price, didn’t ask to send a shipping company to pick it up, and didn’t ask for a paypal address. So it seems normal to ask for a persons name and address if the buyer is in another town and will send you a cashiers check. Maybe he really likes the instrument and thinks its a fair price. You have to use your real name if you want to be paid by check. You could always use a company name (if you have one with a bank account already available to you). As for address you could use a P.O. box and keep your home address secret. I believe in always having a P.O. Box since you don’t always want to divulge where you live. If you don’t have either of these then I would suggest using paypal. If you get payed properly then you will have to ship the item to the person anyway and that will have your name and address on it (for returns if it gets lost), but at that point I think your fears will be no more. If you are still concerned, then ask the person a few more questions (like how does he want the item shipped?) and see how he responds. The answers will either make you at ease or more leery. Either way you will know with more certainty how to proceed.
As soon as I told him to not send any money via PayPal and that I only would accept cash, but I thought it was best so he could try out the chair for himself, he’s never responded. What a loser. Anyone want a great massage chair? LOL
that has being my ‘moto’ local’ cash and i met you in my bank. like to make sure that the black fell pen on the bank marks all the cash..!!
Is this a scam in your opinion? “Kindly get back to me with your PayPal email address, and I will proceed with the payment instantly.Also i will pay you an additional $100 USD for shipping cost through USPS Priority Mail Express 1-Day.Send the PayPal payment request to my PayPal email address sarahlopez242@gmail.com.”
Absolutely yes. Using Paypal and Over payment, is a definite sign of a scam.
Ok, I have an interesting case for you- I’m not sure if it’s legit or not.
I’m selling a $350 item, it has been listed for 2 or 3 weeks. The buyer comes to my house to check it out (it’s large) and the condition.
They like the condition, say they’ll get the money together and be in touch. They talked me down to $325 at the time.
We talk a bit while they’re looking at the item, we discover we’re in a similar industry. We exchange business cards.
Later they say they’d like to pay by paypal if I’ll accept $300. I really want to sell the item, so I agree– knowing full well how risky this is.
They send me $300 to my real paypal account. They did it as a merchant transaction so I did pay the $9 transaction fee. The money is currently sitting in my paypal account because I won’t touch it yet.
I look up their business, it is real. I look up the owner, it matches the name (and the weird spelling) of the business card. I find her on facebook.
Previously we had only used craigslist relay to communicate. At this point I send an email to the address on the card informing them that I received the payment and looked forward to seeing them. No response.
The email and business name through which I was paid does not match that of her card. The email address of the account has a similar name (not spelled the same). I just wrote an email address to that account stating that a purchase has been made through their account and I have not been able to confirm the buyer’s email address with the PayPal account address.
I’ll give it a little time to get a response, but I’m feeling inclined to refund the money and call off the transaction.
Is there any chance that this is real? I don’t want to just assume everyone is a scammer, but I trust no one.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Well this is just strange. You met a real person so it’s less chance of a scammer but real people DO hijack paypal accounts also. Have you given them the item yet? I would do a search and find pictures of this person and see if they match. Also call the company and ask to speak to the person you are supposedly dealing with.
In regards to #5….how easy is it to scam a scammer? If somehow I am able to figure out that they are going to put excess money in my account,,,,is it possible to withdrawl this money quickly and claim someone tried to scam you before the actual scammer claims so? Or make a one time paypal account, then spend the money quickly online before the scammer has time to cancel it or have it reimbursed?
Yeah, you can do all of the above but paypal can be vicious and they can find ways to burn you if they can find the real you and they will take you to court. They will block your bank accounts or file police report because you are in the USA (easy to catch you in this mostly law abiding society). If you were in Africa, or China, then yes you could easily pull that off.
thanks.
here is my frustrating thinking, is hard to sell items on craigslist, ( i have many) some very spensive ones, I am wondering about ‘morons’ (not you) when I post a add I specific ask “text only”, but they send you a text, if the item are for sale, size, info etc. I are very specific “text” only, if not local, not shipping and all other cautions I could put.
most of the time can you “email me more info”? not sure if they still your email, what in the heck don’t understand ‘TEXT ONLY PLEASE’
is very discouraging.
any who thanks for your blog, and the reminders.
olmo47
Perhaps they don’t understand what you’re asking. The only information I could derive from your post is that you only want to correspond via text.
I probably just staved off a $900 loss, thanks to to this blog! A guy just asked if my item was still for sale and, when I responded that it was, he only asked if I’d put it on a pallet for FedEx pickup and if I’d take a credit card or PayPal payment. No counter offer and no questions about my item whatsoever. Normally, I’d be pleased to sell a $900 item so easily, with no haggling, but this scenario just stunk of a scam. A part of me was considering on the PayPal scenario, but after quick Google search, I’m relieved that I followed my gut. Thank you for taking the time to write this blog!
Local, Cash, Safe Location – end of story.
Glad to help, and good luck with your sale. Hope you find an honest person.
I have been receiving, what seem to be, legitimate offers about the same time. I just focused on the one person that seemed to be willing to pay my asking price and now I know better. I still think Craigslist is a wonderful resource and will continue utilizing it. This was my first experience with someone that I felt was a scammer. Thank you for you service that you provide for free 🙂
I think this site just saved me a big-ass headache. Thanks!
Hi I posted something on craigslist for the first time and got duped in a similar fashion to what others have posted. They asked for my full name and paypal email and I sent that over text. Is there anything they can do with my name and paypal email? Should I be freaking out?
Not really. They can only do harm if you continue to respond to them. Otherwise they will hit a dead end. If you get any unwanted emails or invoices in your email or paypal, simply ignore them.
what are some ways to verify someone who wants to pay me in full on pay pal and then make sure I get money in full and then have shippers come pick it up. I made sure to tell him that I am hesitant because he wasn’t able to call me and that he never really asked too much about the equipment makes me even more skeptical. I just want to make sure there is nothing he can do after the transaction is made to make sure everything goes through. The man says his name is alex and told me to request his money through the email bobbyalex06@gmail.com. any advice is appreciated. thank you
There is absolutely nothing that you can do because ALL of those that as to send a shipper are totally bogus and fake. NO ONE in the real world would buy something through CL and pay for a shipper. They would simply ask you to ship it to them. Shipper = SCAM!
This site is awesome, saved me some serious grief.
Thanks so much i was selling a phone on wallop and the guy offered a extra 10p dollars for my item and didnt want to see it and offered to pay with paypal and pay all the shipping cost red flag
Ok good people- I am attempting to sell furniture through Craigslist and “interested” buyer wants to use PayPal, can’t come see furniture, and like posts below is very repetitively concerned about condition. I want to trust people but don’t want taken advantage of- the number is 623-300-0341 – anyone victimized have experience with that number or advice to keep looking for genuine buyer?
It’s 100% a scam. Is that a local area code? If it is I would ask why they can’t see it in person. Using PayPal in general is suspect when Craigslist is involved. I would pass on it if I were you
This is exactly what happened to me when I posted furniture for sale. I received a text message from (917) 732-81211. He wanted to send me money through Paypal and some extra to pay his drivers with cash because he can’t come in person. I recognized immediately it was a scam as I don’t deal with people that I don’t see in person. Another scammer from 586-574-7600 offered me a cashier check an or certified check and then he will send me the movers. Another scammer called with this number 872-240-2524
It’s so sad that you can’t trust people anymore and that good people may be mistaken for those bad ones!
Wow, you really got a lot of bites from your ad. Good job on wording it right! 😉
Those same phone numbers from below tried scamming me from CL for a washer and dryer ad I had posted this past week! And same crap scam text messages! Red flag if someone is willing to pay asking price without looking at the item! I came across this article just in time! The 917 number textimg me to take my ad down bc I should consider the items sold. That was another red flag! Buyers don’t ever put demands purchases from sellers especially before they’ve paid! I texted back to them “not falling for your Paypal scam, local pickup and cash only!” The 917 number texted back that how dare I talk to a fellow citizen that way and that he was going to turn me into the fbi… I ignored and blocked all the below scammer numbers! This article saved me tremendous trouble! Thank you!
Glad we could help. Another tip is you notice the funny use of the English language. Who in this country calls himself a fellow “Citizen”. That is so much a different language use, and the threat of the FBI. Yeah, like we are all scarred of Mulder and Skuly.
I’m very happy I searched and found this website. Both of the would-be-buyers I’ve been contacted by set off red flags for me, and both were close enough to stories posted here. One was a guy in Florida wanting to buy a ring I posted (I’m in AZ), happy with price, and offering $100 extra to pay for shipping. Said would pay through PayPal, and when I said I didn’t have an account but would look into it, sent me a long and kinda pushy message with a link.
The other guy is a marine biologist on a ship (change from Navy at least!) and he wants to buy the antique for his Dad…and mentions PayPal about five times in one run-on sentence. Unfortunately for him, he emailed another biologist. I’m gonna have some fun with this a bit. No van down by the river, but very pointed questions with some specific terminology.
Good for you, have fun with it! 😉
wow. the guy that wanted to buy my car was also buying for dad and was a marine biologist!!
What is wrong with people. 🙂
I’m selling a car on craigslist. Got a text from a “potential buyer” asking if I still had the vehicle. I respond yes. Then he wants to know the cars condition(which i listed in very specific detail along with 24 pics) and whether i was first or second owner. So I text back and tel him all info about car was explained in the ad along with pic. So a little over an hour later he responds with the following text “okay i’ll take it. I’ll have to pay you through paypal because im currently at the hanscom air force base at massachusetts. I have a mover that will come for pickup once payment is cleared in your paypal account”.
Ok, first who would buy a car without test driving it?
Other red flag for me is that I’m an Air Force Veteran and we never called our base “the” insert name base. And a mover? If he has a cell phone number with a Massachusetts area code why would be have a mover from Florida to take it to Massachusetts? Am I just being paranoid or is this a definite scam? I haven’t responded to his text because it just didn’t make any sense and after doing a search online I found this website and wanted to see what you think. Thanks.
It’s a scam, don’t bother with it.
that’s what I was thinking. thanks
EXACT same wording with the vehicle I listed jut today on CL. Even used “the hanscom” and Massachusetts, mover, etc. HAHA. I strongly suspected SCAM but thought PayPal would protect me. I am so very glad you started this blog website and found it VERY HELPFUL! THANK YOU ALL
I just had the exact same thing happen to me. A couple of hours after listing the item (a massage chair) the guy wants to buy my item but he works construction in a rural area and can’t call or meet me but he wants to send a mover to pick up the item and can only do PayPal. After I told him I really wanted him to check it out in person, I offered a nice solution where I told him I would video record the mover when he arrived and show the chair in the condition of the pictures and have the mover sit in the chair and use it. Then I’d ask him if it works and how it felt. This would help everyone. So after I told him all of this, all he wanted to know was my email for PayPal. He didn’t acknowledge anything I had said. I immediately smelled a scam and found this page and viola – total scam. I wrote him back saying cash only, and he could give it to the mover to give to me. I doubt I’ll hear back.
You went through a lot of trouble to help out this bum I must say. You were correct in realizing it’s a scam. Since when does working construction in a rural area preclude anyone from buying anything? These guys just don’t think through the BS that they say.
Hi there – yesterday I was scammed. I sold a tablet and fell for the fake paypal and sent it directly to an address given to me. Everything that you have listed word for word if what they pulled on me, but being this was my first time I fell for all of it. Can you please tell me how I can go about this to at least get them arrested because I doubt I will get any money back from this. I submitted a report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). I can’t just ignore this as if it didnt happen. Please respond ASAP.
Yes, you can do something. It all depends how it went down, what you can or should do. You can contact PayPal or Western Union if they were involved. Contact your local police. Contact the police at the other end of wherever you sent it to. You can do a LOT to try and catch them. Unfortunately it is a wild goose chase specially if they had you send it to Africa. Forget about getting any help if it left the continental United States. If you think that the police here don’t care, well it’s even more evident in other countries. Here it’s just apathy. In other countries it is apathy and corruption. So you can knock yourself out and I wish you luck, but don’t be too heart broken or disappointed if it doesn’t work.
It was sent to FL, still in US. I have phone numbers, addresses, potentially fake names. Would you recommend me contacting my local police or FL police first? I am willing to do what it takes to catch them! Thank you so much for the quick reply.
First I would contact the shipper (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc) and have the package stopped before it gets to it’s intended destination (IF possible). Explain your situation to them. Secondly contact the local police in FL and see if they can or will help. Don’t be surprised if they give some resistance or maybe ask you to file a report with your local PD first before they can get involved. But, yes, in this case time is of the essence, get on it like a bee on honey!
I want to thank you very much for confirming my gut feeling about a Craigslist sale! When I read the words – ASAP – SHIP to my partner – Paypal – NOW and $150 extra dollars, I searched the web and found your blog. THANK YOU for saving me $580, plus time and misery! Very fortunate gal in FL!
You’re very welcome. I am always happy to save someone from being scammed.
Had an offer to buy our camera set today. We weren’t aware of paypal scams. To protect ourselves we created a temporary email and temp paypal account with false information. We used these till we could determine if this was a safe transaction or not. It wasn’t. They emailed us asking for the tracking number for paypal to complete the transaction. Not falling for it, especially when the phone number they used was from Denver, paypal was from new York and the final address was in georgia. Told them we aren’t that stupid and they no longer respond to messages. Go figure. Both temp accounts immediately closed.
Thanks, I recently posted some cell phones on Craigslist and was immediately contacted by Nigerian scammers. I responded to the first one and had a pending deposit in my PayPal account. They claimed to be in the US, but the shipping address was to Nigeria, where I’ve heard that most of these scams originate from. The Red Flag is their misuse of grammer and referring to your property as “the item”. They are willing to pay full price and extra to cover the shipping. They use US area codes for their text messages but it turns out that they’ve used Google Voice to obtain a number that won’t rouse suspicion. They are very crafty and use phrases like” God bless you” and that they are in the military or college to tug at your heart stings. I have an envelope with $30,000 worth of bogus checks that I received from people wanting to buy my “items” and forward them back the excess funds for other “items” that their courier is picking up for them. Remember folks, if it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not true.
What tipped us off was the way they wanted us to use PayPal to receive payment, and aside from that the PayPal account they were using was someone else’s whose account they hacked. Keep your eyes peeled, only deal in cash and meet in a public place away from home to make the transaction. That way you’ll have a better chance of avoiding scams. Money orders are the new fake checks and in most cases the one who cashes it is who is hit with the fees and crime.
Thank you!
So I just almost got scammed. Thank God for gut feelings and this site! My big question is this though… I messed up and gave them my Paypal email. Can they do anything to harm me???
I’m hoping this helps the next person!!! It all happened through text…
Them:
Black Leather Recliner Sofa – Barely Used!! – $400 (Gettysburg, PA) Ok.I will pay you via Paypal as i don’t have access to come pay cash due to work and i will have my shipper come pick it up. I can’t get cash across to my shipper directly and they don’t use paypal,so i will add extra money to the payment for the shipper so that you can pay my shipper cash on my behalf.Send me your paypal info for payment so we can proceed.
Me:
Okay… that would work! I need to update my Paypal account. I’ll get back to you tonight with that information. I would just need to give you my email, correct?
Them:
ok keep me posted
Me:
I will. Thank you.
When could your shipper come pick it up?
Them:
once you send me your paypal email address i will make the payment and i will have them pick up tomorrow morning or you should let me know when is best pick up for you
Me:
Tomorrow morning would actually be perfect. Okay, I’ll get you that info here shortly. Sounds great.
Them:
Okay
Me: (Weary but still naive!)
Hello! My email linked to my Paypal is xxxxx@gmail.com
Them:
you assure me is in good condition?
Me:
Absolutely. If you’d like to chat I can fill you in on the whole story but the only blemish it has is what I disclosed in my posting with pictures as proof. It hasn’t been used but maybe a few months total – barely even sat on. It’s been in storage these past two years. 3 years old.
Them:
Sounds good
Me: (Starting to get that major gut feeling)
When should I look for payment? And could we still arrange pickup tomorrow morning?
I am not comfortable with this arrangement
Them:
i will have them pick up today or tomorrow morning or you should let me know when is best pick up for you
what did you mean?
Me: (Called the number – no answer and said it was a text app. That set me off to research online and found this blog. Saw the EXACT text they used in another person’s comment – knew it was a scam at this point)
Deal is off. I know this is a scam
Them:
i will make the payment once am off work
Scam?
Why?is it because of the rate of scam online now? well,,i want you to know that i’m a legit buyer and also a paypal verified member so you have nothing to fear about.let me know if you are still interested
Me:
Do not contact me again
Them:
what did you mean?
this is not a scam okay?
Me:
DO NOT CALL OR TEXT OR EMAIL ME. You scammers disgust me, ripping off hard working people. Get a life.
Them:
fuck you for saying that asshole
fuck off
Hahahaha… I guess I struck a nerve?? Anyways, I’m just nervous because I gave up my email for Paypal but I’m thinking I’m safe? Anyone have this same experience? Should I worry?
Thanks!!!
DC
Good lesson for future readers. No need to worry, there is NOTHING that they can do with just your paypal email. Besides you can always close the account and create a new one if you really want to, so it’s useless to them.
If they really want to pay through PayPal give them your phone number so they can’t send you a phony email with an “authorized payment”.. Make sure to check your statement to see if you actually have incoming money before you actually send the item. But yet again they could have a hacked account like the article says but for the most part try to deal locally
Thanks for posting this. Just got the same text, word for word:
“Ok. I will pay you via Paypal as i don’t have access to come pay cash due to work and i will have my shipper come pick it up. I can’t get cash across to my shipper directly and they don’t use paypal, so i will add extra money to the payment for the shipper so that you can pay my shipper cash on my behalf. Send me your paypal info for payment so we can proceed.”
The number they used was 201-720-9318.
Just got a text with the exact same wording as you both. Different phone number though: 302-585-1707. Thanks for the heads up!
If you receive a text asking you to e-mail them back, That’s your red flag that they are scammers. When they do this it’s time for me to have some fun with it. This was another Navy guy on a boat looking for stuff on craigslist? yea right!
Here’s my reply
jim camper
12:30 PM (21 hours ago)
to ericrobertforg.
I still have 02 Pathfinder just listed this morning.
eric robert
12:33 PM (21 hours ago)
to me
Thanks for your response…I hope it is in good condition? and there wont be any cause of disappointment if i purchase it from you?i wanted to buy this for my Dad and he is a mechanic and I am ready to pay the asking price. I’m an Navy officer and am currently on sea right now which is strictly no calls. My Mode of payment is PayPal because i don’t have access to my bank account online, but i have it attached to my PayPal account. Since I’m requesting this transaction to be done via PayPal, I will be responsible for all the PayPal fees/charges on this transaction, if you don’t have an account with PayPal, it’s pretty easy, safe and secure to open one. Just log on to http://www.paypal.com. I hope we can make this transaction as fast as possible. Less I forgot, I have a Mover that will come for it once payment is cleared in your PayPal account and they will be handling it for me, as I look forward to hearing from you with your PayPal information as requested below.
Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Firm Price:
Many Thanks
jim camper
1:54 PM (19 hours ago)
to eric
Thank you so very much, I so happy you want my truck, it has been in my family for 5 generations and I remember as a kid riding around in this beautiful truck thinking I’m going to sell this to some guy in the Navy that’s on a boat and damn if you didn’t contact me. It’s really wired how things work out cause I just bought a Van and moved down by the river last week and now I’m out of crack money and damn if you didn’t contact me about this beautiful truck. Here is the good about the truck ITS VERY NICE,
now for the bad: the pictures I took are from when we bought it new. it caught fire and burned to the ground but all it needs is a little paint and some TLC and you’ll be on the road again. Now about this money, you need to western union this money today!. I don’t have time for any bull****!. the price will be $5000 firm!. the 200 extra is for me to get a fresh batch of crack rock.
You wont to have this sent to bendoverloser@getmymoneynowbitch.com when you send it I will start mailing you the pieces of the truck until all is sent.
Thank you so very very much for getting this pile of metal out of my drive way.
LOL that is brilliant…. living in a van down by the river. We received a similar Email today – and I had a bad feeling. I wish I would have seen your comment before I responded, I would have sent back something similar.
I just saw this email tonight after searching out this website. I received similar text for a motorcycle I’m selling on CL.
Just wanted to say your reply was golden! Hope you don’t mind my plagiarizing it for my reply back to the POS who is texting me.
Thanks for the laugh! 🙂
These people are so disgusting…. As soon as I get one of these “offers” I tell text/email back that I will make an exception and accept a Western Union payment from them! LOL that shuts them down quick
We listed an item on Craigs List and got this text. My daughter and son-in-law both think this is a scam.
“Also, I want you to please take this off the market so I can know you are serious with this sale as I am very serious with this. Ok thanks, I just want you to give me more details about it and an assurance that it has not been poorly used????? I am currently away for an offshore assignment at work and really need to get this for my Dad asap, I only have access to online payment whenever am at work so PayPal will be the payment option I will use and I will have a courier come to you for the pickup after I sent the money to you or that I will add $200 to your final price … so send me your paypal details so I can process the payment to you and plan for the pickup after payment. Thanks and get back asap. Alex”
Yeah, it’s a scam, pretty clearly. Your Daughter and Son-in-law are smart. 😉
I am selling an iPhone 6 on craigslist he’s offering to pay via paypal more than asked, I’ve told him in person and cash he is now willing to pay western union. I don’t know how safe that can be
Not safe at all. These folks know what they are doing. Read the comments here. The tip off should have been when you stated how you would do the deal, and then he turns it around and changes his terms. He’s blowing smoke, blow him off instead.
Thanks you just saved me from being ripped off.
Thank you so much and for this wonderful website.
i took a paypal payment for unlocking someone’s cell phone.
in hindsight, i should have never done that because you are right–paypal will take that money back at any time for any reason.
hopefully that money doesn’t just disappear later on…. *gulp*
I am new to Craigslist and I think the scammers must know it because I have received three texts the first two sent certified checks that were fraud and now I have the following that came in last night and I am not sure what to do about it:
Beautiful All Wood Adjustable Dog Gate – $450 (West Bloomfield) Ok. I will pay you via Paypal as i don’t have access to come pay cash due to work and i will have my shipper come pick it up. I can’t get cash across to my shipper directly and they don’t use paypal, so i will add extra money to the payment for the shipper so that you can pay my shipper cash on my behalf. Send me your paypal info for payment so we can proceed
I have not responded with my email address because after what happened with the first two and the fraudulent certified checks, which luckily I found another website telling about the scams that was dedicated to William Watson it seemed, I didn’t try to cash them like others had. What do you think should I let it go?
Ignore the scammers or say “No Thanks You!”. Stop it in it’s tracks. Do Not be afraid, but Do Not continue with them either.
This just happened to me, I found this scam sites a little too late (I think, let’s hope not) I sent the “buyer” my paypal email and got emails in the scam section saying I have to send the agent money. What can I do if I already “received” the money, according to the buyer and those spam emails? (My parent’s cards have currently no money, I hope this is a good thing) UPDATE: He just texted me saying I had no more option than to complete the transaction or he would report me to paypal, I’m honestly so scared. I also have not clicked any link found in the scam emails, I just opened the emails and read them. I also did not get any notifications on the PayPal app or any activity that I received money.
There is no need to be scared. That is exactly what these people are counting on. They want to scare you into doing something stupid. Something that they can benefit from. Simply ignore these emails. You can report them to PayPal first of you want to be more secure. If not, don’t worry because they will NOT report you to PayPal because they have nothing to report. If they did it would only shine a light on them and the transaction which they do NOT want to have PayPal looking too closely at them. Simply ignore them and they will go away after they send you a few more threatening emails of course.
Thanks dude! I called paypal and told them about my case. I also sent them the fake paypal emails and they confirmed they were fake. I still kinda want to reply to the scammer and ask them how does it feel to know that I will once graduate and make CLEAN money, not like other assholes with no lifes, lol.
If you want to have some fun with these scammers, read through the other comments here. There are a few people that have made it into an art form giving these scammers some real funny answers to waste their time and frustrate the heck out of them.
If you have time it’s fun to just play dumb with them. But he’s right, it’s best to just keep a level head and don’t be afraid. If somebody says that you owed them money back and you don’t believe you do you can contact PayPal and they will walk you through The transaction in question and help you determine whether or not somebody is trying to scam you.
I’m glad to see you were able to have a little bit of fun with them.
I just got one(thats how I found this article) and another one saying almost the same thing(says he is in the Navy) about 30 minutes later. WOW these people probably can get a good job somewhere.
I always say that if people put in just half as much effort into being good people as they do into being scumbags, they could accomplish a hell of a lot more doing the right thing.
Not only do the scammers try to scam you on buying your stuff, they also sell stuff on Craiglist that’s completely bogus. Here is another one I had fun with
ATV 4 Wheeler
Inbox
x
jim camper
Feb 23 (1 day ago)
to connie.larkins.,
I wanted to make contact with you about your Atv 4 wheeler riding machine that look very nice. I am willing to pay full price for item and give you some extra for it looking so very nice. I can only pay from paypal account because it safe a reliability very good. I currently live in a van down by the river and because my schedule very busy and I unable to see it for myself. I wish I could be there to look at item but the van by the river demanding all my time now. I would like you to box up and send to me after full payment received and the extra you can use for party or something good and nice. Please get back to me with your bank account information your pin number and how much I should withdraw and I make deal happen today! yes?
Connie Larkins
9:18 AM (5 hours ago)
to me
Hello to you,
My ATV is in perfect running condition, paid off, with no mechanical problems. The tires are in very good condition.
It has the following features: 2007 Kawasaki Brute Force 750i, automatic transmission,4×4, snow plow , 81 hours and 360 miles, camo paint one owner with full service history and all documents,two keys…no damage..clean title in hand. The price is 1500$ and i do not take trades.
If you are interested email me back and I will give you more info. Thanks
Connie
Here are some PICS bellow:
jim camper
9:27 AM (5 hours ago)
jim camper
9:55 AM (4 hours ago)
to connie
Yes I like 4 wheeler riding machine very very much. I was looking for one that only has 1 key. you have 2 keys which I find very bad. I think if you lower price so I can pay to destroy other key to make it good deal for you, yes? I will pay you $1499 us dollar today and send shipper to location of item and we exchange bank account numbers and then after full payment to me for buying 4 wheeler riding machine I will not charge extra for taking 4 wheeler ridging machine for less than all the dollars you have. I do need snow plow to move sand off my van. It also work good for running over goats for supper. I need to know what we do now to take all money from your pocket.
Connie Larkins
11:15 AM (3 hours ago)
to me
Hi again, the atv is located in Aurora, Missouri because I am a newly divorcee and the quad was my ex husband’s toy.
I thought a new start would do me good, so I packed up and moved to my home town, with my job, and took the quad with me as part of a divorce settlement. I have clean title in hand and i`m ready to send you a copy if you are interested too see one.
I have decided to sell using e Bay Buyer Protection program because i cannot meet you.
Shipping and handling is free, the loan of my previous buyer didn’t get approved so there won’t be any additional shipping costs because he already paid the shipping. In addition, you will have 7 days to try out prior to making any purchase and if by any reason you find something you don’t like about it you can send it back at my expense.
If you are ready to buy it and you have the cash available, please email me your Full Name , City , Zip Code and Phone Number so I can list the quad on e Bay and you can buy it using the “BUY IT NOW” option.
have a nice day
jim camper
11:43 AM (2 hours ago)
to Connie
unforgettably my van down by the river don’t have internet access and the wi-fi quarter slot has been broken for a week. I keep telling my manager partner to fix it but we need a 4 wheeler riding machine to ride down to the closeness mac Donald, its about 84 miles from the van down by the river so I need good riding 4 wheeler riding machine to be good in shape and size so that I can ride about 10 adults on it down to the mac Donaldson to get wi-fi so I can text and inter web communication to buy stuff like 4 wheeler riding machine. I like ebay so you good to wire money to my account so I can pay you your money. My full name is Acbach Jabadabado I currently live in a van down by the river at the KOA in Nigeria AF 8675309. please send by camel express because its the most safe a reliability way to send 4wheeler riding machines to my van down by the river.
I hope you in good faith send my money and ATV 4 wheeler riding machines thank you much in advance for this.
jim camper
Thank you for this valuable infos. I just listed an iphone for sale on craigslist and got a text from a phone # originated in Texas (737-777-2816). The buyer seems eager to buy the phone for his “fiance” w/out checking it out in person. He/She insisted that we use PayPal because it’s “very safe and secure for both buyers and sellers”. I did ask a bunch of questions because it’s strange to me that the buyer didn’t seem to care to even check out the IMEI number on the phone. Anyone buys phone will ask for IMEI to check if the phone has been black listed. The more i ask the stranger it gets. The buyer said he won’t pick it up in person but send an agent to pick it up once i received money in my PayPal account. Who send an agent to pick up something sold online? so i google and found this site which confirm my suspicion. I hope this site will continue to be here to help people like me… new to Craigslisting. All i can say is, if anyone approach me on Craigslist that seems too good to be true, it’s proprably is! Have a safe Craigslisting.
James
First of all you people are way over thinking this. If someone is sending you a payment via paypal and you receive it then you at this point are to the plus…all you have to do is get them the product and withdraw your money. If you withdraw your money and they receive the product there is no way the money can be reversed. Its highly unlikely your buyer will follow thru on anything anyway…all you lose is the excitement of a sale. These people fit the category of stupid criminal.
You obviously DO NOT understand how these scams work. These people are not so much interested in getting the product for free, that is just a bonus. They are scamming you with fake paypal accounts or hacked paypal accounts. Even if you get the money, paypal has been know to take the money back days, weeks or months later. Paypal can take the money back at anytime and you will be left holding the bag. You will have to have a huge amount of information on your side to try and help you and it may not always work out. Just by running a business and getting paid through paypal I can tell you that there have been several instances over the years where companies or individuals have said that we were paid from unauthorized accounts and it has cost us the loss of the money even though we legitimately provided a service or product. Paypal doesn’t listen when you tell them that the transaction was legitimate. If it’s a hacked account forget it, they wont listen to anything that you tell them. They only care about their transaction fees. They do very little to investigate anything.
Apparently you do not fully understand how Paypal operates, and how chargebacks work. If you think that simply by withdrawing the money quickly, you are beyond reach of a Paypal chargeback, you are tripping. They will charge your card if they have one on record, if not, they will simply put the Paypal a/c into debit, and freeze account until you make good on the amount back to Paypal/the buyer.If you are willing to sacrifice the account ,make it a fugitive account, fine, you may even need to do that in case of a very large amount…will you do that for a lesser amount?
Paypal, historically , will blindly side with the buyer…Paypal’s whole history is enabling buyer fraud.Historically, you will be left tearing out handfulls of hair and trying to reason with and appeal a succession of people with English as a second language..each time you reply to one stupid response at cross-purposes to the issue, you will be speaking to a new operator who is not even across what the story so far.You will be told how pleased to serve you they are and how anxious they are to solve your problem, whilst they proceed to fcku it up some more and drive you crazy some more.
Versus putting yourself through all of this fun, you could just sniff out a fraudster with a dodgy story about ‘Marine biologists in a boat anchored on a reef” or ‘I’m in the Marines serving in a goatfuqq shythole you probably have not heard of”..
and needless to say the old ‘I’m really happy with your asking price, in fact, you know what, I’m gonna give you 50% more than you are even asking…but just let me ask you are series of really stupid obtuse questions about it “.
(whilst displaying no knowledge or understanding of what it is that you are even selling) .
ALL of the scams are easy to spot. NONE Of the scammers have any real originality. They ALL use the same ploys, making them VERY Easy to spot. The scammers are all to dumb for words or they wouldn’t be trying to ROB people on a regular basis in order to ‘make a living’ for themselves. When I am contacted by a scammer as a result of any advertising I do, and they ask for my ‘mailing address for the ‘check'”.. I always just send this:
FBI Headquarters 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001.
Victoria
Sorry for the second post. I just had another scammer try to by my elliptical. I wrote back saying “Well actually it has a mouse infestation. They’ve eaten all of the wiring. But it shouldn’t be too hard to get new wiring from Sole and install it. Also, due to the landmines in my front yard you may want to send some extra movers, just in case you lose a few on the way in. Oh, I almost forgot, bring some grenade launchers. I have velociraptors living in the woods near me. And boy if they’re hungry you’ll want the firepower.
Sounds like you gave them a good earful. Just have fun with it, why not.
I like it!!! its funny they keep responding after you tell them crazy stuff like this
Jim that is absolutely freaking hilarious. Thanks for a good laugh!!! 😀
I found your article because someone tried the last one on me today. I thought it sounded really odd so I googled craigslist paypal scam. They were almost word for word accurate to what you wrote. I called him out on it and never got a reply.
Are there any problems with cashiers checks or money orders?
Of course. They are the old school scammers favorite. Easy to create fake checks and fake MO and then you are stuck when the bank finds the fraud. DON’T accept any checks or MO.
I’m so thankful for this site. I listed tires for sale on Craigslist and immediately received the following response. Good thing I checked this site, because I found an almost identical email that someone else posted from a scammer.
On Feb 6, 2016, at 11:09 PM, Steven Wooden wrote:
Thanks for your response, I am sorry I am not available to view due to the nature of my job, I am in the United States Army and serve as a CBRN Specialist (74D). I want to buy this for future use. I am currently deployed wont be back till April. We are not allowed to make or receive calls frequently for security reasons but we have internet access and that is our major means of communication to the outside world. I am OK with your asking price and if you don’t mind, I can only pay through PayPal at the moment because its the most secure way to make or receive payment online this is why I’ll prefer using PayPal to pay you, all I need is your PayPal email to make the payment and if you don’t have a PayPal account, its pretty easy to set up at http://www.paypal.com. I also have a few questions for you.
Whats its condition, any damages? Can I see a few closely taken pictures? Are you the original owner and what is your reason for selling?and last asking price?
I hope you consider my offer. I am ready to buy, so you can take the add off Craigslist. I’ll have a courier person come for pick up and storage after I make payment and money is in your hand. Thanks for understanding, hope to read from you soon.
” Whats its condition, any damages? Can I see a few closely taken pictures? Are you the original owner and what is your reason for selling?”
—
rolls eyes…people replying to ads who seem to have not the slightest idea about the nature of the ad items they are supposedly interested in, are a good bet as non-genuine.People who stupidly ask generic questions covered in the ad itself.
As well as highly annoying.
I just almost got scammed, but then I found this article. Thank you for the help!
I got an even better reply from someone who claimed to be a marine biologist and out at sea unable to pay except through Paypal. Thanks for this informative site!!! Cash Only!!! : )
the ‘marine biologist” routine I’ve heard of b4, actually, pretty sure that one is in the playbook..
OMG – I posted an iPhone 6 Plus Gold New and its like a bleeding flopping seal to the sharks! I’ve got woman out of town at her grandfathers funeral who wants to pay me $160 over my asking price, through PayPal to send the phone as a gift to her son who is working “in UNICEF”. Apparently UNICEF is a country now and its very expensive to ship there.
Another wanted to do the same to “send a present to my LOVER”, her capitalization! cRaZy! thanks for the article
UNICEF is a country? Wow, I must have missed that one with so many new countries popping up every day. 😉
Glad I found this. I also sent the person that contacted me an invoice through PayPal, but then cancelled it. Is there any way that I can still have issues with the person who was trying to scam me?
No, there isn’t. If for some reason the person continues to contact you through PP, just report him to PP support as a scammer.
Step 1, just received, through CL ad for bicycle..:
“contacted you for my boss, kindly respond by sending her a email to neuhikar@gmail.com if it’s still available. Her will get in touch with you and his name is Petra . Email only ! Thank You”
I actually fell for it so far, clicked on the bloody gmail link, which has given them direct email details for me and my name .
Step 2 VERY quickly afterwards, I received this
Thanks for getting back to me, so am buying this for my family friend and your asking price is quite reasonable and affordable considering others I’ve seen lately, I’ll have it for $100,please kindly send me your BANK details or pay pal payment email and name to set up purchase,as i don’t have access to my bank account online as am not with my credit card details here on our mine site but i have my ANZ bank account linked up with my PayPal account so I will be paying you through PayPal to your nominated bank account i will arrange for pick up and delivery by my freight agent after the cleared payment to your account I will like you to disregard any kind of call or message concerning this ad as I am confirming to you with this email that I am purchasing this ad and its funds are ready to be transferred to your account from my account.
Await your reply
Many Thanks
——————-
by then, I am a little less embarrassed to say, the penny dropped.
Classic case?
Thank you so much for this valuable information.
My husband listed a boat for sale on CL and posted is mobile number for any interested parties. He received a text from a guy claiming to be in the armed forces training to head out to Afghanistan (pull on heart string number one), and he wanted to get the boat for his son as a Christmas gift since he won’t be there for Christmas (heart string number two). He lives in VA we and the boat are in MD, his phone number from Las Vegas, could he deposit full asking price to our PP account. I have done this before with friends overseas buying from eBay where the seller won’t export, so I buy and ship the item, they pay me through my PP account- no biggie (but I know these people).
I give the guy my PP email account and ask for the details of him picking up. He is going to put more in my account to pay the transporter to pick up and if we would just pay the transporter.
My suspicions grew stronger there- first I was suspicious that he would pay full on price sight unseen, but then there are people out there who do that (legitimately), but when there was now a third party- no way.
I texted him back and told him to answer his phone, this was sounding like a scam. He would not answer his phone and begged me to think differently. I told him no go, scam someone else- we didn’t hear from him again.
So grateful to read your blog and that I went with my gut feeling.
(Phone number 909-362-8158 This is an California # that he texted me from)
Thanks for the responses. I almost fell for it as well. This guy replied to My craigslist post at 10:41 pm, 20 mins after I posted it. Saying:
“My name is Scott, I hope this is real and not a scam? i’m in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Semper Fi, but i’m no longer in town to meet in person. I’m buying it for my uncle working oversea as a Christmas gift since he doesn’t know about it. I’m okay with the price and i’ll pay $95 for the shipping. Do you havea PayPal account? Let me know asap so I can arrange the payment through PayPal”
“I want it shipped via usps local post office, I’ll be making the payment first, thats not the problem. So send me a money request to beasley_scott2001@yahoo.com including the shipping fee”
20 mins later he texts back:
“Have you sent the money request yet?
I told him I’m at work and will look into it on my lunch.
So I called the number, he answered and it was quiet for 40 secs then he hung up. Called me back 2 mins later and I hear my voice echoing and the reception is really bad. He has a Jamaican accent or middle eastern heavy accent, could barely hear him and hung up.
Sent me a text back saying, “sorry the link is bad” I’m like Why would you need a link to call from your phone?
I asked what is the shipping address to send it too.
Replied back:
12 Randle Avenue city: Surulere State: Lagos, Zipcode: 23401 Country: Nigeria
So this is definitely a scam, He for sure doesn’t sound like Scott Beasley when I called lol. Hope no one else falls for this non-sense and I hope these people burn in hell for ripping honest people off.
Good Luck everybody
HI Marz. just to a text from the same “Scott”. To use our military as a cover-up. Geezz, what will this people think of next. Hope our real military comes up with “smart” bombs to sniff out this people and blow them the hell out of this planet.
Just had the same “Scott” fellow use the Marine cover-up and try to scam me in Washington, DC. Wanted me to send a paypal request to “beasley_scott2001@yahoo.com” and ship to 64 Ayilara street City: Surulere State: Lagos Zipcode:+23401 Country: Nigeria …Sad scam and it upsets because I’m of 1st generation African descent. People like this make foreign cultures look bad to American.
Really glad I read this I mean I wasn’t going to go through with it any way but I mean I’m glad I saw this just for confirmation. I was trying to sell my s5 for 350 and I got several texts from numbers out of my city’s area code saying if I still have it. I was so excited that I might actually sell my phone but then it got fishy they all asked if I could ship the phone and I thought to my self why wouldn’t they just look for the phone in a near by location in stead of paying more to get it shipped then they all offered me 100 extra to get it shipped. If anything I would try to pay less not more. Two guys said they were getting the phone for their son and one said he was in the marine . I mean if they had the 450 they should be able to just by a new phone right. So they all asked for pay pal. And luckily I didn’t give it to them because my mom lost her credit card and she is getting a new one. So the pay pal wouldn’t be active. I texted one that I thought it was a scam and all of them stopped texting back. I feel like they’re all linked together it is truly sad that people feel the need to do this and even sadder that they get away with it sometimes thank you for your post I think im going to stay away from Craig list for a while
It is truly depressing that 90% of all texts and emails on CL are scams.
Also glad that I read this. I got the same texts. Thank you!
Craigslist is the most legit compared to ebay. I tried to sell my iphone on ebay for 600. Someone purchased it for 5000. I reported it as a scam and declined the purchase but ebay still charged me their fees as if the purchase went through. Saying that they charge once an invoice is created. ebay then debited my palpay account that was linked to my checking account for 514 dollars causing my checking account to be overdrawn. I then got fees from my bank. It took ebay 2 weeks to refund my money and I was calling them everyday on my way home from work ( I have a long commute so why not, right). This was like 6 months ago and ebay still sends me an invoice for 4.13 every month. I wrote them an email telling them what happend and to basically go F themselves. Moral of the story DON’T use ebay or Paypal for anything. Take cash or a bank issued check. Also NEVER link your bank account to Paypal. Good Luck everyone.
Yeah, I agree that ebay and Paypal have screwed up policies. I had a similar issue once through PayPal and it was a bit of a mess. If there was another payment source better than PayPal and more user friendly that people were happy using I would switch to them in a heartbeat. Unfortunately other payment options like Payza and such have had several problems with Fraud in the US.
NEED HELP
How’s it going, my names Bryan and I’m a bit worried because the same scam almost happened to me. I was selling an HP laptop in almost new condition for $800 and this person Felix Westwood under this number +1 (347) 353-9454 contacted me with the same response about wanting to pay thru PayPal because he lives in New York and wanted to get it for a friend of his. I’m new to PayPal so didn’t know how it worked and he told me to send him a money request to his email and so I did. But then it got fishy when I saw that he wanted me to send it to Nigeria and that the money wouldn’t clear until I actually shipped it and provided the tracking number. So I decided to just ignore the situation and his calls and texts. This all happened two days ago and he’s actually been calling me but I would ignore his calls because I didn’t have a good feeling about him. So yesterday around 1:30 AM here in California time, I get a txt saying it was the FBI from this number +1 (847) 929-9964 saying this:
Hello Bryan Diaz. My name is James Feldman from the FBI. I’m contacting you regarding the laptop you sold on Craigslist to PayPal customer Felix Westwood. We got a report that you refuse to ship the item and you also ignore contact with the buyer. We’ve sent you a email warning you about the consequence of your action. We already got a warrant from director to arrest you but we like to issue you a warning.
NOW my question is, can the fbi contact you this way and is it real ? So what I did was logged on to my PayPal account and CANCELED the money request and just deleted the PayPal account to be safe. And even took a picture of the cancellation for proof. So I told that “FBI” number to leave me alone and go this txt back: My advise is that you should get a good lawyer, cause we are coming for you. Good day.
SO NOW I would really appreciate help and advice if this is something serious or just someone trying to scam and scare. PLEASE NEED HELP. thank you.
My advice is that you ignore all this, and forget it ever happened. The FBI will NEVER get involved in a civil matter. The local police wont touch a civil matter let alone the FBI. That line “Get a good lawyer because we are coming for you” is total BS. Since when does the FBI make threats like that? They just show up one day and arrest you (not that they are going to in your case). I get emails from the FBI, and every other international crime fighting agency daily telling me that they have money for me that was confiscated from an international terrorist. It’s ALL BS!!!!
Thank you for that advice and help. Leaves peace in mind. And do you think I should at least go to the police department and report these phone numbers about what they said like that “getting a lawyer” line ?
Chances are the local police will not be able to do anything for you. Like you mentioned this guy is in Nigeria, so it’s too far and too much trouble. Police agencies are lazy let’s face it. They don’t even bother looking for stolen cars which are big ticket local crimes so why would they bother with this. They will simply blow you off.
I was getting calls from the “IRS” saying that I was going to be arrested if I did not pay back taxes of 5000.00. I freaked at first but did some research and it is all BS. No government agency is going to call you to tell you they are going to arrest you. They just come and arrest you. So when the person called back threatening to have me arrested i said “What address are they coming to, I want to make sure I am home”? The person didn’t know my address so they said “Your home address”. “I said what is it”? They said “we know it”. I said “well I will be home all day so I will see you when you get here”. Needless to say I was never arrested.
Well played. Another thing that everyone should be aware of is that if they ever get confused and don’t know if it’s real or not, the IRS will require payments be made to the “United States Treasury Department” not the Nigerian Internal Revenue Dept or any variation therein. So if you want to have fun just mention that you will be making the check out to the USTD and see what they say.
He’s scamming you, and as @craiglist says, the FBI would never get involved with something like this.
If it were me on the receiving end of this, I’d contact the local police, because what this guy is doing is extortion. They’d love to investigate stuff like this and put the guy behind bars. If he’s in the U.S. that is.
I’d want to nail this guy to the wall – in a legal sense that is.
The FBI isn’t about to text you and they’re definitely not going to threaten you in that manner. They would just show up at your door or place of work to talk to you in person. All of that was complete BS because as another reply stated, they’re certainly not going to get involved in a civil matter and not one involving $800 at that.
Conversely, impersonating the FBI isn’t a civil matter and I’m sure your local FBI branch would love to hear about the details of this…
Here’s another funny Craigslist scammer I had fun with
to bryanleak008
Home around 5:30 all week if you wanted to meet
I can come down to 200 for everything, case, 2 charging cords and a glare protection on screen
you can reach me at xxx-xxx-xxxx to schedule a time
Thanks
Henry Edward
to me
Thanks you for the response according to the description, am okay with the price and the condition posted on CL. I am ready to make instant purchase. My mode of payment would be in Certified Check and i will arrange for a local pick up as soon as you get the check, because that is the only inconvenient means for me and due to my work frame i can not be able to get there and i promise everything will go smoothly. I really wish to be there to check out the item but i don’t have chance cause am very busy person. Concerning the pick up, i will arrange for it after you receive the payment and it clears… Pls get back to me with below info so that i can proceed with the payment immediately if you are selling to me.
Full Name:
Address: Not P.O.BOX
City:
State:
Postal Code:
Total amount for the item
Phone Number: That i can send text
Item Name :
And as soon as this is provided, the payment will be send to you and i will let you know when its mailed out. Thanks and i hope we handle this in good faith while waiting to hear from you.
Best Regards.
to Henry
Great! just a little description about the item, I dropped it in the toilet and it works fine if you shake it real hard, the screen is cracked and has very deep scratches but you cant see it if you turn it the right way, the color no longer works it’s only black and white and the wifi I had to hook it up to some tv bunny ears to pick up my wi fi but I’m selling the bunny ears with it. My dog ate the charging cord end so you need to hold it in place to get a charge and the corners have a slight bend to them from my kids dropping it on the drive way, other than that its perfect.
when can you come and pick it up
to me
please provide address information
to Henry
KOA
123 River Bend loop Highway Road.
Louisville, KY 8675309
Look for the big tree stump in the middle of the road on route 66, you cant miss it. I live on a dirt road about 87 miles from the stump in a van down by the river, if it’s rocking don’t come knocking. it’s primed and ready for you to pick up. I will show your guy how to work the bunny ears I’ve made it into a hat so you can put it on your head and be mobile with your wi-fi.
thanks
Jim Camper
Henry Edward
to me
Thanks for the information…..I will issue the payment out and
sent to your location….Kindly get back to me as soon as you get the payment hopefully this week, Also i want you to consider the item has been sold to me, Do remove the advert from the site today….Looking forward to read from you as soon as you do that…I will like to tell you that the shipping fund will be added to your payment, So as soon as you have the check, deposit the check into your bank account and withdrawn the shipping funds. And deduct your money for the item, And have the rest fund send to my shipper so that they can come for the pick-up at your location So you will help me send the money added to
your money to the shipper as soon as you get the payment, Hope you get me well.
Thanks
God bless
to Henry
I’m sorry but the police came by yesterday and kick me out of my camp site down by the river so I need to find a different camp site. they also saw me walking around with my wi-fi bunny ears hat and complained about me. I was just trying to find a good spot to get my wi-fi working but now they said I gotta go. Can I come meet you and maybe stay in your drive way until I find a good place by the river? I need to know today!!
Hilarious!!! Dude, my ribs hurt from laughing so hard, this is just too good. 🙂
This is absolutely brilliant. I am crying. This morning I received 2 texts, 2 scammers, same idiotic language, in response to posting 2 large Tabriz/Pakistani rugs.
Your post inspired me:
“sounds great! There is a dead body wrapped inside the large rug — hope that’s not a problem”. Your notes are brilliant, and even funnier that they relentlessly pursued your address, in their broken scammy english, no matter what you said..
Rabbit ears, rocking trailer, et al. So fun. Thanks for posting this.
10/31/2015 I was just requested by a person to pay more for my product than I posted on Craigslist. I asked them to verify some information and even tried to request payment thru Gmail and they stated they only could pay thru Western Union or Paypal (Red Flag)
I posted an ad on craigslist to sell my car and I got this e mail. I am glad I typed the term hauler agent and brought me to this site 🙂
Stanley edward
5:51 PM (2 hours ago)
My name is Stanley Edward.I’m in the military and currently stationed in FORT MCCOY ARMY BASE.I am not in town at the moment because i am in base and we are not allowed to make or receive calls frequently for security reasons,the only way to reachout is through the internet and that is our major means of communication within the base.I am buying this for my son as a birthday gift and he’s not aware of this because it is a surprise from me to him.Can you assure me i wont be disappointed buying it from you ? I have a hauler agent who will be coming for pick up and i have a few questions for you about it.
Are you the first owner ?
Why are you selling it ?
Does it have other issues ?
Can you send more pictures ?
Do you have the title in hand ?
Do you have a verified account with PayPal ?
Do you have any offer yet ?
i just had an almost exact similar text message conversation. I specified that I’m only gonna accept cash and they disappeared.
I had something very similar only with a boat but the scenario was same. Deployed, sending an agent, no phone calls… blah, blah, blah… I declined the sale too.
MUSIC STUDIO GEAR FOR SALE $1400
This is my legit posting… my name is Trevor
This is scumbag… his name is philiph Sandra aka Douche!
Philiph: thanks am ready to buy it now for my son as a surprise promise gift,And due to the nature of my work,phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but i squeezed out time to check this advert and send you an email regarding it.i would be glad to pay for it as soon as possible though i will not be available to come for an inspection due to my tight schedule.
Me: Ok philiph sounds great! Just so you know to avoid scams I only accept cash, or check from your personal bank and when it clears I’ll release the gear to you. No trans union.
If you accept these terms the gear is yours.
Douche: Due to the hectic nature of my job, I would prefer to use pay pal. let me know if this will be okay with you so i can make arrangement with the shipping agency to come pick it up after payment clears your account
Me: I do not use paypal. What shipping company are you going through? ( I honestly don’t care what his shipping company of choice is I just wanted to see if this ass wipe would actually do the research since he has plenty of time to fuck people over all day..)
Ass wipe: Receiving payment with paypal is very easy and simple.As soon as i have make the payment,you will receive the payment confirmation message from paypal in your email there you will just follow 1 or 2 procedure then the money will be transferred into your account..thats it and i would be glad to put you through with it.
Me: (didn’t do the research what a surprise..) I’m good philiph Thanks anyways. I’ll still sell my stuff just not to you.
I’m actually very calm about this situation… not sure why?
Good for you putting the “ass wipe” in his place. Yea, they are lazy and will simply keep typing the same precut message over and over. Reminds me of another scum of the earth, the telemarketers. Have you ever put your number on the DO NOT DISTURB list? Waste of time, they still call you and hang up when you ask questions. I think these two pond scum came from the same pond.
this is how I have fun with these idiots, selling a truck and he can not talk on phone because he’s in the military, requested I send e-mails:
Thanks for writing back to me i’m new to buying things over the internet and i will be glad buying this from you i will like to know the condition and why are you selling it,what is your last asking price for it?Im just asking about it to make sure its in good condition, so can you assure me i will not be disappointed? also no shipment involved as i have a mover that will come for it. I will like your sincerity about the condition and the price you are leaving this out and I can only pay you via one of the fastest and secure way to pay online (PayPal).. Do You Have A Verified PayPal account? Let me know asap so i can arrange the payment through PayPal. my shipper will be coming to pick it up as soon as the payment clears into your account.
11:47 AM (21 hours ago)
to Tommy
Ok, the truck has heavy dents all over it the tires are bold the paint is fading, the motor is blown the carpet smells like shit, I let my dog live in it for the past 3 years. I cant get the piss smell out. that’s why I’m selling it. The truck will drive as long as somebody is pushing it. I did however replace the transmission to kinda help the person that has to push it down the highway. Other then the smell it’s perfect. All you need is a motor, tires, timing belt alternator, serpentine belt, carpet, seats cause the dog chewed them up pretty good, door handles broke off, power steering pump, radio, a/c and heat needs to be replaced, back window busted, gear shifter nob, glove box chewed by my dog, new hood would be nicer, headlights both are out, tail light busted and needs a bumper, has a big hole in the back, front bumper teared up, shocks are busted, front windshield cracked, radiator leaks, oil leaks, but you can fix that with a new motor. grill was busted, me and my old lady got into a fight and she kicked a hole in the grill, the battery caught on fire but I got it out pretty quick. It burnt the fuse box and wiring harness so you will need to go to the junk yard to get a wiring harness and fuse box, the wheel bearings are grinding very loudly, the four wheel drive is not working but if you leave it in 2 wheel with a push it works pretty good going down hill, on windy days it’s even better, the passenger window and both back windows are not working but you can push them up and duck tape them closed, thats what I’ve been doing on rainy days and when the sun comes out I just take the duck tape off and let the cool air in. its best to have a big roll of duck tape in the truck at all times. The frame has a slight bend from last time I went trail riding and jumped across a river. Landed pretty hard and now it rides a little crooked and pulls hard to the left but I found that if you hold the wheel tight and wear some grip gloves while going down hill it works ok. Other then that its a really nice truck. I just dont have all the time required to fix all the minor problems, your loss my gain. come and get it with a tow truck and she’s yours!!!!!!!
Tommy Grand
2:12 PM (18 hours ago)
to me
Alright do you have an account with PayPal and whats your last asking price ?
2:47 PM (18 hours ago)
to Tommy
I’m, holding firm at 4800 in cash preferably non traceable one dollar bills. You cannot be to safe these days. I can meet you at the docks down by the river nearest to you.
Tommy Grand
2:48 PM (18 hours ago)
to me
Am sorry but I can only make the payment via paypal because am experiencing a technical problem with my internet banking for the past few weeks neither can I send a Bank draft or cashiers cheque. Its reliable and easy to use PayPal. I insisted on PayPal because i don’t have any access to give my private courier Cash or Check but i can pay from my PayPal account as i have my bank a/c attached to it.
2:54 PM (18 hours ago)
to Tommy
I will meet you at the PayPal bank and we can do the deal in the parking lot, I will be in the only tank in the parking lot, you cant miss it( its green). Their will be no funny business allowed while making this deal.
Tommy Grand
3:50 PM (17 hours ago)
to me
i’m i selling cocaine
4:00 PM (16 hours ago)
to Tommy
no I’m selling an 03 Chevrolet Trailblazer Sports Utility Vehicle that’s Black in color that has a new trans. If your selling cocaine then maybe you should find someone to buy it so your broke ass can afford to buy a truck with cash!
it’s good to laugh at these idiots!!
Really funny stuff there man. I had a great laugh with this one and it just goes to prove the point I am always making. No matter how BAD you made it sound they always come back with “OK, give me your paypal account”. Just proves that they don’t really read the emails they just keep hammering on the one point that they want, and that is to get your paypal info to scam you.
That’s great man, I had a laugh this morning lol thank you.
Man, that’s a hilarious work of art! Doofus didn’t know who he was up against.
Hi,
I got this email, but I’m not quite sure if it’s legit. I’m skeptical because who would drive 2 1/2 hours to buy hair products?
“Hello, I am very interested in buying all of your WEN product. I LOVE this stuff but it can be very expensive to maintain. Is it still available? You can also text/call me at 915-203-9031 if you prefer. I do live in San Antonio but can meet you in south Austin or can pay you PayPal and shipping. This is not a scam, I’m interested. Can pay you cash if you’d prefer to meet. I ask for south Austin because, to be honest, I’m scared of driving in Austin. To much traffic….lol.
Thank you,
Ana
915-203-9031”
Well, this does have some ring of legitimacy. Some people will do crazy things like driving long distances to get something they want. I would suggest to proceed with caution, but if this person is a real person, which you can speak to on the phone and she is willing to meet in person, and pay cash, then I say “go for it”. Just make sure that you don’t get sidetracked or derailed from your main points of legitimacy. Meet in person and get cash! Then, No problem.
ALWAYS I repeat ALWAYS call the number. 99% of the scammers can be edited out by seeing if they answer a phone call.
“Hi %^$%$#
Thanks for your response and appreciates it. Anyway, I have read through your advert and from what I have seen,it is priced favorably compared to others so I want you to consider it sold to me because I am ready to offer you the demanded price.
Am TSgt Charles Lawyer E-6 percussionist with the United States Air Force Band of the West but presently I am out of town and currently stationed in Lack land Air Force Base in San Antonio. I will buy it and arrange for the pick up.
Nevertheless , I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible as I am ready to seal the deal right away and pay you via my PayPal account that is attached to my bank account as that is the only secure form of payment that I have access to while serving the country.
So, kindly get back to me with your full name, PayPal email address along with your phone number to contact you on when money is sent, so that I can initiate the payment and i will arrange for the pick up after payment is received. Everything will be on the up and up.
Are you the first owner ?”
Here is the one I received, could tell this was BS.
I received the same email this morning and what made me suspicious was to opening sentence as I had not responded to this scammer. Here’s the scammer’s email:
Thanks for your response and appreciates it. Anyway, I have read through your advert and from what I have seen,it is priced favorably compared to others so I want you to consider it sold to me because I am ready to offer you the demanded price.
Am TSgt Charles Lawyer E-6 percussionist with the United States Air Force Band of the West but presently I am out of town and currently stationed in Lack land Air Force Base in San Antonio. I will buy it and arrange for the pick up.
Nevertheless , I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible as I am ready to seal the deal right away and pay you via my PayPal account that is attached to my bank account as that is the only secure form of payment that I have access to while serving the country.
So, kindly get back to me with your full name, PayPal email address along with your phone number to contact you on when money is sent, so that I can initiate the payment and i will arrange for the pick up after payment is received. Everything will be on the up and up.
Are you the first owner ?
Charles.
As I have stated before, these people sit around all day long just cutting and pasting the same email to hundreds of people across the world. Of course the U.S.A is one of the biggest targets because we have the greatest amount of disposable wealth. So this is a perfect example of what I have said.
I got a new one today, I had my truck on for sale on CL and get an email that it was deleted, went in and looked and it was a totally different truck and pictures that I dont even own and my name and phone number.?? I changed my pw.
Its a good idea that you changed your password but you don’t have to worry really. Its easy enough for anyone to make an add and put your name, phone pictures, etc. But as long as that ad is NOT in your account, then it’s just a dummy ad and you have nothing to worry about. Only if the ad appeared in your account then you would have been hacked, but this was in someone elses account.
Thank you for this posting. I was trying to sell a motorized wheel chair for my widowed mother (the chair belonged to my father) and thanks to your warning I was aware of this scam. Received a email saying the payment was made thru pay pal and requesting that I refund the shipping charge of $350.00. I removed the posting from Craigslist and have re-posted on ebay, Thank you again for your warning.
My father fell for an eBay/paypal scam.
He lost $3,500 for a car.
He found a car on Craigslist and they (scammers) told him that all transactions will be done through email by eBay, well he fell for it.
I highly doubt it but I have to ask, is there anything we can do? Contact Craigslist? Final a police report?
I highly doubt we can get his money back.
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I would suggest first to contact PayPal or Ebay. They do have seller and buyer protection programs to try and prevent fraud. Explain your story and see if they can help. I’m a little confused as to how a Craigslist scam took place through Ebay (unless you meant to say PayPal). If not then definitely file a police report. Even if the police cannot help, putting it on record may help you somewhere down the road. Contact Craigslist (if you can) and see if you can get emails, IP, server info, etc. Anything that can help you track them or something. If they are in Africa, then kiss your money good-by. If they are local scammers, then you may have a shot at getting your money back if they can be tracked down.
Alright, so check it out.. not even a month ago I had someone try to pull the classic, I can pay by via cashiers check because I’m out of town scam on me. And I gotta give it to em, they would’ve been quite convincing. If of course, their grammar wasn’t as bad as it was. And maybe if they didn’t contact me from not two, not three, but four different numbers that just so happened to all be Google numbers that couldn’t be called. As just about anyone would expect, the check was more than double my asking price and needed me to go ahead and send the remainder to them by money gram but insisted that I take an additional $50 bucks for the trouble! And to top it off the bank branch on the check didn’t even exist!
It was my first experience with an attempt to be scammed, but it definitely opened my eyes and showed me the things look out for.
So, last night I received an email asking if the my item was still available. I tell them yes and then get this;
” I’m OK with it state but Im currently at work and Im buying this for family as a surprise gift and i can only pay you via paypal due to my work as im part of a train crew in another state. I won’t be able to meet with you or check it out due to my work but i will be responsible for the payment fees cost and i’ll arrange for item to be pick up once payment clears to your account. I want you to know that this is my first time of buying online and i will like to see clear,neat/sharp pics of it . do you have a paypal account already for the payment?”
Of course I’m skeptical and I’m almost positive it’s another attempt from someone, but I would really like to get some opinions from a few people.
Their name according to email is, Conner Codi Hammond and their email is codihammond1990@gmail.com.
Thank you!
-Jesse
Yeah, it’s a scam for sure. Can’t be reached, too busy, not for them but for the family, can’t meet, to be delivered, working in “Another state” can you be less specific?
i just got one from him to. Thank god for you I knew he was trying to scam me. I took a picture of your post and told him nice try and that hes an awful con man hahaha. Thank you!!!!!
Thank you. I thought it was odd that I have received two requests asking me if I would be willing to ship an item out of town I listed for $40 easily purchased at a garage sale locally. So I googled this I see the scams. Useful information.
I know buying scammers, but what about those offering work? Ive had 2 now I answered. first was offering 400 to clean an apartment 3 times a week 2-3hrs each time. had to give him my address for the information. after I gave it, mentioned a check in the mail. why would anyone pay a stranger up front? the new one was driving his mother around for 40 an hr. give name address and email address. I have not done that yet. are these scams?
You haven’t read through all the comments here. Yes, that is a common scam also. There are many posts of people who have received those offers a few months back. They will offer you work, offer you a car, great pay, fantastic working conditions, usually they are out of town so everything has to be done by email, so yeah. They always want your name, address, paypal, and bank account info. Its the same scam but in reverse. They are offering your something instead of soliciting something. I have even warned in the past about emails at your business with these types of scams. I get them on our domain’s email, but unfortunately they are really stupid and they send the email addressed to “Contact” or “Info”, (Dear Contact, we would like to offer you….”) DUH!
I read or skimmed threw some comments but just to many lol. I work with Juvenile teenagers my motto here if they open their mouth they are lying, sad but mostly true. so Im very reluctant with Craigslist ads. the cleaning job I gave name and address only. but then he said the check will be in the mail and more instructions. I was ummm check before I work? red flag. but had to ask anyway. driving her mother I was going to drive a brand new Mercedes. Who lets strangers do that before meeting face to face? I never gave info to him. red flag. but thanks for the comment 🙂 Im a new business trying to get work going so I only started looking at the gigs etc.
Best of luck to you. Just be careful and you should be fine. 🙂
Another one for the scam list erobert@gmail.com and the name Emily Robert
i just got a text from a lady telling me that she is highly iterested in my car and wants me to email her so i did and i told her info about the car i have for sale like the major problems Ect. i did this and she sent this:
Thanks for getting back to me,The price of what am buying as advertised is okay by me by offering $100 to hold it and make sure it sold to me alone.. I will strongly like to make an outright purchase of this immediately due to your Integrity as stated in your ad which shown that your a real seller,I really love the condition of what am buying but please for further assurance that this real just email me some pictures of it asap.. I may sound rude,but please understand that i have to be caution of what am buying as well due to untruthful seller here.. I would have come down myself for the inspection and make the transaction done in person but due to the nature of my work i couldn’t..i’ll like to know the following:
(1) How long have you had it?
(2) I will like to know the reason why you are selling it..
(3) Hope i’ll enjoy it?
(4) What are the major problem of it?
Note that i’ll be responsible for shipping and handling. I have decided to use the program “Buyer and Seller Protection” offered by PayPal Inc in order to make the transaction done fast cos it take 2-3 days business. Do bear with me and get back to me on time with your PayPal account name and email or easily send an invoice to this same email am using to communicate with you as its the same thing with my PayPal also. I want only legit transactions!If you are not aware of how they operate you should know that they will give both of us proper protection and also if you don’t have an account yet you can simply set up one via http://www.paypal.com after payment is confirmed to you by PayPal, you’ll receive a confirmation stated that someone has sent you money,that means if you use this your email address to set up the PayPal account as well.. As soon as payment is confirmed by PayPal my mover would come down for the inspection and shipping handling,please provide me your full name,Visible home address(street,city,zip,state) and your PayPal name and email address so that I can start making the payment as soon as i can.
Thanks and reply asap.
i saw it was kinda fishy her name is samantha keyes from a 917 area code watch out guys im sure this is a scam i told her i want cash up front and will not create a paypal account i told her also that if she was sooo interested she would come herself and check the car out and i told her to call me and she doesnt so yea SCAM!!!
It’s absolutely a scam and one thing you will notice in all scams is the following. Notice that you told her about the condition of the car and it’s faults. So what happens next? She asks you a question (several actually) that was already answered. It’s a scammer copying and sending prescripted emails or text messages. They don’t even bother to read your response (that is if they can even read English). They look for paypal info , don’t see it, send the next script, move on to the next sucker. Rinse and repeat several times a day.
Today I posted something on Craigslist and a few minutes later recieved two different texts one from 407 area code the other from 732. Stating their excuses in English that someone has learned from another country. One is a US Marine in Florida telling me he left town because he was deployed there. The other is in NJ. Asking to set up pay pal accounts.
I guess this should also be scam. What do you think?
“I am currently out of town for a business trip and am willing to add $100 plus the shipping cost to my fiance address,i will be paying you through PayPal,i have a verified account with PayPal.I want you to get back to me with your PayPal email address so i can make payment right away.I am waiting to received your paypal email address immediately”
Yea, it’s a scam. First of all, if he is out of town why can’t he simply wait until he gets back into town to complete the transaction? Secondly who do you think will pay an extra $100 for shipping for an item? Where does that suspicious and enticing number come from? He doesn’t know where you are located (zip code), so how can he determine how much the shipping will be? Unless it is a very large item, it wouldn’t cost anywhere near that much. If he is so loose with money why is he buying on Craigslist? S-C-A-M……winner, winner, chicken, dinner! 🙂
I’m selling an computer room size AC for 800 dollars and the minute I posted I received this text from 2 different buyers.
First Buyer’s Text )
“I am OK paying that price for it.
The nature of my busy schedule will not permit me to come and have a look.I will be paying you by money order..I will be adding an extra fifty dollars so you can keep it in my favor.I will like you to send me your full name and address so i can have my assistant mail the payment to you..I will let you know how I intend to go about the pick-up so I would like you to take the posting off today and consider it sold to me.Expecting to hear from you soon.”
Second Buyers Text )
Ok,good price,let me have your PayPal email so i can make payment now,when funds clears your account,Pick up would be arranged.Jason 🙂
Are these scammer Text?
I can not get these buyers to call me and talk to me, they keep texting me.
Absolutely they are both scammers. The poor English, the paying full price and/or extra. Asking for all your info before anything else is really discussed. Yeah, they are scammers.
You can solve this another way and that is to instead of being lazy and having them send you over the fakes just go onto PayPal and generate your own invoice… Once you generate the invoice thru the virtual terminal they have to submit valid payment. If they don’t you don’t send. When you generate the invoice you put the subject as “purchase of …” Only send to a PayPal verified address which you can use white pages to verify if need be. In general I wouldn’t do any shipping unless your using Amazon, eBay or some other online marketplace obviously you can still be screwed over online but there is always a risk when doing business.
Yeah, but you always run the risk of getting paid from a hacked account or something like that. The best way is to spot the scam and block that sender completely.
I just received one that said this:
“I’m a member of United State Marine Corps (USMC) Tampa FL new recruit but the problem is I’ve been posted out of town for some weeks, I want to purchase this item and shipped it to my partner in Abroad, So I’m willing to pay you your actual payment including the shipping fee $500, Do you have an account with PayPal to received your payment now?”
Yeah, no!!
The scammers have actually expanded beyond CL. I have several businesses that I run outside of CL and I have received emails related to the business that are identical scams. Business owners should also be aware of these. They are identical to the emails detailed here with minor changes. Something like:
” Hello, I hope that this email finds you in good health. I am interested in your Business (of course they put in the type of business) and need your services. Please let me know if you are available. I cannot contact you by phone because I am hard of the hearing (yea really something like that) and cannot communicate by phone. Please text me and let me know how much it would be to do XYZ services for me. I am getting this for my father who is very occupied and elderly and cannot do this for himself (yeah sure). Here is my contact text. What I need from your is your Name, Address, Position in the company, and Bank Account information. (Who writes an Email like that? A SCAMMER of course not a real client) I have never had any client in all my years ask me for bank details. And of course the poor English and Cordial nature of the email.
Beware Someone is using Karen Moyer as a Pay Pal scammer
This is a credible lady who live in San Diego and her identity is being used to scam people from this # 517 768 2164 Same identical emails as all the ones you all have shared MAN if it is Pay Pal or Western Union DO NOT EVEN THINK it is a REAL deal.
The name is irrelevant since there can be several hundred people throughout the US with the same name. The email and the request is like you said, what is the key. Beware what they ask for even if it’s a name of a person you may know. Sometimes scammers may use names to elicit a response and see if they get someone that knows that person. I’m sure the lady you mention in San Diego is a perfectly nice person, but that is not the one being mentioned by the commenters.
I’ve recently gotten a few scam offers via text in response to an ad I posted on CraigsList. Here’s the scam numbers and messages:
(405) 928-0264 : Thanks for Texting back,am ok with the price and the condition,and am buying it for my self,because i’ll be coming soon from our rig as am a petroleum project engineer on a rig offshore,i won’t be able to come for the inspection due to the nature of my work, i will be paying you through PayPal,pls get back to me with your PayPal details so i can proceed with the payment and contact the courier agent who will come to pick it up and deliver it in my place after payment have been made and cleared in your account.
Await your reply.
(832) 478-7611: Good I’m okay with the price & condition,I plan to send the money in a certified bank check and overnight it to you through USPS, then I will arrange for a pick up after check cleared at your bank.. I’ll need your Full Name and Delivery Address or a p.o box for the check to be issue out to you, i await your response and after the check clear my movers will come for pick up asap….
We have posted a sale of our m/c and we received a txt on that he was interested in the bike and wanted to purchase through pay pal bc that was his only way with him being out of reach do to him being out on the rigs and he wld have his agent /boss pick up the bike once the transaction was compete and the money was deposit. It went on and on ..he even sent us an email address to contact the boss.. we tried calling the number but surprise , surprise no answer. Huge red flag is why wld someone buy anything without looking at it , starting it etc..then just was bent on pay pal..my thought if ur “boss” was actually doing this for u then he can bring the cash. It’s all bogus I’m sure and I spammed the number and blocked it. It’s a 405 area code I Google the number and it shows its from out of norman. He was willing to pay full asking price of the bike as he felt it was a great deal . NOONE is going to do that expecially buying site unseen. . Please beware of the scams and I do not recommend the pay pal method. I hope this helps bc it’s a shame how shadey and dishonest ppl are to rip ppl off of their hard earned money and taking away from their families .
This is the text on the email to send my pay pal to……..Hello, please email my boss if you still have this listing for sale at (joewright001@hotmail.com)…Thanks 2007 YAMAHA 650 V STAR CLASSIC – $2800 (choctaw/mwc)
405-928-0264 this is the phone number he was texting from.
I am a Craigslist seller and have a steadfast rule of local and cash only. I’ve had plenty of scam attempts but have yet to be taken advantage of. I recently received this email.
Hi there,
I stumbled across your add through a Google search for this bag and I do realize we are in two different states, so local pick up is not an option. I was hoping that you would be willing to ship this to California zip code 91768.
I assure you this is not a scam in anyway, I’ll meet your terms of payment and method of shipping… payed for by me of course.
If you’d like, feel free to give me a ring anytime between 9am and 9pm.. that’s West coast time please.
Thank you for your time and I hope we can do business,
He also included is cell # for me to contact him. I replied to him via the Craigslist post thread as I will not respond to anyone any other way. He replied:
No problem at all, I am just glad you replied.
So, here is the problem.. I live in California, but I am more then willing to pay via PayPal, check, or money order (your preference) and can send you a prepaid UPS label to cover the shipping.
Thank you again for the rapid reply and sorry I didn’t notice it until now.
Sincerely,
Roland
I do know better than to accept any of these forms of payment. So, my question is. Can I ask him to send cash, wait until I receive it, then send it to him? Do I run a real risk of counterfeit money if he agrees to this?
I doubt most people would have access to counterfeit money. This is much harder to pull off than counterfeit (fake) checks and money orders. If he agrees to send you cash then you have a great deal. If he includes a prepaid shipping label then you have no problem either. Sounds like you have the bases covered. This one sounds fairly legit. Just continue being careful.
lewis.cassandra500@gmail.com is a craigslist scam email beware!! They want you to use PayPal. Anytime they say they’ll pay asking price and they are to busy to come pick it up but they’ll pay for shipping ITS A SCAM. Wish I had the other email to share.
I just got one as well via text:
“I Wold Have Love To Pay In Cash But Due to My Present Location and work frame,i Only have a Paypal attached to my Account.”
It had all of those capitalization and spelling errors and messages came at 2am and 5am…it all seemed strange.
“I believe that I won’t be disappointed in buying it from you” – sounds like a strange sort of flattery technique.
I replied No thank you.
phone number it came from:
(406)545-7551
You were smart to do so. It must be a beginner scammer. Most pros have better scripts set up to avoid such errors.
I got one around 11pm tonight with the same exact wording, “I believe I won’t be disappointed in buying it from you.” Ugh I wish they would find something else to do instead of wasting our time.
I got the same text. I responded by email. Sent my address and received a check for $1730 over price of item I was selling and a request to deposit check and transfer money via Western Union 10 minute transfer for movers. Turned info over to Police and will take check to the bank to be destroyed. Used name Jessica Taylor (507)323-3906.
Glad to hear that you were smart. I was worried halfway through reading your comment that you were going to say that you tried to cash the check. Glad that you were smarter than that.
I got this today in regards to my 1962 Lincoln:
Thanks for your quick response to my inquiry! I have read through your ad and from what I have seen,it is priced favorably compared to others so I want you to consider it sold to me AS IS for the demanded price but you have to assure me it is as described. I am Sgt Robert Smith. currently deployed to a remote area until July 29. We have a bad and fluctuating network here otherwise I would have preferred to seal the deal via phone call so email and text messages work best for me at the moment.
Nevertheless, I believe we can seal the deal right away because I am ready to pay you via my PayPal account that is attached to my bank account as that is the only secure form of payment that I have access to right now. Kindly get back to me with your FULL NAME, PAYPAL EMAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER AND THE PICKUP ADDRESS so that I can initiate the payment immediately. If you don’t have a PayPal account, it is absolutely free to set one up, kindly visit http://www.paypal.com and set up one. Furthermore, I will hire shipper that will come for the pickup,inspection to make sure it conforms to your description and also do the necessary paperwork on my behalf as soon as we are done with the payment part of the transaction. If this is a deal let me have the requested PayPal info then we can go from there.
Thanks.
Regards
Sgt Robert Smith.
Same prevailing theme: Buy item site unseen, accept terms without negotiation, pay by paypal, use a shipper, always very polite or formal wording. Total BS Scam.
I just got the exact same email from Sgtkene Jake at sgtkene01@gmail.com
Scam. “remote area,” Scam. The responses always have more information in them than necessary. Too many details. Too many excuses.
No one in the military will ever give an exact return date from a deployment. It is against OPSEC (operational security). That would have been a HUGE red flag for me (on top of the others)
SCAM FROM:
Jessica Scott
This girl has emailed me not once, but several emails trying really hard to purchase my bike. She was so “nice” and follow through with all my questions, concerns, that for a moment i thought she was real, but she is totally a SCAM so please people be careful out there!
Here is the whole story and several emails so you have an idea on how bad people are out there:
She emailed me saying the following:
Hello:
Thanks for your mail. I’m satisfied with the condition of your bike as advertised in the listing,i will like to add $US200 to your final price for you to keep off from all offer,and consider it sold to me alone as i am serious with this.I will like you to know that i am really interested in buying this for my father,payment will be through PayPal and the pick up will be arranged by me as i will have my agent come down to pick it up…i will be waiting to hear from you,and i will like you to send me the name and email address on the PayPal account to send the payment and send me more pics of this item if available since it will not be seen in person so i can pay it right away I am a busy at work and do not have much time around me.Make sure you get back to me so that we can arrange for pick up as i will like the item to be picked at your residence,so no shipping
Thanks and reply asap.
Regards
Jessica Scott
… SINCE I did not feel right about this I said the following:
Jessica,
Thanks for your prompt response. So I’m not very familiar w how this transaction will take place or how PayPal works. So would you deposit first the money n then u will pick the bike up? R u ok with that?
I am glad u feel comfortable w that; however aren’t you concern w the shipping part of the bike?
Since I am ok w you buying the bike, would u please provide some information of where r u coming from? Which agent will get the bike?, how PayPal works? Any details to make this transaction more trustworthy is welcome.
Thanks again!
JC
…SHE Then responded:
Don’t worry about the pick up, i think have explain to you earlier that i have a Courier that will come for the pick up and handle all necessary papers if needed as soon as you have got the money in your account . I’ll need your address so that my shipping agent can figure it out and come for the pick up and other necessary things send your address along with your PayPal details(PayPal email) so i can transfer the funds to you.
My name is Jessica Scott and i am from Philadelphia in PA i am buying this for my Father who is John Scott i also feel good to meet you in person to know who am dealing with but as a Sub Marine Engineer and am currently offshore i am so busy as we are on assignment here and i need to get this for my Father asap.My agent will come down to you for the pickup and delivery after i make the payment and also handle the paperwork for me ,and here is my father’s information where it will be delivered to.. also as soon a i send the payment PayPal will notify you of the payment in your email address with instructions on how to have the funds in your account
Name:John Scott
Warrington, PA 18976-2267
Get back asap
Await your response.
Jessica
…ONCE AGAIN, THIS JUST DID NOT FEEL RIGHT SO I RESPONDED:
Jessica,
Thanks for your email. Unfortunately, i do not feel comfortable with this transaction so i will have to pass this business opportunity.
Thanks for your interest and wish you luck finding another bike for your father.
Have a good day!
JC
…AND IT KEEPS GETTING BETTER, SHE SENT ME THE FOLLOWING RESPONSE:
Thanks for getting back to me the reason why PayPal is the only payment is because it is safe and also i don’t have access to any other payment method over here, i have no access to a post office , i can’t send you a check. I wish i have access to any money transfer it would have been a very good option the only access i have is by effecting the payment via my online paypal account. However, paypal is the world leading payment master that protects both buyer/seller interest. You are on a secured transaction with paypal. Above all, it’s like instant cash. You can visit their web site at http://www.paypal.com and sign up for your free personal paypal account, they will activate your email address to your paypal account and link it with your bank account so you can transfer and receive money online via your paypal account. Please go and activate yours it will actually cost you no money to do this and you will be notify of the receipt from PayPal instantly once i send the payment
I will await your update.
Thanks.
Jessica.
Bottom line… I did a research about her and obviously she is always emailing several people with lies and stealing their money. I am sorry this reply is so long, but I want people to be aware of how bad this women/person is!
Be careful people!!!
Yeah, total scam. You were smart to avoid. The jobs these people come up with really amaze the heck out of me. How many people out there can actually say that they have EVER met a “Sub Marine” (that’s the way she wrote it) Engineer? What does that even mean? Does she build or design submarines? Does she do submarine analysis? Does she study the under sea flora or fauna? What!? Don’t care….SCAM!!!!
Almost fell for this “Jessica Scott” trying to buy my boat for her father, lol, I guess he needs a boat because you didnt sell her the bike, lol. Exact same emails just changed bike for boat. Thanks for your post.
I am actually a buyer for a Tractor on Craigslist. It is fairly local so it would not be shipped. My question is, I went to look at the tractor a couple of days ago and really liked it. I called him (I do have his cell #) and told him I would take it for the agreed upon price of $7000. He was leaving that evening to be away for 3 weeks and wouldn’t be back. I should say that I do believe this because when I was there he and his family were packing their motorhome. So he said he would leave the keys with his mother and just let him know when I would be picking it up. He would tell his mother to go to his house and do the exchange with me. All was good. Today I get an email through Craigslist saying it was his wife. She was saying that it would be best to use PayPal for the exchange. What was weird about it was the email was through a different ad for the same tractor from a different area town. To be more specific, we had been conversing back and forth through his ad from Bloomington, IN. She had replied to me from the ad posted in Indianapolis. It just seemed odd. She gave me their PayPal account and said to transfer the money to there and then I could get it. What I question is, how could I get a reply from an ad I never opened? And if I transferred the money to a “dummy” account, could I get it back? I definitely plan on calling the guy before I transfer any money and making sure it was him or his wife that contacted me. I just still feel a little uneasy about it.
I agree with you that the first part seems perfectly normal and proper deal. The second part seems funny to me also. She could respond to you if she already has your email, but to respond through the anonimiser from a different ad is very suspicious. I don’t like when families do this type of nonsense. You start dealing with one and then the other one jumps in and messes everything up. If I were you I would simply ignore that email, show up at the mothers place with a check in hand and close the deal quick as can be. Forget the nonsense and get your deal done! Chances are the mother knows nothing about this and wont give you any trouble. If she does, then you threaten to walk away from the deal. That usually cuts the crap.
I agree with you…Thanks!
from Bill K. This is an email from Jessica Smith trying to sell me a car over Craigslist:
JESSICA SMITH
Hi again,
As I told you in my first email, I recently lost my son and my husband. Currently I am located in Columbia, MO at my parents because they are the only persons that I have in my life at this moment. Unfortunately I can’t conclude this transaction personally because my work involves a lot of traveling but I left everything prepared for the sale. I can’t afford to take days off my work for this sale so I’m trying to sell it online. I will make the deal only trough eBay, because I am a member of eBay buyer protection program and using this service you will get a 5 days testing period after delivery. During that 5 days testing period I will not be getting any money. Also the price is $2,030 with shipping included! If the car is not like described, it will be shipped back on my expense and they will give you a full refund. This way you will be able to inspect the car before committing to buy it and I know that you have the money and you are not just fooling around.If interested please include in your next email your contact info for shipping (full name, address, and phone#) so I can open a transaction with eBay.Sorry for the long emails I have tried to touch all bases.
Sincerely,
Jessica
Be careful out there. Bill K.
Nicely written, good English, makes sense, but I wouldn’t trust it.
I am selling my car and after working out some of the details i got this email from the lady and I looked at paypal and there isnt money pending in my paypal account this was the email she sent me:
“I am glad to inform you that I have made the payment to your PayPal account and you ought to have received the payment confirmation from PayPal by now. Kindly remove the ads and check your PayPal email address for the payment receipt. I had a little problem with the mover they said they can only schedule the pick up date and time after they receive their money for the pick up fee via Money gram Money transfer or Money Gram in there head office in Ocala,FL. So l included $1,000.00 USD that they charge for the pick up and $100 for the Money Gram charges. Making total payment of $19,100.00 USD PayPal will instruct you on how to get the money sent to my mover. The Money gram agent might ask you purpose of sending money at Money Gram office, tell him or her you are sending it to a well known friend or family, because Money Gram charges for friends and family is lower than the one for business or services. I hope you understand that, to avoid additional Money gram charges.The payment has been made and the money has been deducted from my account. Kindly get the shipping fee sent to the name and address below and send the details to PayPal email customer care for your total funds to be credited. I believe that since payment has been made, the advert should be taken off the site and please do let me know your free date and time so that I can give it to my mover for them to schedule the date and time they will be coming for the pick up in your location.”
and she gave me the name and address for the moneygram.
the deal for my car we agreed on 18,000
after talking with paypal services i am a little worried it might be a scam but im not 100% sure
do you think this is a scam?
Yes, it is definitely a scam. Don’t you ever wonder why they want to pay YOU by Paypal yet the movers get paid by Moneygram? It’s because one is easier to manipulate than the other. Electronic money vs REAL money in your hands.
This is my first large transaction through paypal..the guy contacted me late last night at 2:24am..then told me he would pay the $2200 to cover shipping and insurance, I was only asking $2000. After reading this stories on this site I told him I thought this was a scam and I would not risk sending it to his “sons” address, then he replied No its not, to be sure can I send him an invoice to pay through that. I am not sure what that entails? Can someone explain this to me. Thank you.
First let me say that it IS a scam, that is for certain. As to your question, an invoice through paypal is simply sending him a bill through paypal. It’s just another way of asking for payment, but he knows a way to scam it of course. Paypal will not safeguard or insure your money if you 1- Send it to an address other than the buyers address, or 2- If you send it to an unverified address. I’m sure there are more exclusions but those are the most important ones.
I had someone try this scam on me today.
Thanks Craigslist for having this warning up!
BTW, the scammer texted me from 312-248-0457 and used the email ppapprovemail@gmail.com to try to scam then later intimidate me.
Thanks to all of you for taking part in this, it seems my scammer is very popular, the story varies a little from post to post. Basically, he’s not available as he’s deployed by the Army, has a confederate who interjects herself into this to help, he can’t pick up the merch but will arrange an agent to do it, stop adverttising as I should consider this sold, I just need to have a PayPall acount. Glad I found this page, if its too good to be ture……..
Thank you so much for this information,just had 4 people ,different numbers try to scam me .A female Pastor named Danellia ,stooped so low to ask pay pal acct,etc.but as soon as I said cash only ,no more text
Always glad to help. 🙂
How if the seller ask me to buy through paypal and does not want to meet up. He/She said that he/she had been attacked before?
The price he/she offers sounds too good to be true, only 25% or regular price.
Seems the same as all the other scams. Just say that you want cash only and meet in person and can meet up at a local police station or city hall or something like that.
Just posted selling my motorcycle got this message:
Hello , do you still have your listed Bike for sale? if yes. You can get back to me via my email (audreykirk007@gmail.com ) with your last asking price and its present condition. You put $3500 in your ad but can still let me know your bottom price. Thanks.
I responded saying i was offered 3,200 he then stated this:
Hi, thanks for the mail. Actually I’m really interested and okay with
the asking price. I will like to move forward with this deal but the
thing is that I’m currently out of town, as I have resume duty, so
coming to your location for inspection will not be possible for me So
I have to be assure its in condition described. I’m currently in Pine
Mount GA, as I work in Reserve and Tourist, so I will be paying you
online with my PayPal account which is attached to my bank account cos
it is the only form of payment that I can make due to my current
location.
If you can consider my offer, you will need to get back to me with
required payment info asap so I can make the payment and have it
picked up after the funds has been cleared to your account. As I will
arrange for the shipping agent that will come over to your pick up
address to take care of any document on my behalf and have it picked
up. You can also remove the advert from Craigslist so I can know its
mine lol. Please get back to me with the below information’s so I can
proceed with the payment:
1) Your full name 2) PayPal email address 3) Address for pick
up and your personal phone number.
Thanks,Audrey
Got a weird vibe decided to search paypal scams and came across this hahahah emailed him one last time with another option and he stopped replying damn…….
“…I work in Reserve and Tourist.” What the heck is that supposed to mean? He is in the reserve and on his time off he is a tourist? What crazy numbskull thought those two things would go well together? 😉
Thanks, I told the guy to bring me 13 packets of $1,000.00 in $100.00 bills. I don’t care who takes the bike & titles as long as I’m holding the cash. Stopped (he) writing after that. Good luck with that sale…
Long story short “I got an idea that will solve the pay pal moneygram western union problem, have your father that you’re buying the snowmobile for set up a pay pal account and get the cash and I will deliver for free and you won’t have to spend the 1500 dollars that you want me to western union you.” Hense no response lol!
Got this today, it seems so way out there I’m not even going to respond…any thoughts?
Thanks for your urgent response .Anyway, I won’t be able to get back to you right away because I am currently deployed and in and out of cell range. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
If this is in response to my inquiry on craigslist. please read the message below. Thanks I deliberately left this message for you because I don’t want to keep you waiting. Please read my message below and get back to me. I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks I have read through your ad and from what I have seen,it is priced favorably compared to others so I want you to consider it sold to me AS IS for the demanded price but you have to assure me it is as described. I am Sgt John West. currently deployed to a remote area until JUNE12. We have a bad and fluctuating network here otherwise I would have preferred to seal the deal via phone call so email and text messages work best for me at the moment.
Nevertheless, I believe we can seal the deal right away because I am ready to pay you via my PayPal account that is attached to my bank account as that is the only secure form of payment that I have access to right now. Kindly get back to me with your FULL NAME, PAYPAL EMAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER AND THE PICKUP ADDRESS so that I can initiate the payment immediately. If you don’t have a PayPal account, it is absolutely free to set one up, kindly visit http://www.paypal.com and set up one. Furthermore, I will hire shipper that will come for the pickup,inspection to make sure it conforms to your description and also do the necessary paperwork on my behalf as soon as we are done with the payment part of the transaction. If this is a deal let me have the requested PayPal info then we can go from there.
Thanks.
Regards
Obvious SCAM no doubt.
Just had one person by the name of Jacqueline Baron, wanting to buy my car $9000, by paypal. Now who in their right mind would buy a car site unseen. I told her no thanks, we preferred to meet the person at the bank! Her email his happyandhi25@gmail.com. just in case she has done it to anyone else. avoid her.
I received something similar except my person isn’t coming until July! lol but his courier agent is coming to pick up so i need to remove my ad because Mr. Steve Collins is very interested and will send me the money through Paypal. Of course, I said no. I knew right away that it was a scam and just hit the internet to find out. Gld i saw all these posts. 🙂
So glad I found your blog. I posted selling my restaurant on craig’s list recently and began getting emails from a Jessica Scott email jessicalrb@gmail.com insisting I get a paypall account ect. Here is a copy of her last email
“Thanks for getting back to me the reason why PayPal is the only payment is because it is safe and also i don’t have access to any other payment method over here, i have no access to a post office , i can’t send you a check. I wish i have access to any money transfer it would have been a very good option the only access i have is by effecting the payment via my online paypal account. However, paypal is the world leading payment master that protects both buyer/seller interest. You are on a secured transaction with paypal. Above all, it’s like instant cash. You can visit their web site at http://www.paypal.com and sign up for your free personal paypal account, they will activate your email address to your paypal account and link it with your bank account so you can transfer and receive money online via your paypal account. Please go and activate yours it will actually cost you no money to do this and you will be notify of the receipt from PayPal instantly once i send the payment
I will await your update.
Thanks.”
I copied and pasted your Paypall Scams on Craigslist blog info in my last email to her and asked her not to contact me any more.
Thank you for the very helpful information.
Thank you for posting this. The same email emailed me today. I appreciate it!
I always deal locally, and meet in a public place. I’m a small woman, and have NO desire to die for a relatively small amount of money. I have been bombarded by paypal requests-the ones where they offer you MORE than the listing price. Classic scam. I recently had my ID stolen through Anthem BC/BS, which is exactly what that company is about: BS. It took me WEEKS to safeguard accounts, phishing scams, and suspicious texts. My motto is very simple. CASH ONLY.
Sorry to hear about your problems with Anthem.
First time on Craigslist and Paypal and immediately I was subject to a tentative of scam
Fake e mail from Paypal telling they have received the money from the buyer, almost the double because the buyer wants me to pay the freight through Western Union but the freight must be paid before I cash the money. They stated on this well counterfeit e mail they have approved and authorized the buyer request. Only after posting the receipt from Western Union replying that emil, PayPal was accrediting the amount of money for the transaction.
It was my first time I got confused and of course suspicious, luckily I decided to verify by calling Paypal that confirmed the scam.
Here’s some additional phone#s I’ve been getting text messages from, also pretending via paypal and personal checks
970-469-8188 – Pretending to be a “Tammy Powell”
817-760-7828, 323-844-6792 and 832-802-2257 going by the name of “Jim”.
This Tammy Powell pretend person claims it’s a surprise gift for her family and to assure her of the condition so that she won’t be disappointed…also said she will send the payment via PayPal, etc.
This Jim pretend person claims something similar except he’s paying via personal check and is having his “assistant” send the check asap. Also says that he’ll pay extra to hold the item for him.
Both scammers, claim that they will have “movers” come to pick up the item
I extremely appreciate this post…. This guy has been texting me, from this number 817-760-7828, wanting to buy my TV. Guy named Jim, “Will pay me an extra $50 to hold the TV, wanted his “assistant” to mail me a check, and then “arrange pick up after the check clears”. So thanx.
Glad to be of help. Sounds like the exact same scammer.
Received a text from 817-760-7828 pretending to be Charles and Tara this time (from the comments, it looks like they’ve used the name “Jim” in the past at this phone number), with the same scam: buying my couch as a gift and needing me to assure them of the condition. They wanted to PayPal funds to me and have a moving company come pick up the item.
Oh My Goodness!!! I’ve been texting with a Charles and Tara too! Jeeze. He’s trying to pay me through paypal and getting a “mover” to come inspect the item because it’s a “gift” for a “dear friend,” and can’t come himself because he’s stationed at Fort Rucker. The numbers they’re using now are: Charles 717.835.8461. Tara 918.935.0464
here is another number to add to the list of scammer 224-764-5788 ,717-835-8461.. I’m so sick of this. there has to be a way to protect our selves from this other then us trying to figure them out.
First time ticket seller here. Would it be a bad idea to try and sell my digital tickets (they’d get the pdf/tickets transfered to their name after the purchase) through paypal? Ah, I’m not sure how to go about this, and the event is next week. ;A;
There is nothing wrong with using PayPal. All you have to do is be very careful and try to spot the scams. If the event is so soon then PayPal would help speed things along. You could try to meet with the people in person if you want that added security. Another thing is to only deal with verified buyers. Ask a lot of questions of the buyer to know if they are genuine or fake and you should be OK. Someone in Africa for example would have little knowledge to answer questions about a local concert or event.
Hi, I’m buying tickets from a ticket broker, he gives me the tickets, I enter the show, and pay him after with paypal, does this sound legit?
It could be. You gave too little information for me to make any informed determination. Do some due diligence and look up this organization and see if they are legit or not.
All he’s asked me for is my email and my phone #. He said he will send me the pay pal email once I enter the show. He said he doesn’t have a website, so all I’ve got is his email and a phone #.
Hmmmm….would make me concerned. If he is not PP certified you would have NO chance of getting a refund. These days ANY body can have a free website and domain so its odd to find someone running a business who doesn’t. I don’t trust it.
Here’s one for you. They have now stooped to pretending they are military.
“we can make this transaction as fast as possible. Less I forgot, I have a mover that will come and pickup once payment is cleared in your account. Im buying this for my niece so you can assure me I will not be disappointed? I’m on TDY my Mode of payment is PayPal since I’m requesting this transaction to be done via PayPal I will be responsible for PayPal charges on this transaction. If you don’t have an account with PayPal yet it’s pretty easy to set up. I hope”
Now what’s really strange (haha), Is that I’m selling a 43 foot long fifth wheel toy hauler trailer for $69,000! Add to that I live in Alaska, so why would you buy an 18,000 lb trailer and then ship it back to the lower 48?
So I strung this person? along for a while, getting everything finalized, when at the end I said, “I don’t have a PayPal account and don’t want one. If you really want to buy this trailer, I require a certified cashiers check for the full amount.”
Haven’t heard back from them for a while now!
That’s a good one. Just goes to show that they send out these generic emails to everyone and don’t even know what they are responding to. I don’t even know if PP would take a $69K payment so that’s a total scammer for sure.
So my boyfriend is selling his phone and someone messaged him that they want it and asked for their paypal account to pay him for the phone. Should he go for it? or would it be better to meet the person in person than giving out his financial info? I know that it says avoid scams for this, but he refuse to listen to me and says he got this when I don’t trust someone with it that he does not know.
If he wont listen to you, someone who is close and dear to him, and he wont listen to the hundreds of comments here, then he will have to learn through his own mistakes.
Its a scam, i work for a used car dealership and i receive these messages from scammers. A word of advise if you or your boyfriend are every trying to sell a physical object always meet in person and do the transaction.
Hi,
First time seller on craigslist. Selling my vehicle and here is the most recent email ……..Thanks for getting back to me…..Just asking about it to make sure it’s in good condition. So can you assure me i will not be disappointed? Well am buying this for myself but presently am not around due to the nature of my job (OIL RIG) But i will arrange for the hauled agent which will be coming for the pickup at your residence location for the pick up once the payment is cleared… I will be glad if this transaction can be done via PayPal so the PayPal charges will be on me,If my offer is accepted send me your PayPal email and your name including your phone# so i can pay you as soon as possible i can but
So do we think this is a scam? Should I ask more questions? Help please!!!
It’s a SCAM, don’t waste your time.
i just got the same email from phone number 862-397-1861.
I am looking at a 1994 cobra with 48,000 miles on it. The owner of the car wants me to buy it through eBay motors. I asked why not local and she says she was on a military base in Nevada. My grandpa lives in Phoenix and I said I will only pay cold hard cash for a cold hard title. I had my grandpa on standby but she never emailed back. Scam?
Definitely! One thing you will find with these types of scams is that 1- The vehicle is always in great condition, 2- Low mileage, 3- Low asking price. All the things to get people hooked on what they want you to believe is a GREAT buy so you will jump at it and throw caution to the wind. Don’t bother if it looks to good to be true.
Here’s one you haven’t heard. I need a car to start a business. My investors have put money in my PayPal account but. I don’t have bank account so I can’t get the money. or to have them send me a check. (This part is true. If you don’t have a bank account, you are stuck buying crap you don’t need. Only on line.) It goes on to say. Here is my website so you can see this is real. If you will sell me your car, I will offer you a job when we open for business. So let me know. Do you think this is real?
st**********ons.webs.com
Thanks for sharing your stories. I’m scared! SMILE!!
That is total BS for several reasons. First who the heck doesn’t have a bank account? Oh, maybe people with no SS# and bad credit and fake identities. Checking accounts for personal use are free (but they will run a credit check on you) and if you run a real business and need to pay salaries, how exactly are you going to do this without a real bank account? I am not aware of any online method of paying salaries for large groups of people (or is he a one man operation?). The money has to come from some financial institution. No one is going to work for you if you claim that you only have a PayPal account. Also a real company (a serious company) would not use a WEBS.COM subdomain. You would buy a real domain. They are dirt cheap now compared to the old day when a domain used to cost almost $100. BTW I blocked out the domain name because we really don’t know who it belongs to and I don’t want to give them a bad rep for no reason. Anybody can give out a domain that they don’t own. For example, did I mention that I bought a site called Google.com the other day? Yeah, go search for it and you’ll see it’s real. See what I mean? To make a long explanation even longer, I think this is a con job, not thoroughly thought out but it’s original at least. But definitely stay away from this joker.
I’m selling this iPad and I get this text. The person copied EXACTLY what my title of the post. (Number is 1(702)687-7753). He (she) says that they want it for their son but they want my email from PayPal and they want me to ship. I didn’t think it was a scam at first but they would copy and paste the same phrases over and over when I replied that I didn’t want to ship and that I wanted cash only. Thanks for getting the word out on how to find those pesky scammers!
Hi, I am wondering if I am trying to be scammed on Craigslist!
I am new to craigslist and I made a listing saying
“iPad mini wifi 16GB white NEW NEVER BEEN OPENED” for $239 (my exact cross streets)” and i get a text saying verbatim, “iPad mini wifi 16GB white NEW NEVER BEEN OPENED” for $239 (my exact cross streets) Do you still have it for sale? get back to me with your email – Leo Kelvin”
i sent him my email and he texted back saying “i sent you email check your mail inbox, spam and junk folders very good -Leo Kelvin”
I received an email from “Leo Kelvin” saying
“I really appreciate the quick reply.I am buying this item for a son of mine as Birthday gift in which he will be celebrating next weekend and i will be
adding $100 for the shipping and handling.I would have made this transaction locally but am not in town presently i would have come down to
your house to discuss on it please get back to me asap with your PayPal email address for me to remit the funds and once payment is being received
from paypal you can be able to ship this item i am doing this very fast because i have promised my son that the item will be there soonest get back
to me immediately as for us to transact very fast. do get back to me with your pay pal email so i can remit the fund ASAP.
Hope to read from you soon”
I feel as if this is a scam. why would he need to send an extra $100 for shipping, that is way too much and it all just seems weird.
I do really want to sell this so if you have any advice please let me know. thank you so much!
You will find that most scammers us the typical cut and paste as you see in your case. They have thousands of emails to send out every day so writing each one would not make nay money. So when you see cut and paste, just delete and move on. Keep trying and wait for an honest response.
First comment: craigslist reply 0234
do you think its possible to meet with you this Afternoon or after Wednesday work hour??? am an Engineer and i don’t have much time because i do work for 12hours of the day but am totally free this Sunday and am ready to meet you at any resturant you prefer around here, will gonna negotiate the price & pay you you can reach me at sanjibkumarc8@gmail.com so please make it fast as much as you can when you receive this.
I said yes I could meet and gave him my number. Almost immediate reply: My name is SrA John Matt, senior airman(E4) in Colorado, that makes itvery hard for me to make phone calls, I won’t be able to come your way to view it but I have a hauler who will come for the pickup after payment had been cleared so please get back to me with your home address, asking price, cell number and paypal email because i will be making the payment via PayPal as that is the only payment option I can access from here I hope you understand. if you don’t have a PayPal account yet you can log on to http://www.paypal.com for simple sign up.Thanks
I google imaged his photo and came up with three different names so I googed his email and found it on this page. Total Scam
Hahahaha…yea that’s the type that you want to text back….”Oooops forgot, I’m busy for the rest of my life avoiding you, sorry can’t meet you after all”
I just posted my truck for sale last night… I received about 5 different texts over night from people “in the military” and “can’t use their phone” and all wanted to pay buy sight unseen through Pay Pal…
There should be a show like To Catch A Predator one where a guy baits these jerks and has cops waiting… Man, I’d binge watch this hell out of that.
futurefocus68@yahoo.com, (702) 663-0718, tried to scam me this morning. She wanted to buy my computer for her son in college, but she was at her grand father’s funeral so she couldn’t see it in person. Made it sound like she was more worried about me being honest. But once I said I would ship UPS she got all shady. UPS requires you to sign when you receive the package which is the ultimate protection for the seller. Tracking and signature. She insisted on USPS but would not give me the address or the zip code for me to calculate the actual rate of the shipping. I then googled her email and found a few other requests for expensive items, all the same story. Looks like her grand father died a few times! I want to get her email and number out there so other people don’t get scammed!
Actually as a side note I would like to add from personal experience that UPS drivers are notorious for leaving packages without getting a signature even when you require a signature. They are “Too busy” to be bothered. In fact I requested a refund a few times because they didn’t bother to get the signature I paid for. On the other hand the USPS has a signature requirement system also in place and after sending dozens of packages through USPS I only found one was delivered without a signature. I am not promoting either one, just pointing out anecdotal data. But ALWAYS ask for a signature no matter what you send or where. Its worth the extra money.
Hello! let’s do like this, actually now I’m not in town for now, I
came to visit my son so I wont be able to meet with you but am ok with
the condition as seen on the advert, I’ll proceed in issuing a Check
out to you and when you received the check, I will make arrangement
for pick-up. So get back to me with below details asap.
Name:
Address:
City:
State:
Postal Code:
Phone Number:
Last Asking Price:
And as soon as this is provided, the payment will be overnight to you
and I will let you know when its mailed out. I need you to be honest
with the sale as I am a God fearing person.
Sincerely,
“The Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not
protect you.”
Anyone who mentions God so much is not good in my not so humble opinion. I just don’t trust people that 1- Smile too much, 2- Wont look you in the eye, 3- Use references to God all the time, and other things like that, that simply don’t feel right.
I just received the EXACT email from a David Minton. I knew if I kept reading these scams I’d find this guy!! We listed our hand painted pallet signs on CL (first time CL users) and after just a few back and forth emails with this joker ** and an uneasy feeling ** , I received the following email, at which time i told him i would not be proceeding with this transaction, that if he was interested in my signs he could purchase through my Etsy shop.
David Minton
Aug 7 (2 days ago)
Greetings:
Thanks for getting back to me with your info…I will contact my
sectary now to issue the payment to you, because am now out of the
state for business trip.You will receive the payment from USPS or
FedEx with the shipping funds. to cover the shipment of the goods
bought. Once you receive the check, have it cashed and deduct your
money for the goods and send the remaining funds to my mover My mover
is also picking some of other valuable goods (like
household,furniture’s and electronics set.) at the same city of your
location,to my new apartment.that is reason you need to transfer the
amount to my mover.Deduct $50 for your running around that I have
caused you during the transaction period.Please let me know if i can
trust you, so that i can move forward from here.I will get back to you
with tracking number.
Best Regards
Errrr!!!! I actually gave this guy my address and phone number!!! Can he do any harm with that information??
Cant believe I let it go as far as i did. Eager to make my first CL sale I suppose!! Lesson learned UGH!!
I wouldn’t be concerned. Most of these scammers are in Nigeria so the chances that they will call you and harass you or send you anything are slim. Now if the guy wants to be a real A-hole he may distribute your information. All I suggest is that you keep your eyes open for any unusual activity and this is something that we all need to do on a daily basis. Be vigilant of anything suspicious. Aside from that don’t worry too much. These folks are out for a quick easy scam, nothing more.
I got the same email from David Minton and he sent the check for $850 OVER the price of the antique wood telephone booth I have listed on CL. My ad specified Cash or Certified Check only. Return address on his envelope if Tacoma, WA, the Key Bank list on the check is in Ohio and the company name on the check is Huntsville, Alabama. I told him this is a scam!
Oh yeah, that one is so obvious it’s like they aren’t even trying to fool anyone.
Scammer pnone – 323-438-4023
Name – Anne
My husband is selling his pickup and as soon as I listed it he received a scam text. He told “Anne” that I took care of all the finances so she would have to speak with me when I get home. My husband tells her it’s available. I had explained to him that the scammers always say they’ll have a shipper pick it up because they’re out of the country and are usually buying for someone else, etc. He was suspicious right away.
Texts:
Scammer – “Hi it’s Anne, still available?”
“Good, may I know the final asking price? I need it for my Son. Also am presently working offshore (MSC) and Paypal is the only method of payment available to”
“Great! My shipper can come for the pickup at your convenient time, what’s your Paypal email?”
Even after my husband tells her she’ll have to deal with me, twice, she sends another text.
“Ok, you have a paypal account right?”
He didn’t answer .
BEWARE OF A SCAMMER
EMAIL Johnperry7079@gmail.com
PHONE: 774-999-2741
This guy texted me and asked of I could get back to him with the condition of the camera i was selling and asked for some pictures.
Said he would pay for the shipping and for me to send my papal email as soon as possible.
i gave him my email and noticed that the email did not address me by my first and last name but by my email, also said he was from Nigeria and he was trying to send over 120 dollars more my advice only do cash only pick ups in crowded, safe areas. bring a male friend of family member along
Texting scammer alert for Craigslist sellers – phone 636-573-6989 is a scammer trying to get Pay Pal info. Be Alert!!
Craigslist Staff, I need your help, My name is Edgar , and I’m a Paypal customer. I bought an item on Alibaba of $183.85, and the seller told me to pay him via Western Union. I did, and proceeded with the payment. 1 week passed and I asked for my money refund. He said yes, and asked me for my paypal account. I gave him my e-mail for the re-fund, and well, he did, except he refunded me $818.00. He knows that the amount is not the actual refund. He told me to subtract the $818.00 to what he owed me, and the rest send it to him via Western Union. Thanks to your web, I know this is a Scam, but don’t know how to handle the situation?? Should I cancel my paypal account? Thanks
This is a first. I have not heard of this actually happening to anyone before. First off for those who may not know, Alibaba is a Chinese website like Craigslist, Amazon, Ebay, etc. It is mostly used by Chinese Nationals to get their businesses exposed to the outside world. It is rare to hear about these things from that site. Secondly, I would not panic if I were you. I would put in a dispute with PayPal and explain your situation. They may take a little while to do it but at least you can get things cleared up. A Second option you have is to refund him the money. You can always reverse the transaction, THEN put in a dispute for refund of your original amount through PayPal and forget about asking this person for another refund. Explain your case to paypal by escalating the dispute and they should rule in your favor since the other side already agreed to a refund anyway. This way you are only asking for your actual amount back and getting rid of the messy deal that this person created. You have 120 days to file a dispute so don’t worry. Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.
Here are 2 numbers that I am suspicious of: 908-899-1722 & 978-699-4313. Both want to pay me more and use Paypal without ever seeing the stuff I’m selling. I told them I’m not comfortable selling stuff sight unseen
I have sold many things on Craigslist and I usually get scam emails if the item is over $300. I like to mess with them! I will give them one of my old email addresses (not used much anymore and not linked to any Paypal account. I also changed my last name on the account so they don’t have my real name.) and see what bogus Paypal emails they send me. Note: Never click on links or provide personal information. Depending on how good the scam looks I decide what to send them. If it is a lame scam with bad english and horrible emails, I send them crickets from a pet store (I have pet frogs, so I generally have extra crickets). If it is a nice, well polished scam, I send them dog poop. That’s right. A box of my dog’s poop. I wish I could show you the responses I’ve recieved! Totally worth the $5.80 USPS flat rate box fee. I give them a tracking number and I make sure to stay in touch with them until it is delivered. Before it is delivered I call them out as a scammer and I generally get laughed at or receive more fake emails stating that Paypal is having processing problems and my money will be processed in a couple days, blah blah blah. Upon receiving the package they usually get mad and make threats. I tell them I’m a cop and they should be expecting a visit from local police very soon. After that, I never really hear much! Weird! Anyway, I encourage you to make their job harder! Happy Re-Scamming!
Hilarious, really great stuff. 🙂
Just had a scam sent from ssbbnn101@gmail.com and cordellerg@gmail.com, claiming to be a Sgt. John Cox who’s deployed and wants to get my paypal info and send me full payment now, because he won’t be back from ‘deployment’ until February 20th. Jeeez….. if the thought of helping a veteran won’t move ya to fall for a scam, I guess my heart has turned to stone.
I’ve received several texts for a bedroom set with similar details.
The nit-wit who texted me this morning (from 407-216-4810) to let me know that my check would arrive today (it did) asked how my family and I were doing….how friendly. The check was for $3K – asking price for the set was $1200. The check looks like it came off the first printer I owned in the early ’90’s. Smooth
Good thing my boss called me over to his desk. He felt uncomfortable opening the emails after near instant, rapid-fire, SMS/TXT messages. Thankfully google sanitized the email before he could click on any links. Phew!
(321) 385-7042 – scammer for sure. He almost had me until my sixth sense went off and I googled Craigslist PayPal scams. You can see where in the convo I got wise:
Scammer: Canon Rebel T3i + Warranty, Lens, Camera Bag, Xtra Battery, More – $450 ?
Me: that’s me. Interested?
Scammer: What’s the firm price and condition?
Me: $450. I purchased it brand new in April 2014. It’s in excellent condition. I checked with the service contract & it can be transferred to the purchaser. The ad has all the details.
Scammer: Alright I offer $530 including the mailing fee and insurance?
Me: where are you wanting it shipped to?
Scammer: am from Maryland and a friend just refer me to Craigslist actually am getting the device for my son who’s on research with the humanitarian at moment, is there a way you could attach some pics to me and do you have a PayPal acct so i can pay
Me: (after finding this blog) no, sorry, in-person cash transactions only.
Scammer: Do you accept bank check and you can be ale to ship soon as you cash the check
Me: Nope, cash only.
Scammer: How about i send you cash through western union money transfer instead
Me: No.
Aaaaaaand silence for an hour afterwards. Thanks, commenters and author of this post.
I just got propositioned to use pay pal when I suggested we meet they ignored me I wanted to see what they would do so I guaranteed to send their way…
I got this in response to selling an iPad on craigslist:
We’ve got a deal but am a member of United State Nellis Air Force but i’m no longer in town to meet in person,am buying it for my Friend working overseas as a Birthday gift, i’ll pay $100 for the shipping fee,what is the condition of your item, I’m a serious buyer and payment will be made upfront through PayPal. Hope you have a PayPal account ?.
Here’s the #: (402) 500-4803
Add this number to the list too 1-262-648-7492 I had an ad posted on Craigslist selling land and he wanted to buy it without looking at it and he wanted me to send him the land that’s when I replied I was a police officer and I was tracking him and I saw that he was from Nigeria instantly he stopped texting me haha haha
Hahahahahaha….. Yea I have heard that shipping rates on Land can be rather pricy.
Add this number too. From Texas (again) 682-502-9402. Also only deals with paypal.
Some dumb*** nigerian prince said he was gonna send me an extra $100 for my laptop on Craigslist if I gave him my PayPal email and he accidentally copy and pasted his message Backwards, I said cash only and he wouldn’t take no for an answer which is when I realized he’s a scammer, I started ignoring him but now he keeps harassing me into creating a PayPal account, how do I block his number?
5 – The oldest scam in the book is where the scammer sends you MORE money than you asked for. They will then apologize and say that they made a mistake but if you could please just wire the balance to their “shipping agent” through Western Union they will arrange a pickup. You do this, then the scammer files a charge-back with Pay Pal saying their account has been hacked, and that they never intended to send you any money. Pay Pal then turns around and debits the money from your account. This one really puts the SUCKER stamp one your forehead because now what happened is that you just sent the merchandise PLUS your own money to the scammer using another fake name through Western Union. How will you EVER live that down? Oh, wait…fortunately you read this article and you wont get stung! You are now SMART instead of STUNG!
Yeah that’s the one he tried to use on me.
Even though you close your paypal account the agreement you had with paypal will allow their lawyers to come after you when paypal is left holding the bag. Eventually the money will be requested back for it being illegally attained through some sort of cyber theft. Closing your account only delays the inevitable. In fact it may cost you even more when the paypal lawyers add costs and interest to getting their money back from you when they trace your postings that show you intended to leave paypal with the bill. This will make you look like a scammer in the eyes of the judge/jury and they will come down on you hard…. maybe some community service or even jail time to go along with the restitution with intetest and paypal’ s exorbitant legal fees you will be forced to pay by the judge!!!! Does that make you understand how you can’t get away with it?
I didn’t want to go that far, but you are absolutely correct. The end result can get VERY ugly if it goes far enough down the line. That is why the best advice is to avoid these scammers instead of digging yourself in deeper. Remember you are within easy reach of PayPal. Most of these people are in Africa, or Russia, totally out of reach.
Can someone answer me this? I am selling something, and I received a reply with something similar to others I’ve read….so being wary, I tried to dissuade the potential scammer by telling her I would only ship the item once payment was not only in the account, and that the payment credited to my bank account, but ALSO that the money was then pulled out of my account so I had cash in hand, and lastly, that I would be closing my paypal account before the item shipped. She was ok with this, so my question is, if I have the cash in hand, and no longer have an active pay pal account, how would it be possible for them to scam me? To answer questions I know I’ll get ahead of time, I would not click on a link to set up the PayPal account…..I’d set it up myself by going directly to their website, and I would never click an email link they’d send me, nor trust a “receipt” via email without re logging into my account and verifying the funds were there.
Thanks for any info anyone has on this…..I just can’t figure out how they could get their money back from me if it’s cash in my wallet, and my pay pal account closed. Thanks again.
It’s simple. Read through the other comments here and you will understand what I mean. This person is putting out the carrot for you hoping that greed will reel you in. Later down the road you will run into obstacles. This person is hoping that the further in you get the easier it will be to keep giving you BS answers and keep you going. Your plan is foolproof in a perfect world, but we do NOT live in a perfect world. This person is not a fool and will not follow through on any of it. Also, stop and think what type of a FOOL would really allow you to get the money and close the account before you even shipped the item? That person should think you are a scammer also because what guarantee do they have that you will EVER ship the item? See what I mean? Its a Mexican stand off and no side is looking very good from the other perspective. I know I wouldn’t send you any money with that criteria and I am no scammer.
This is one I received today.
My name is SrA John Matt, a senior airman(E4) in Colorado, which makes it very hard for me to make phone calls, I won’t be able to come your way to view it but I have a hauler who will come for the pickup after payment had been cleared so please get back to me with your home address, asking price, cell number and paypal email because i will be making the payment via PayPal as that is the only payment option I can access from here I hope you understand. if you don’t have a PayPal account yet you can log on to http://www.paypal.com for simple sign up.
Thanks to decent people posting their stories I avoided this scam, I would however, rather read stories of these crooks being caught, prosecuted and force to pay restitution.
I just received the same email this morning. Never click on the link. I didn’t and thanks to this page I still have a motorcycle.
Heres another one to look out for:
wrote:
Do you have the extra keys, Do you have the spare tire, Where did you get your car serviced, Have you ever had any transmission repairs and Is there any rust on the vehicle? I’m ready to pay your asking price but not cash in person because I am serving in the US army and currently been deploy to NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, Germany and calls are restricted at the moment and my only quickest payment option is PayPal, its safe fast and secure and i will be responsible for the PayPal transaction charges so you can get your expected amount. If you don’t have an account with PayPal, its pretty easy to open one, Just log onto http://www.paypal.com and sign up. I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible? As I am buying the vehicle for my dad and I’m very sure he will love this vehicle, his a mechanic and a handy man, so if there is anything that need to be fixed in it just let me know he will handle it. I have a mover that will come for the pick up once payment clears in your account and he will handle the title for me. I look forward to hear from you with the information below.
Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Firm Price:
Zip code for pickup:
Cheers,
Stanley
I got the exact same one…from Dave! He even asked for more pics of the engine. Before he unloaded the PayPal crap on me! How in the world does someone legitimately sell a car? I even paid $125 for an ad in autotrader and this is how I got this stupid email!
It is really getting hard to sell a car on the web now. May have to go back to the old days of putting a sign in the window and driving it around until it sells. Scammers screw it up for all of us.
This scammer actually had the sense to have decent grammar and punctuation. I’ve reported the alleged Robert Collins to spoof@paypal.com.
Scammer’s email (combnasty@gmail.com):
Thanks for your response. Please understand that I am not around for inspection due to the nature of my job, I serve in the U.S Army as a CAS(Civil Affairs Specialist (38B)) currently on active duty and its been quite busy on the field these days with lots of restrictions, strictly no calls for security reasons but we have secure access to the internet as our major means of communication for now. I am OK with your asking price and if you don’t mind, I can only pay through PayPal at the moment be cause its the most secure way to make or receive payment online this is why I’ll prefer using PayPal to pay you, all I need is your PayPal email to make the payment and if you don’t have a PayPal account, its pretty easy to set up at http://www.paypal.com. I have a few questions for you.
Are you the original owner? How long have you owned it? Whats its condition, any damages and what is your reason for selling?
I hope you consider my offer. I am ready to buy. I’ll arrange for pick up after you have confirmed and received payment.Thanks for understanding, hope to read from you soon.
Add this number to the scammers list. 305-787-2027
I just got the same message from the same email address for a car in Colorado. Fortunately I decided to do a little research before I responded. Pond scum.
add another number for ROBERT COLLINS: 213-529-1099. They sent me an initial TEXT message with the title & specs of the equipment I’m selling. I responded yes it’s for sale. The follow up message reads: “Hi, I am very fine with your price and I’m willing to pay you upfront with a Cashier Check and after you received and have it cleared then I will take care of the pick up myself. I am ready to offer you an extra $30. I need your name & address and payment will be issued out today. I will appreciate if you take the posting off CL today and consider it sold to me. Expecting to hear from you soon. Robert Collins.” I responded: “go f*ck yourself you scammer.”
HAHAHAHA good response. 😉
I don’t understand, if the check clears, then isn’t it legit??
We have discussed this several times before. The reason it smells bad is because it is a certainty that the check will never clear. I’m sure you have heard of fake or fraudulent checks before. The only people you can trust are those that meet you in person and hand over the money in person. It seems to me that people have become desensitized over time since electronic transactions are so common place now. Even in the old days before the Web there were also scammers that would hand over fake checks that is why people would ask for “Cash Only”. Scammers are banking (literally and figuratively) on the fact that most people will be too lazy or too accepting and will fall for their snare. If you are smart and cautious then they will never get to you. Remember that long after that person has taken off with your possession (never to be seen or found again) the bank, paypal, ebay, wire transfer companies, etc all have one person that they can go back to and recoup their money and that is YOU.
Someone email me a while ago…
Scammer NO: +5071388633168
Scammer: Matt Scott
Email Address: mattscott998@aol.com
I been working in a car company and we selling some second hand cars.
I posted it in a website and a couple of minutes I got a text from Matt Scott. This is the text:
HI PLEASE I SAW YOUR ADVERT ON THE WEBSITE, IS THE UNIT YOU POSTED STILL FOR SALE? ASKING PRICE IN US DOLLAR?(amount in website is in Philippine Currency)
then I email him the details of the Vehicle.
Then he replied that he’s willing to pay more than the price of the vehicle $ 10,870.00,,,,,
$10,000.00 for the vehicle then $770 for the shipping agent and $100 for western union charges.
He want me to sent the $ 770 to the shipping agent using western union.
Then some service@paypal.com® pay_pal-finances@secureroot.com via yahoo.com
email me, asking to send the amount of $770 for the shipping agent.
Email of Matt Scott:
Hello,
I just want to let you know that i have just completed the payment. I suggest you check your paypal email
(jonnahlaurente30@gmail.com) inbox or spam/junk folder for paypal confirmation email of the payment i just made. I hope
you have noticed that i have made an additional payment of $770 to the initial payment which i need you to send to
the pickup agent coming for the pickup and it needs to be sent via western union as this is the only way they can get
it. I am very sorry for any inconveniences this may bring you since i should have informed you about this before
making the payment,i don’t have access to western union as we can only receive but not send out money through
western union here,and this is the reason why i had to add the money to the initial price we agreed on so you can
assist me in sending it to the pick up agent since they have strongly insisted that their money be paid before they can
come for the pickup,and that they must be paid with western union..
I have notified paypal of this issue and they have assured me that there will be no problem whatsoever. Paypal
suggested that i should add your transport fare and western union charges,and so i have added an extra $100,it is
for your transport and western union charges.Please assist me in getting the money sent and get back to me if there
is any thing you need to know.
Secondly,i will need your home address and the location of the vehicle for the pickup..
Below is the agent’s name and address
Name: Babatunde Emmanuel
Address: 7 ademiluyi close bodija estate
City: Ibadan
State: Oyo
Zip-Code: 23402
Country: Nigeria
Thanks for your understanding / help and please let me know when
receive payment confirmations / notifications agent assigned to PayPal
our transaction because the fund has been deducted from my account.
MattScott998
very stupid people!!!!!!!
until now they still sending message at my email..how would I stop this…it’s very annoying and it’s really bothered me..
Yes there is. It all depends on your email system that you are using. You can send all their emails to SPAM for starters. Some emails systems allow you to BLOCK emails from certain people also. Some email systems allow you to DELETE certain emails before they even hit the SPAM box, so they are auto deleted the minute they hit the server. You have to find out what capabilities your email has and select the strongest one for this email.
I saw this guy’s name farther down in the post so thought I’d share my experience. wish there was something I could do, makes me angry it keeps happening. I originally got a text from a 5 digit # (94253) in regards to my rv for sale on craigslist asking me if it was still available and what is the lowest I would take for it. they asked me to get back at their personal email at MILEMAGS6@gmail.com. I answered back giving the info and then thought they just weren’t interested. I going through my spam today I saw an email from “estivan ucello” stating he wanted to believe my add and what I said about the rv and was wiling to pay the price. he stated he was a marine biologist who works mostly on the sea and wanted to get his dad a birthday gift. he says “phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted but I managed to check this advert and send you an email regarding it so my only quickest payment option would be PayPal so i can send PayPal anytime” he then explains since he is requesting the transaction to be through PayPal he will pay for any feels involved. he tells me if I don’t have PayPal it’s really easy and sends me a link to go sign up. he says he has a mover to come pick it up once payment clears and wants to make this transaction as fast as possible. he asks for more pics, total price and PayPal email so he can send it asap. then states “hoping for an eloquent business with you…I was definitely leary but wrote back stating I needed to talk to my husband before moving forward with anything. he emailed back very quickly and said “ok i cant wait to read from you” while waiting to hear back from my hubby I googled the email name I got and scam and came up with all this horse crap. wrote him back and said no deal.
I recently got the same exact email from”estivan”. I wonder how they can arrange to pick up an item from your house without getting caught, and how are they paying for it? I have never let it get past emails, but I wonder how they do it from Nigeria? Or where ever. I once got scammed and fell for the fake PayPal (I had never used before, just heard it was safe through eBay) anyway, I sent my expensive Coach purse via FedEx and never received any money in my real PayPal, so I tracked my order through fed ex and it went to some cheap apartments in Ontario Canada, I was trying to get fed ex before they delivered but I was too late. Never again will I fall for the scam again.
-Lauren M.
They never get caught because they never show up. It’s a simple premise. They are after your cash not your merchandise. They will never pick up anything. Its about about either getting money from you, getting you to cash some bogus checks and sending them the money or stealing your identity. The merchandise and the transactions are all smoke screens for the real scam.
I just avoided getting scammed by finding and reading this post. Thank goodness for my 6th sense!
My suspicions arose because I had the identical email exchange from the same person allegedly in another state, on two separate Craigslist listings I posted; one for a wedding and engagement ring set, and one a solo engagement ring. I thought, hmmm, why would someone be identically interested in two engagement rings? After reading your information and tips, I checked my junk email and lo and behold, there were the phony PayPal notifications, asking for tracking numbers and providing links to receive my funds. Forwarded them all to spoof@paypal.com and all came back verified as phishing attempts
Thank you so much! You saved me the loss of merchandise worth over $10k and also likely much more……
scammers numbers. This guy, David Hoffman got me good, luckily my bank is go at fraud charges and scammers and is now investigating.
1 601 803 1186
1 724 492 8351
Same story as all the rest of the posts, wants the car, needs to be paypal, I need to pay the courier and he will add more money to the transfer via paypal, yet I cant se any money in my paypal account.
David Hoffman is the supposed buying
Rodrick K Hughes is the couier
I wish I would have found this before today
I hope you bank helps you out. I hate to see these guys get away with this crap.
Here are two more numbers of SCAMMERS:
702-714-7130
914-627-4473
Received December 4th 2014
Phone number 1-702-519-0640
Message;
I’am ok with the condition likewise your asking price is quite reasonable and affordable price. I’m interested and consider it sold as am buying it for my husband as a suprise Christmas gift to our new home which we are plaing on moving into and which i don’t want him to know about it note that i will be responsible for the paypal charges. Do you have a paypal account?
Please everyone be aware of this number and message. The loser scammer.
Scam the Scammer
scammer phone number : 224 855 9164
scammer email adress: vergilsharon@gmail.com
what they want : they want your money for free with out pay anything beware with that buyer
The story
he or she want to buy a car from me but ask me to send 1300$ via western union to pay the movers.
the scammer text me
scammer: hello am gonna make the payment right now….
paypal will send you the payment email confirmation as soon as i
transfer the funds
Me: ok no problems
scammer : they only accept western union or money gram for their payment ( he or she mean the movers) and they have to receive the funds before they will come to your location for the pickup
me : ok
scammer: I will transfer 4k into your paypal account plus 1300$
to my shipping agent via wester union and use the remain 200
for the movers.
ME: ok thank you
Scammer : hello did you got a paypal notification?
ME: no
Scammer: please try to check your spam or junk mail cos your money have been deducted in my account immediately . The transfer has been done .TY
when i check is a fake paypal notification modiffied by the scammer
YOU RECEIVED A PAYPAL PAYMENT OF 4500$ in order to complete this transaction and get the funds approved in your account.We advice to go to the nearest western union office and send the sum of 1300$ usd to the pick-up agent and send us a scanned copy of your western union transaction receip.
pick-up agent details .
receiver’s name .: Harry Walker
city.: calgary
state.: Alberta
Postal Code .: T1Y 4S4
Country.: Canada
Adress status.: confirmed
ME.: Please send a real payment if you want to do business no a HTML modiffied copy of a paypal payment. Real things have to be paid with real money
Scammer.: what do you mean ?
don’T you see the paypal confirmation
ME.:I mean you have just modified a paypal notification and send me by email
I don’t want to pay 1300 $ just for a modified notification , that’s ridiculous.
Scammer .: complete our transaction and the funds will show up in your paypal account go to western union immediately and send the payment of 1300$ paypal put the money on hold until the time you send the pickup agent fees upfront and get back to them with all western union information
Me.: paypal has never worked with western union.
scammer .: screwed in cars.com thats why i came on craiglist
please kindly follow paypal instruction accordingly
Me .just send me a real payment to have the car:.
Scammer .: what are you saying i said i have made the payment
and your money have been transferred to your account. you have just to go send 1300$ to my shipping agent via western union and you will see the money in your paypal account
Me.: your mac adress was recorded with your fake paypal notification that’s why i know you have modified the notification on your computer.
scammer.: no no , i hate this shit you are saying.
i send you a real payment i swear down
Me.: and you use an android application to call and text
did you know your android phone have a location and can be activated remotely?
welcome to the age of digitalization.
fucking stupid
still there scammer
after that he never answered
Hilarious stuff. Thanks for a good laugh….
Hey Guys. I posted my first listing on Craigslist today for a desk.
I got a text from 774-999-1967 a few hours later asking if it was still for sale. I responded and got a text saying that they will mail me a check and arrange a pickup. I just needed to give them my name and address. They replied with poor grammar and punctuation & it was from a Massachusetts number (i’m in KY) which was a red flag.
Already suspicious, I asked if they would do Paypal rather than check. I got back another odd answer saying that they were having their boss forward me their paycheck to me. Again they asked for my name and address.
I knew it was a scam at this point and had some fun with them. Sent them a fake address from Ron Burgundy in San Diego (Anchorman movie). They eventually, after repeatedly requesting my real address, stopped responding to my ridiculous texts.
I did call the number and got a recording that the phone was a “text only” line.
Be careful out there!
I actually have a question that you could hopefully answer. This person texted me about my Craigslist ad.. said they live in Utah and can’t come to New Jersey because “work is hectic” (they had a California area code), and they were sending my item to their “son in Nigeria” Without realizing it was a scam i sent them my email address to my paypal.. but nothing else. Can they see my real address/scam me in anyway??
No. It takes two people to party. If they send you anything to your paypal address just reject it and you will have no problems.
OH thank God, this JUST happened to me. Then I found this link. I was questioning the entire thing from the beginning, then when they asked me to pay the shipper, I said NO. The number I got on a TEXT ONLY phone, is 330-906-8816~~poor grammer, etc…
619-720-1446 watch out for this # tried scamming me again today. Trying to offer me 300 bucks for my 200 dollar item..again off paypal. asking me for detailed pics when my post already has detailed pix and says cash only, no Craigslist scams.
Persistent and stupid because he didn’t track the contacts to see that he had already contacted you before.
Ok, here is what I do… I play along and give scammer my name and address so he sends me a bogus check for several thousand dollars. The name I give is Tom Weschler and the address is 355 Riverside Circle naples fl 34112. That is the name and address of the chief of police in my town. Maybe they will follow up.
Hahahaha…Very ingenious…..Although I would not recommend giving out a personal address since I don’t know the legal ramifications. I would suggest instead to use the address of your local police station. It will get delivered to the right person when it gets there. Most certainly if is addressed to the Police Chief, Commissioner, Detective, Captain, etc. Well known people in the department.
Looks like he may have changed his name to John Perry. same M.O. he said he wanted details pic because it was for a cousin abroad. same thing with ill pay for the shipping..E-mail johnperry7079@gmail.com phone number 323-438-6501. As soon as I mentioned that I was doing research about paypal scams and then I declined and said cash or no deal..hasnt responded. Thanks guys for sharing and saving me from a huge mistake!
Was selling laptop using KIJIJI Ontario. TEXT MESSAGE:Offered $850 instead of $700 via Western Union. I wrote :” give me you full address and name, I will send you laptop via Canada-Post, you will pay in full upon receiving laptop” TEXT MESSAGE#1: “Alright there is my son mailing address: Lewis Dailey, Adewuyi street, state Lagos, city Surulere, postal code 23401, country NIGERIA”
TEXT MESSAGE #2:”I will need your full name, location, e-mail address, so i can make the payment right away, ok”
I replied NO BUSINESS WITH NIGERIA . F. OFF.
no more text messages were sent to me
What if i were to set up a new paypal account and a new bank account. then let the scammer transfer to the paypal, then transfer the funds to the new bank account and finally withdrawal everything and close both the bank account and paypal account?
think this can be done?
Sure….Then after the check turns out to be a fraud and the bank doesn’t get the funds the bank will come after you and sue you for all you own. Aside from that they will turn you into the FBI or Secret Service for some kind of bank fraud violation. Oh, did you forget that small application that you sign when you open a bank account making you liable for everything that happens with your account? Lets not mention that you will have to give the bank your SS# and your address and they run a credit check on you before they open the bank account. This isn’t the 1800 any more. Everything is linked and the banks will follow you to the grave to get their money back (not to mention putting you in jail without blinking an eye). Do you really want all that trouble hounding you until you pay the money back? I don’t think so.
but how do they transfer to paypal with a fraudulent check?
There are many ways to spoof banks and paypal. They are all set up for your convenience so they methods they use do not check for funds immediately. They will put the funds in your account first then track it back later. Many times the checks are written on fraudulent accounts, hacked accounts, empty accounts, nonexistent accounts. Also it doesn’t have to be a check. It can just be a money transfer. Many times they will hack an account and make hundreds of transactions before they are caught. This is why there is always urgency to get the transaction done and closed as quickly as possible. Then a few days or weeks later they fraud shows up and everything gets reversed by the financial institutions. Then you realize you were burned.
I listed a trailer yesterday. Within 30 minutes I received a text requesting I send an email to “her boss”. So I did. When I received the reply, with the story of how he is out of town, buying this for a relative, and will have a mover come get it, and he’ll pay me right now using Pay Pal, I replied to him to send the payment to his mover and the mover can bring me the cash. He became agitated in his next email and insisted I accept his pay pal payment. After 2 hours of me not responding, he wrote – I have NOT heard from you. If you do not act, you will lose the deal.
Dude… I’m not losing the deal – you did!
New Twist: We just listed a 4 wheeler and received a text from a “Buyer”. I looked up the area code which says it’s Maine 207-747-2324. He wants to pay with PayPal, but he/she is “Deaf” and needs an “Agent” to actually pick up the bike and keeps asking for the PayPal invoice to pay. Feeling suspicious I texted him/her back that we would have to speak to the “Agent” before giving any more info. When calling the # it goes to a voice mail (interesting for a deaf person) with a 10 digit extension
The buyer evaporated.
I love all these variations that keep coming up. One day I’m sure I’ll hear that the buyer is “an astronaut and is stationed at the international space station so he can only text you and can’t talk with you.” Hahahahaha. 😉
I made an account just to mention how your blog reassured me that they were trying to scam me! In addition, to expose the number that texted me incase it helps anyone out (:
Number: +1 (720) 599-0263
Scammer: IPhone 5s 16GB Network Sprint – $475 ….is this item still for sale??
Me: Yes it is.
Scammer: Ok,I’m offering you $575.00 for the item including the shipping to my friend in West Africa? .i will be paying you through pay-pal..
Me: I should have specified in my post but I would much rather be payed upfront and in person in order to avoid any unnecessary incidents sorry.
Scammer: i do understand your fears but i will be paying you before you mail out the item ok….
Me: I just posted today so I will wait until I get other customers but if nothing shows up by the end of the week I’ll contact you.
Scammer: Do you have a PayPal Account?
I did not reply after that. I was hoping my last message would brush them off but then they just started focusing on me owning a PayPal Account.
I have a motorcycle for sale on Craigslist and about 3 times a day, I get texts from various numbers wanting to send me money via Paypal for it. They are always OK with asking price and many say they are “offshore”. Is there anywhere to report these phone numbers to?
Sure, you can report them to the FBI, Justice Dpt, Local Authorities, Craigslist, etc but none of those are going to do anything about it. The reason being that most will argue that its out of their jurisdiction, or that they have no proof that they are frauds until they actually do something wrong, not enough man power, the usual cliche. That is why in reality, this is the only repository or listing of scam numbers out there.
I nipped this crap in the bud very quickly. AFter he started talking about paypal, i said GET THE HECK OUTTA HEAH! LOL!
—
A lot of these are NOT Nigerians. They are Americans too. i get these stupid phone calls often. They run from folks with Russian accents, American accents and Nigerian accents. LOL! I Stop being blinded by the media and by rumors and stereotypes. A scammer is a scammer regardless of where they live. Who cares if they are ants or mosquitos. These folks are just scummy and scammy.
I posted in craigslist after midnight and immediately get a text message.
I am selling a $39000 2014 Lincoln MKx that i rarely use and has 3200 miles. Idiot text me and claim to be in the military and can’t call me nor accept calls in the ‘military camp’. He then asked me to email him at brandoncehen13@gmail.com. He said he is using his work phone # to text. (And I am stupid right). He text me from +14842048724.
I said don’t worry about it. You don’t have to call me. It is obvious that in the ad, it says CALL me OR reply to this ad. So he started asking me to give him more photos. I said i don’t have time for that. Everything you need to know is in the ad.
He then asked if he can text me from his other phone. i said if you want to.
He says his name is Brandon. This number was a Chester Springs, PA number 8302827915. . But these numbers doesn’t matter because they can spoof numbers all day long.
Then He wrote a lonnnnng text in about 3 seconds so it was obvious he did a copy and paste. Asking if I have paypal and he can send me $39000 via paypal. he wrote: “…I’m deployed out of town because I work with the Military and have been in the camp for some time and due to my deployment i will not be able to come for it, I have a pickup coming for it on my behalf. So I am requesting this transaction should be done via PayPal so the PayPal charges are on me and PayPal is very safe and I have access to my funds there, that’s the only reason whyPayPal is the only payment option. I am straight up with you and I want you to be honest with me as well. Do you have a verified PayPa”
REALLY? SERIOUSLY? You want me to take $39000 from a complete stranger via paypal and you won’t be here to get the vehicle because you are in pennsylvania and you will be sending a hauler??
First of all, I have been with Paypal almost since the day they started in 1998. I told the idiot boy/girl that I’ve been online 15years. You got the wrong person. Don’t contact me again! LOL! What a freakin scammer.
Idiot scammer crawled away like the satan influenced snake he is. You do NOT have to worry about them having your email nor your address or phone number. They will NOT contact you. Why not? Because if you bust them out, they just move on to the next person in the list. There will be some folks who get smacked and scammed big time. They are counting on it. So don’t take it personal. LOL!
And we ALL need to be more discerning online. Don’t let a potential ‘sale’ blind us. When something sounds stupid or out of the ordinary, then it most likely is.
Let us all watch out for red, white, brown, black, yellow, purple, and pink online scammers. Shucks! We don’t know who’s on the other end and who the heck cares? Let us just keep safe in general!
Tootaloo
Faith Sloan
I had the same thing happen to me just now. I thought PayPal was very very secure. Anyways, this guy emails me using the email blakechard4christ@gmail.com phone # 1-770-686-7763….Wanting to buy an item I have for sale on Craigs List today. Telling me he’s in the military and this item is for his son and its a surprise for him. LIKE I KNOW THIS PERSON OR HIS SON??? He tells me he will ONLY do PayPal…so I go thru the trouble of signing back up for PayPal.
I send him a bill via PayPal and then I get a long text from him (damn! I had left my personal ph # AND address on the invoice that I sent to him SO NOW HE HAS MY PHONE #… UGH) saying that the moving company is charging him $650. So, he’s going to put $780 more onto the PayPal bill and I need to go to Western Union to send the moving company their $650. The extra $130 was for Western Union charges and he needs my permission to allow this on the bill.
I told him NO WAY! ABSOLUTELY NOT! That I am NOT going to Western Union and making ANY transactions for him. That HE is responsible for pick up and delivery to him. (As it says in my ad that he responded to).
Then he says I talked to them and the only way they can get the money is via western union which I don’t have access to here. I just need your help.
I responded…Theres a western union in every city. I, sure you have a credit card and EVERY moving company accepts credit cards. And that it NOT my problem. He finally gave up!
I too was hit from john matt (See below) along with several emails from (alledgedly Paypal) saying they had my funds. The key is they didn’t and UNLESS THE MONEY SHOWS UP IN YOUR ACCOUNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is not real… tell them Paypal said to send the money for real or you will report them to the police and they disappear forever. HOORAY! and be vigilent!
From: “SrA John Matt”
Date: October 26, 2014, 7:10:36 PM EDT
To:
Subject: Re: Craig’s list posting
My name is SrA John Matt, a senior airman(E4) in Colorado, which makes it very hard for me to make phone calls, I won’t be able to come your way to view it but I have a hauler who will come for the pickup after payment had been cleared so please get back to me with your home address, asking price, cell number and paypal email because i will be making the payment via PayPal as that is the only payment option I can access from here I hope you understand. if you don’t have a PayPal
account yet you can log on to http://www.paypal.com for simple sign up… etc etc etc
Anne Ashley 10/30/2014
This guy tried to get me today, I’m sure glad you guy’s post on this site, I thank all of you I still have a motorcycle. ALWAYS GOOGLE THE want to be BUYER! Scams are everywhere!
This is what we got while trying to sell our item on Craig’s list. I new it was fraud right away.
From: “SrA John Matt”
Date: October 26, 2014, 7:10:36 PM EDT
To: karedf@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Craig’s list posting
My name is SrA John Matt, a senior airman(E4) in Colorado, which makes
it very hard for me to make phone calls, I won’t be able to come your
way to view it but I have a hauler who will come for the pickup after
payment had been cleared so please get back to me with your home
address, asking price, cell number and paypal email because i will be
making the payment via PayPal as that is the only payment option I can
access from here I hope you understand. if you don’t have a PayPal
account yet you can log on to http://www.paypal.com for simple sign up
wow you just saved my ass. i got 2 iphone 6+ for mom and sis and they didn’t want it so i was trying to sell back on CL and after my ad put up i got offers from ppl more than i asked for and they all wanted use pay pal and want me to send the phones to them. it’s kind of freak me out cuz similar offers show up on my phone and it’s a lot of them.so i felt weird and check online and found your article. thanks you so much.
These scams are getting worse. yesterday (Friday) after this page saved me i got a call for what is seem legit buyer and he contacted me and ok with the price and want to meet up the next morning. Being Saturday morning i overslept. he called me and texted me starting around 8am. so i get him back around 11 am and he said he need it before 12 and if i can get him within the hr in BRONX he will give me 974 (which is 109 dollar more than i asked). That worry me a lot. Since i read the comments of people here, i know getting offer tons of extra money is never a good thing. also BRONX is an area of NYC i always try to avoid cuz it’s bad neighborhood. so i said i can’t come to Bronx. then he immediately reply when i can meet him in the city. it is seem that they are gang of people setting to pickpocket or rob me. so let me add this 2 points for those of us out there to be safe. 1/. if the buyer is aggressively contacting you. (this guy seem to text me or call me every 15/30 minutes) 2/. offer a lot more than you ask for to have a quick meet up in a location. be safe everyone.
I agree with you and there are plenty of times that these things happen. I just heard the other day how they finally caught a guy in California that did a similar thing. Seems like this one guy met up with the guy they caught from an ad on Craigslist to sell his car. Well, they met up in person as is always advised, BUT the guy decided that he wanted to keep the car and the money so he killed the seller and dumped the body somewhere. It took a long time to find the body and longer to piece everything together. I would advice as has been said many times, to meet in person to avoid scams, BUT NEVER go alone. Take a couple of friends with you or have someone standing by withing visual range with a phone ready to dial 911 if anything goes wrong. Be super, double, duper, extra crazy, careful out there.
Well, I was selling a computer for $4,000 and the guy texts me saying he will give me $4,200 plus shipping costs.. Then I get one of those exact emails you were talking about with the tracking number and that was it for me. I texted him back telling him it wasn’t going to happen and I knew what the deal was.
No response since then.
Thank you much for saving me.
I advertised my vehicle for sale on Craigslist. I received a text message stating this person could only communicate via email. I figured it was odd but ok. The person asked me what my firm $$ was. I responded via email to vergilsharon@gmail.com aka Lizzy Lawrence. I said I would accept $500 less than what I had advertised……This the response I received:
“Got your response.I read through your ad and from what I have seen,it is priced favorably compared to others so I want you to consider it sold to me because I am ready to buy it for the asking price.Presently I am out of town on duty in a remote area. Our phones have been disabled from voice calls as making of phone calls is against the code of ethics of my job (Military) otherwise I would have called you.
so,I am ready to seal the deal right away and pay you via my PayPal account that is attached to my bank account as it is the only secure form of payment that I have access to right now. So,kindly get back to me with your FULL NAME AND PAYPAL EMAIL ADDRESS AND YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER so that I can initiate the payment immediately.If you don’t have a paypal account, it is absolutely free to set one up, kindly visit http://www.paypal.com. A shipper wil be hired that will come for the pick up upon the completion of the payment aspect of the transaction.Let me have the requested details to proceed with the payment if we have a deal. TY”
I knew this had to be a scam. After reading through the comments, it was confirmed. Be careful.
Against the “Code of ethics” to make a voice call? Buhauhauhahahahaa!!!! That is so rich……..
I just got the same email…. WORD FOR WORD….
Thanks for the informative lessons. I’m trying to figure out this guy who wants to buy my desk RIGHT AWAY, from Texas, send me the money in advance and have his “friend” pick it up. He claims he will send a moneygram in advance for $200 to Walmart and it’s as good as cash. I’m trying to understand how he plans to scam me — I mean, why not just send the moneygram to his “friend” so he can give me the cash at pickup, as I request. The name, address, and contact info he’s giving me appear to be real (haven’t tried to call him yet) so maybe he’s also spoofing some poor schmuck’s ID? Have any of you had an inquiry like this?
Him: Hi ill buy you desk tomorrow . pls call me ill have a friend from Fresno area pick it up. Cash is Good Chris 512 964 5262 ..Thx C. pay 200 cash ..
Christopher D. Jones
6511A. Melrose Trail
Austin, TX 78727
Ph. 512-249-4005
Cell 512-964-5262
Fax 512-249-4007
http://www.jonesapartmentmanagement.com
Him: I want it .. im in , can pay you today if you like . send direct to your bank or pay pal or money gram or fed ex cash ect.
Me:Thank you for your interest in the desk.
Your friend who picks up the desk will have to bring cash with him and pay for it at time of pickup (sorry, but Craigslist has a bad rep for scammers, so I have to deal only in US currency.)
———–
Him:..Chris Jones ..What ever you like . its unlikely ill reach him BEFORE 4 pm today .. Im in ! Chris ..
512 964 5262 .. Thanks …. Best 2 ya..C Ill call you after lunch ok .. any time better than another for you to take my call ?
i would send us curerency thats what wal mart pays you with at money gram in the store or any method i send is CASH !! Its CASH !! fed ex overnite sat delv before noon is CASH !! .. Chris i just want you to feel
that you have real buyer ME yes ME CASH !! CJ.
———-
Kinda hysterical — your thoughts?
What will likely happen is that the moneygram may be in the form of a Check or Money order type of instrument. You will deposit this into your bank and a few days later (or weeks) it will be reported as fraudulent and the money will be reversed. Something along those lines. I doubt that you will get cash on the barrel at WalMart.
Heh, thanks CL! Since I would rather risk Ebola than set foot in a Walmart I had no idea how they operate & figured they would just hand over the $$. So naive!
Interestingly enough, this guy turned out to be legit. His friends showed up with non-counterfeit US currency and picked up the desk for him. I was positive he was scamming me. All’s well that ends well, I guess!
This exact scam just happened to me. Posted a car on the list, guywants to buy it and send money to my paypal. He then says it is done and to check the email and follow the paypal instructions in the email. This sounded too good to be true so I looked for Paypal scams. After reading your warning, I texted him back and identified myself as a Federal Police Officer and I believed this to be a scam and would report it to the proper authorities. I have not received any more texts. Thank you for your help.
Trying to sell my daughter’s flute. Guy didn’t even bargain w/me and offered me full price. Said that he wanted to make transaction via PayPal because he’s hearing impaired and can’t use cell phones. I asked him how his hearing impairment inhibited him from driving somewhere public to meet me. Emails eventually got rude and pushy as I started to inform this individual that I was NOT going to use PayPal to sell my flute. I copied and pasted your entire page onto my reply to him.hahaha This is the last email that he sent me…
“I should be the one to worry about the safety of this transaction
because, I am paying for something that I am yet to physically
inspect. Did you read the part where I specifically stated that you
will receive your money cash in hand before this is picked up?.
However, the nature of my job will not allow me to come and view this.
So if you are willing to complete this sale via paypal,I have stated i
have issues using phone for calling communications due to my hearing
impairment meaning loss of my hearing partially my inability to make
phone calls, i can easily call but av problem with my ears drum,so
bear with me. so we can complete the deal via paypal”
Thanks for using my page for reference, I really liked that. BTW for anyone that may not be aware, the government mandated years ago a system through all the phone companies where any hearing impaired person can use a special operator to contact anyone and this operator will type out what is being said. In other words the operator acts as a hearing middle man and translates or types out what is being said. So in reality there is no reason for any hearing impaired person to make such a stupid claim. I am certain any real hearing impaired person would be well aware of the TTY system.
Here’s one…. From 7174894837 ……..
Please kindly email me at the following address
mikemucmullen1970@gmail.com
Claimed to be in the Quanico military base….where he didn’t have cell phone availability…(but yet somehow was able to email right away)……but he would be happy to by the car sight unseen via paypal. RIGHT AWAY!!!
He claimed to be a marine, so therefore I could trust him, and could we do paypal right away.
It’s disgusting the depths that people go to.
Sad screwed up world.
I replied.
No freeking way….local only and cash only. Take your scam and shove it……. 🙂
Wow! I’m currently emailing this guy about selling my truck to him…using PayPal! Same MO and all! This is the email I sent him (haha)
Hey Mike,
Doing some brain storming, I’d be able to drop the truck off to you at Quantico and do the $ transaction, if that works for you. My cousin is a FBI instructor for the Academy at your location, so we plan to meet up with him. Let me know what you think
—
Thank you for posting this. Don’t sell to Mike Mccmullen!
Wasn’t Mike Mullen a character from the X-Files?
Anything involving Nigeria is a scam! It`s been going on for over 15 yrs.
I just received an offer to purchase my household full of furniture….same scam….use PayPal..have his personal driver pick up. Would give me more money in order to pay his driver. Thankfully, my roommate said this might be a scam. All of your posts have been wonderfully helpful! His number is 512-518-8745. Claims to be highway patrol officer! So sad!
Highway patrol officer? So he is out on the road and can’t talk to you except by text right? Wow, that is the lamest one yet. Probably thinks that the mention of the badge will make him sound more credible.
Do NOT trust any purchases from a Mrs. Talley, asking you to ship items to Nigeria. It is ALL a big scam. I tried calling her telephone number and it is a “text only number.” What a coincidence?! Her number is (234) 206-9818! He/She is pushy and is constantly pushing you to open up a pay pal account. Do not fall for this! It is all fake! The paypal email comes up as scam! Do not provide any information to these shady, lazy bastards. Check all sources of payment BEFORE shipping anything anywhere and keep all of your information private!
Wow it’s amazing that you mention this, I was googling paypal craiglist scams because I received a text from “Mrs Talley” today as well! I’m glad and looked it up and thanks for positing your comment, I knew something wasn’t right anyways but I was curious about how the scams worked and wanted to see if anyone else had been contacted by a “mrs talley”
yes I have got contacted my mrs talley. thank god I looked up the number before I did anything about a paypal. thank you all for this. thank you very much.
Thank you for this most helpful blog! I knew something was fishy, but “gut feeling” is hard to justify when trying to secure a 900$ transaction. After I looked this up, I am really relieved I did not go though with it. Just goes to show, if it doesn’t feel right, it probably ain’t. Glad I took a few minutes to google it up. Thanks again!
I received a text from 619 720 4819 guy named mason owen email is masonowen04@gmail.com who just so happens to be in the mountains because he is a geophysical engineer. (little fishy). he used pretty much every trick that has been posted on here. I was in the navy for 17 years and I always found a way to send money.
Yeah it just so happens Mason here wants to buy my Motorcycle! Totally a scammer.
Thanks for the post and being vigilant! I Google the email and this pulled up with all the same info from a guy wanting my harley on Craigslist.
(208) 214-3039 is the number to my scammer. His alleged email address is mikelkay@gmail.com. He could only pay through paypal. shame. I hope he doesn’t get to anyone else because he didn’t get to me. RED FLAGS: 1. They can’t speak with you on the phone, only text. 2. They are in a huge hurry to send you money and not very concerned about seeing pictures of the product you are selling. 3. Can only pay through paypal.
I even told him I was going to call the police to check up and make sure that it’s safe to send someone your paypal info. That didn’t scare or deter him at all. It’s clear they must not be able to do anything about it after you’re robbed. BEWARE
I got a text from 917-724-0387. Text read, “Whats the condition because i am buying it for someone and i wont like to get disappointed, whats the last asking price you are selling it, how i wish you can still send me some close up pictures of it to know it is physically ok, mo for of payment will be by paypal thou, do get back to me asap, my name is James Bernard and you?” Watch for this number too.
My experience was exactly the same! “Buyer” aka SCAMMER, didn’t have proper writing skills, and told me he was buying for a friend and wanted more pictures too!
I am selling a diamond ring on craigslist and this guy is trying to scam me from 512.256.7405. He is telling me the ring is for his daughter. I was very succinct in my ad regarding paypal and siipping and this person obvious cannot read. Beware of this number.
Has anyone tried invoicing them from your real paypal account? I have one now texting me about a motorcycle and the language is a lot like what I am reading here…finally gave me his name which happens to be a guitar but other than that lol! Just wondering if they are able to still scam if they pay an invoice you generate. If not it might be the way to get rid of them.
You can try it but I doubt it will do any good. The language and wording may change, but the scams are still very real. You can invoice that person and probably you will get the run around. Lost invoice, never got it, sent it back to you already, my account has already been debited so now you have to ship or I will file a complaint, etc, etc…..
702-747-2690 is another scammer number., Wanted to buy a $2500 item with PayPal and ship to Nevada. Used phrases “get back to me asap” and “kindly send your PayPal email address so I can pay you. I will arrange for my shipping company to pick up the item after payment might have been made.”
Sent him a text that said 419 and no no response. LOL
KEEP CRAIGSLIST TRANSACTIONS LOCAL!!!!!!!!!!
Here is another scammers number: 407-337-6654
Wanted to buy my laptop for her cousin.Told me to send an invoice through Paypal. To her email: smithjannet34@yahoo.com
I just received a text message from the same person. Decided to do some recon on the phone number, and came across your post. So, thanks for sharing. Anytime shipping is requested by a buyer, you should be cautious. it’s typically a scam. Scammers will send fraudulent money orders, often exceeding your asking price, and have you ship your items to them. The bank won’t detect the counterfeit until they’ve fully processed your deposit (usually 7-14 days) but they’ll still give you the funds. In addition to losing your items, your bank will hold you financially responsible.
“can you assure me i will not be disappointed?”
The guy is still operating. He responded to an RV ad I have. He texted from 617 729 7434. Called the number and it does not ring through to anyone. It’s purely a number for texting from a company called Haywire. I’m sure it’s a scammer’s dream!
Anyway, this guys catch-phrase is “can you assure me i won’t be disappointed?” You see that, and you know who you are dealing with.
Hi,
I am selling my motorcycle on Craigslist and I just experienced this Paypal scam from someone who texted me regarding my ad. I just want you to know how much I appreciate all of the effort you’ve made to create this blog and inform people like me of the perils of Craigslist. I’m hopeful that I ultimately would have figured out it was a scam artist wasting my time (but I’m not completely convinced of that!) and your blog’s advice allowed me to come to my senses much quicker and for that…….THANK YOU!!!
I was selling a car on Craigslist and came upon this email :
SEBRING CONVERTIBLE 1998 – $2000 (Calhoun Ga) Hello, i saw your ad on CL and i am really interested in it, I’m at work and cannot text right now, Email me on leanajames64@gmail.com with more picture
My response: I already posted 17 pictures on the Ad ?!
Thanks I’m just asking about it to make sure its in good condition as
im buying it for my Family as a surprise gift and he doesn’t know
about it, so can you assure me i will not be disappointed? also no
shipment involved as i have a mover that will come for it. Im okay
with the price and condition , I can only pay you via one of the
fastest and secure way to pay online (PayPal).. Do you have a PayPal
account? Let me know asap so i can arrange the payment through PayPal.
my shipper will be coming to pick it up as soon as the payment clears
into your account . So if you’re ready to move forward, just fill out
the info below so I can work everything out!
PayPal Email:
Full Name:
Firm Price:
Zip Code:
Cell Phone Number
I knew this was complete bullshit. (Excuse my language) how hard is it to freaking take out money from your own bank account and of course I was thinking “why doesn’t your mover give me the cash?” “Why is this person being so complicated and not answering ANY of my questions?” She / he was like demanding me to freaking give them my paypal information. & me being the google everything genius that I am KNEW this had to be a freaking scam. And someone buying a car and just sending someone to pick it up? Like wouldn’t you want to see the GIFT you’re “giving” to someone. More like the money I’d be losing if I was a knucklehead .
Anyways my answer to this :I don’t think I could do that because my parents want cash. Could your mover give me the cash ?
Their response :Thanks so much.. I wish i could do a normally local pick up and face to face deal but presently ii am a petroleum engineer and that is why i am offering to Pay you via PayPal. I have been using PayPal to buy and sell for years now and i have never f or once had any problems whatsoever. i shall send Payment as soon as you get back to me with your PayPal email address as i am very willing to buy I hope to read from you, ASAP…Paypal is very safe and secure with transaction like this, once you have one setup and get back to me with the email address and full name attached to the paypal account you register, i will make the payment asap and you will get the payment instantly. Kindly have one setup and get back to me so i can go for the payment
Me: you can go for the payment ? Shouldn’t I be the one going for the payment ? I am reporting your number. Get a job and stop ripping people off. Go buy yourself a life .
If you can afford one.
Why should we be ripped off when were working our asses off and they’re getting money FREE 😤😤
By the way the phone number is 1(702)7189096
1(702)7189096
1(702)7189096
WARN ALL YOUR FRIENDS or CRAIGSLIST BUYERS THAT YOU MAY KNOW! ITs better to be alert and know of these scams!
Annie Melisa phone number 208-568-5962 tried using the same scam. Very persistent
+1 (480) 439-6527
Texted me asking if the wedding dress I was selling was still available. I asked when they would like to see it. They replied ‘I would love to inspect but given to my job and current location I cannot’ then kindly insisted I set up a paypal for the transaction.
Number above is now blocked.
Beware! Who buys a wedding dress without looking at it first?
There was a guy that emailed me regarding watching his 2 year old son while he was in town (Georgia) for 3 months from Florida. Claim it is a business trip, but has to bring his son with him because of deceased wife. He asked for my bank info to transfer funds into my account as a upfront payment, when I told him I don’t feel comfortable with that, he said we can go through PayPal so I wouldn’t have to give up any personal info. I eventually agreed to it and set up an account with PayPal but there is No funds in my account. I sent him a request from my PayPal account, then I received something from PayPal saying they temporarily suspended my account for verification reasons, but then get a email from him shortly after asking me did I cancel my account, I replied no. I verified my account through PayPal and told him it was fixed and he asked was it okay to send the payment and I replied yes it’s fine but since then I have not heard anything from him. He claims his name is Paul Volka, he’s 33 and his deceased wife name is Lura Volka and their 2 year old son name is Kelvin. He claims to be a private sculptor attached to a company name Gaiam Inc in Jacksonville Florida, his number is 724-241-8547 ( which 724 is a PA area code, but it’s a google voice I believe) he has even sent me a picture that suppose to be of him and his son, his email is drpaulvolka@live.com. Has Anyone heard of this guy??? What type of scam is this? ( If Any)
Fake, Fake, Fake….Everything about that guy is fake. Its a simple scam. Get as much info out of you as possible then try to grab what money you have. That’s why they go for the bank account first. Paypal later to try and hack your account. Really very basic. He is never going to pay you a dime because he doesn’t exist and is most likely in Nigeria behind a computer screen scamming people all day long. His work is made easier by people posting their family pics online all the time. Easy to grab and use.
I was contacted by 305 501 6382 about an iPhone ad I put up. Tried to offer me 50 more than asking price and 100 for shipping to nigeria. Insisted on paying via paypal and wanted my name along with the email to it. pfft
Scammer contacted me today (iphone 5s for sale ad) wanted to use paypal, Was going to pay my listing price plus 100 on top. number is 530-645-3704 says he is from Auborn.
I told him it would be easier to western union the funds to my Nigerian account LOL
So i posted a laptop on craigslist today & about an hour later get a text with the title in it asking if its still available. I tell him yes & he offers to give me 530 plus 150 for shipping to WEST AFRICA! Thats almost 200 more then i asked for it. Hes asking for my paypal email & my account name. I told him i didn’t trust it & he goes on telling me hes a good christian & that hes all about the bible & would never steal. I need help should i trust this or not?!
Do you really need to ask? Read the comments here.
I almost fell for the #1 scam on here but my gut told me something was wrong so I googled and found this blog , I am very thankful I did too because I almost gave away a ring that is worth some money …the e-mail looks so real unless you know to really look so thank you so very much the number that text me was (813) 430-4439
Same here…engagement ring for sale…exactly like you described in #1 above. The number is (513) 900-8078…the persons name is William Butler, and uses the address:
10 Henry St.
Wilmington, North Carolina
28405
I certainly wasn’t going to send anything without funds deposited and available to me immediately, but thank you for your information.
I got a text from them last night asking if I sent the ring and this was what I sent back…..It’s a little graphic sorry
Well I knew I was paranoid for a reason your texts just didn’t feel right and I have google so I used it crazy thing turns out that you are trying to scam me so no I didn’t better luck next time too whom ever the poor fool you ass fucks trick into giving you there shit for free …… thank you but I’m only going to deal locally and fyi PayPal will never ask for a tracking number so you might want to change that in your phony PayFake e-mail….. FUCK OFF PIECE OF SHIT
This is what they sent back to me
OWH SOUND PRETTY COOL… DON’T CARE ABOUT THE SHIT THAT HAS BEEN COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH… I AM IN THE STATES FORCE AND MY HUSBAND… I WILL ASK MY HUSBAND AND HIS PAL TO GO AFTER YOU… BLOCK SUCKER… DIRTY ASSHOLE SCAM BEAST…
I thought it was funny couldn’t stop giggling , again sorry for the wordy dirds I wish I could post the picture of the email they wanted me to send it to China and they were in FL
Randy, same thing, same guy, address, everything but phone #. It’s now 631-306-4205. He didn’t get me and is quite upset. Gave me a good laugh!
Got a text the same day from a 3309998680. Signed all his texts with “-MARSHAL” at the end. Said he would pay me more than I posted for, sent me emails several hours later following this exact scam process. The shipping address he wanted me to send to was someone in Nigeria. Knew it was fake when a phone number with an area code from Ohio was contacting me in Washington County, OR.
904 834 6697
401 314 2639
571 281 5470
205 578 1251
540 456 1235
Just a few of the attempted scammers that contacted me
beware of dawsoncortes657@gmail.com another scammer
Glad we read all the postings before we fell for the great deal on this so called person buying our boat for his lovely sons birthday who is in the military!
It’s unfortunate they have to use the military to try to pull off these scams. LOSERS!!!
262-648-6965 was our scammers number – beware!!
I agree…..Scammers will always use the weak spot (military, kids, loved ones, old people, etc) to try and fool you. They can’t be honest, just like politicians. 😉
I posted a fridge, in great condition, yesterday, on CL. Got a text message about it today. The first text was ‘Is this still available (Insert Craigslist Post Title Here)?
I replied that yes, it was. Next came an oddly phrased text about how long I owned it and what its ‘present condition’ was. I thought it odd the 5 pictures included in my post didn’t cover it’s….present condition….but I reiterated its good condition and easily picked up condition, sitting in the garage cleaned, wrapped, and ready to literally roll. 😛
The next text I received was ‘Ok, sounds good, don’t worry about pick up, I will arrange it. Please provide your PayPal account information and you zip code so I can contact my SHIPPING AGENT to calculate shipping costs and proceed with payment….thanks’
Now, with my location l listed as part of my CL Ad, and a simple shout out at Google being a quick way discover my zip code….I found that pretty odd. Someone so eager to dish out money for something, apparently unseen, prolly could’ve googled that info in less time then it would’ve taken to wait for my response. With all these red flags I did some research (Google) and found this blog. Thank you to all involved with it for sharing their experiences and the suspect symptoms to be wary of when getting involved in a PayPal transaction that is not sanctioned by EBay. My interaction with 6318619302 was easily and pretty accurately diagnosed. After being told that shipping was $240 (a figure I, as a seller, have absolutely no need to know and was quite specifically told not worry about) and doing some research here’s some insight for those with a chip on their shoulder or more time on their hands.
Get their money in your PayPal account. And TRANSFER to your bank account IMMEDIATELY.
Get a Sales Invoice signed by whoever the PayPal Account that transferred you the funds is registered too.
Once the scammer tells you who’s coming to steal your shit, ask ’em to sign a confirmation (Rate Confirmation) of exactly what is being picked up from you, by whom, who/where it’s going, and for how much….they day they are scheduled to arrive.
When the scammers agent arrives, while they wait outside, let the scammer know the next email you’re about to send needs to be signed before anything’s put on the agents truck. It’s just a simple Bill of Lading, just for the peace of mind….something to just confirm for them that they are getting what the so generously paid for in advance. Make sure it names the Shipping Agent they chose, the Shipping Agents Vehicle Unit #, Driver Name and/or Contact Number, detailed description of what they picked up, pictures and have the individual that is named as the Shipping Agent sign it before loading up. Then, pull the $$ from your PayPal account, then let them drive off. Toss PayPal an email with all that signed paperwork attached…and see if they attempt to defend the buyers rights anymore than they would a non-EBay seller when the hacked account/fraudulent payment claim comes their way. I’d bet a dollar you keep the money, PayPal washes their hands of liability for any portion of the transaction and they simply walk away. Worst case scenario…..the scammer pays someone to pick up something they suddenly realize they prolly can’t easily get away with stealing. They shutdown the deal and pay out for the agent to come pick it up.
If they over pay, due to shipping costs…(accidentally) only empty PayPal of the amount confirmed and signed for.
The Real Paypal is not going to cover your losses due to fraudulent transactions from a scammer! There was and likely still one that the IP address states Paypail or similar and asks you to click on the link in your email message to forward a payment? if you do this you will be screwed! Paypal will not ever ask you to do this so why are you people thinking it`s Paypals responsibility to cover you? If you blindly use the internet to make monetary transactions without reading the fine print you will loose your money! I have been using Paypal for the last tree years without any issues and have seen these fraudulent emails and reported them accordingly! when using Paypal to request payment you should log into your account and create and invoice for the buyer whom should have already provided you with there email? Paypal will then cover your transaction!
I recently posted an ad to sell my truck and someone texted me a hour later saying they will have a mover from CA come to pick up. Also, they will be paying through Paypal and to send my Paypal information. I responded that I don’t have Paypal and that I work for the Federal government( which is true). They kept on sending text messages. I have since forwarded their info to fraud dept. Beware of “Merci Smith” 423-291-6023
Nicole, where would I send my info to fraud dept? I have someone trying to scam me right now…Estivan Ucello. He says he’s a marine biologist wanting to give his dad a birthday present. I’ve seen other people complaining of this same person. Can’t this guy be stopped?
I just had a person calling himself Mike Ryan try to scam me on a car I have for sale also. Wanted paypal info and address and 2000 shipping and western union fees. 774-383-0763 phone comes back to Wellfleet MA
Thanks for posting this. Just got a bunch of texts from the same number, 774-383-0763, hours after I listed my car on Craigslist. The last text asked for my Paypal info.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. I was close to getting scammed. I received a text from someone wanting to buy my bike. He said he was working offshore and will pay with paypal and then arrange to have a shipping company pick the bike up. My first clue was that I asked him to give me his email in order to send him an invoice through paypal. He replied by telling me that he just needs my paypal email and he will deposit the money. Then he explained that his shipping company would not accept pay pal and that he would include the shipping costs in his payment to me. That was the big alarm! I thankfully got online and realized this is a scam and called the deal off. There was no response to that. Thanks again for posting these experiences so that I was not a victim.
I am so happy that I looked up scams before following through with my sale. . . so I was selling a laptop for $150 on craigslist. Someone texts me and asks me if I still have my item (copied the title) then they said
“Awaiting your quick response.” (after I already responded. They they sent me this message.
“Are you sure is still in good working condition?I will offer you $250 including shipping so get back to me if my offer is okay or not it is very urgent ”
I thought this was a little sketchy and I had some red flags coming up in my head because they were offering $100 more than what I asked. I ignored the red flags and they sent me the following messages.
“so kindly get back to me with your paypal email address so that i can proceed with the payment”
I gave them my paypal. . .
“Yes i got your paypal email address account…I will make the payment now.?paypal will have the shipping address attached to paypal payment confirmation mail that will be sent to you….Will want you to assure me that this item has been sold to me by taking the AD down now. You are to make the shipment via USPSEXPRESS Mail Post Office.and i will get back to you once am through with the payment”
Here is where my common sense started to kick in and I am going what the hell. This person never answered any of my questions directly. Here are the messages that followed.
“and two for e to know that you have taking down the AD of the post and you sold the laptop to me send me the link of the post”
“Okay i will make out the payment now and once am through with the payment i will get back to you and let you know tomorrow okay”
“A on payment nowa nd you will make out the shipment fist thing in the morning”
I found this blog and read the scam stories and I am so glad I found them. I told this guy sorry cash only I changed my mind and they asked why. I said you’re trying to scam me and they replied “if you think so no p i will look for a good one thx so much.”
You guys just saved me $250. Thank you.
This person’s phone number is 561-240-2551 watch out!!!
These scams are so wide spread that I am wondering whether Craigslist is going after these people and throwing the book at them. I personally have given up on posting anything there. With one exception, all I get are scammers.
I just got a text from a (347) 704-2702 and knew it was weird when they asked for paypal. I gave them an email i use for non personal stuff and gave him a fake name and he said the payment is going through and that he included a $350 movers fee for them to pick it up hahaha. So glad i found this site. I wouldnt have done the paypal anyways but im able to mess with them and have fun with it since i read the article haha
Thank god for all your post. I am selling a wedding dress on craigslist and i got a text from 818. 351. 9281 and 302.585.4781. I shut down the 818# real quick because they asked to send me a cerified check from their bank. Now the 302# almost got me until they email me from kathi.mark@gmail.com asking could they send me the money for their “courier” as well because the payment wouldnt go thru for them. Supposedly she is an oceanographer and is on the water.She said she would send extra money and I am to send it to the courier thru western union. UMMMMM no. I didnt feel comfortable with it and decided to google craigslist scams and came across this site. Whewww lawd this could have been a pain in my a$%^
Thanks for your post… same person offered to buy my dress – I received a check but will not cash. I just emailed her and told her she was busted . SHe has not bothered to reply. She used the same number 818-351-9281
Btw the number from the scammer is 702-508-5030! BEWARE
Scammer just contacted me with the same verbiage above claiming they are ok with the price and will pay thru PP with charges on them…after I sent my PP info..I found this forum… Whew…dodging a bullet from scum buckets in Nigeria as we speak!
I listed an electric scooter on Craigslist today and received a text supposedly from 213.992.5334. Says his name is Jordan Daily. He wants to use PayPal to buy my scooter and will have someone pick it up. He can’t talk cause he’s in the military and on base. He asked for my email paypal account. I asked his email so I could invoice him. He provided, “jordandaily11@yahoo.com”. I just replied and told him to have his hauler bring cash. No response. Oh yeah, at first he was going to add $900 for shipping, but then said he would just have someone pick it up for him. Checked PayPal and their protection policy only works if seller can provide proof of shipping. Didn’t know about the Ebay Only policy. Be careful!!
Same thing. Serviceman in Jacksonville in the Navy, hectic schedule, wants to buy my car for his son, and because of his hectic schedule will pay through PayPal and have shipping company pick up car. I responded that he should send cash with the shipper, I will take the cash to my bank a couple of miles away and verify the funds, then have the notary verify the funds (also check for counterfit cash). If all is well, then i will have them witness my signing the title over and send them on their way. No reply! Funny! He went to the trouble of asking me details about the car but can’t come and look at it in person.Cash is still King on Craig’s list.
I just got a text from the same guy! Jordandaily11@yahoo.com The whole thing seemed sketchy, who spends that kind of money without even seeing the bike! Thanks for posting.
More Scammers to List…
402-285-8808
516-441-9364
312-777-9557
Same style messages as above wanting to use PayPal when my post says WILL NOT SHIP or ACCEPT PAYPAL.
It’s getting lame and old trying to sell anything with all this non-sense. What happened to Decent People!
I received many offers about an boat I listed on Craigs list. Numerous responses and text/emails flooded my phone and email. In the description of the boat, I listed the price 3 times in the posting. That being said, several responses where:
-I am away on business trip
-I am buying for a friend
-I am at work and cant use work phone (lol then why not use your home or cell phone right?)
-I will be sending someone to pick up the item. (told them to make sure the carrier hand cash!!!)
ALL of the above responded, consider the boat sold, take it off the market/Craigs list. Then ALL of the responders then asked what was the last offer? HOLY SHIT red flag city!!! It was listed 3 times in the listing on Craigslist why would they ask last offer! So i replied, you owe me 1 million dollars, I will expect payment in full by western union! 🙂 Funny noone ever responded back 😦
Good luck peeps,… and just remember if its “TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT IS!!!”
I received an email from Micheal Owen (Micheal Owen ) that is exactly like what I’ve been seeing on here. I am in a hurry to sell my furniture because I’m moving soon, so I didn’t even think this was weird even though the writing in the emails was atrocious. Luckily, the day after I received the emails, I realized something was not right. I was a bit freaked out that I had sent them my email address and my home address, but from what I’ve read on here, there really isn’t anything they can do with this information. I pray that is indeed true!
Here are the emails I received.
Hello,i went through your advert on criaglist and i love the post hope it’s still available for sale?
Okay i will want you to mail me the condition and the final price
Thanks so much for the mail back I’m ready to pay your asking price
but not cash in person because I’m currently in a conference and calls
are restricted at the moment and my only quickest payment option is
PayPal, its safe fast and secure and i will be responsible for the
PayPal transaction charges so you can get your expected amount. If you
don’t have an account with PayPal, its pretty easy to open one,Just
log onto http://www.paypal.com and sign up. I hope we can make the purchase
as fast as possible? As I am buying this post item for my daughter
and I’m very sure she will love this bed,cause she has show me some
pics which i know this one am buying is one of it and i want you to
know that I have a mover that will come for the pick up once payment
clears in your account and he will handle the title for me. I look
forward to hear from you with the information below.
Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Firm Price:
Zip code for pickup:
Okay that cool to hear kindly send me your full name and your paypal
email and the post address and has soon has I make the payment I will
let you know
Thanks for the info. I am glad to inform you that I have made the
payment and you ought to have gotten the confirmation from PayPal by
now. Kindly check your PayPal email address for the confirmation alert
from PayPal and follow the PayPal instructions. But I had a little
problem with the mover they said they can only schedule the pick up
date and time after they receive their money for the pick up fee via
Western Union money transfer. So I included $300.00 they charged for
the pickup and $50 for the Western Union charges and $450.00 for the
Sofa and Dining Room Set. PayPal will instruct you on how to get the
money sent to my mover
The payment has been made and the money has been deducted from my
account…Kindly get the shipping fee sent to the name and address
below and send the details to PayPal email customer care for your
total funds to be credited. I believe that since payment has been
made, the advert should be taken off the site and please do let me
know your free date and time so that i can give it to my mover to use
it to register the date and time they will be coming for the pick up
in your location.
Name :PATRICK JULIAN
Address:1144 s 32nd st,
City:Nicholas Ville
State:KY
Zip code:40356
Country U.S.A
I received this offer on my motorcycle today. It is from a Walcott Schnieder with the email address Trinityfnhj@gmail.com and the same from another email address Shineline908@gmail.com
I’m interested, you should consider it sold .I want to buy it for
someone and the payment would be through PayPal . I am out at sea
,So i won’t be available for the picking up but a Pick Up Agent would
be coming for the picking up so therefore i would like you to
forward your Paypal email address in order to make the payment with
more pictures .
Moreover, The picking up would be at a designated place or your
residence. And i am offering additional $ 100 to your final price in
order to keep it off from other offers. Lastly,i am looking forward
to your hearing with the name and the email address on your PayPal
account so that i could make the payment asap and i will appreciate
if you could send more pics as i would not be seeing it in person .
This has to be fake!!!!! Bc my luck is not that good lol. To good to be true…..
Both people sent me the exact same email
I smelled scam immediately when I got a text for something I’m selling for over $500. Starts off…” Is your — still for sale?” using the exact title I used. The title was redundant so I found that weird. I answer “yes” and then he writes ( in 3 replies and out of order) “I am pleased with the price and would love to pay you via PayPal and the charges are on me. Send your email address, etc.” He also asks to have me confirm by removing the post. So I ask him where he is and he responds “Try and see reason with me. I don’t have access to a post office over here, I can’t send you a check. I wish I have access to Western Union money transfer it would have been a very good option but am still out of town right now the only access I have is by effecting the payment via my onine paypal account” Geeze. The number is 347-353-9807 he texted from.
today, 7/27/2014. Posted item on local CO craigslist and received an email within 15 mins after posting the listing .
follow up texts were nearly identical as your attempted scam artist but with a different phone number from same area code (347) 363-1588
Craigslist is full of scammers. If you want a clean well regulated site you should place your ad on our classifieds section. You will not get spammy responses like that.
The flat term “cash and carry” for these scamsters is like a garlic cross for vampires. They scat. My latest was a Jesus King thing from the NY area responding to a sale in South Florida. On any text messages I immediately check area code. That is usually the give away.
I think we should all send a steaming pile of shit to the Nigeria address or maybe some legal pot, that might pique the FBIs interest. Sorry for my joke, love the site, will spread the word
I listed a guitar on Craigslist a few days ago, and got this sketchy response from a potential buyer. After the first email, I got a little suspicious and decided to do some research that led me to this site. I was unaware that this type of scam even existed until now. It turns out that the same guy who was bothering me had actually managed to rip-off another member of this thread….so my last email to this prick was for you, Chuck! Y’all take care, and stay away from this guy.
ggked01@gmail.com
“Ok, I am Duke Jr,I m purchasing this for a friend due to, he is a novice to online and don’t really like solving on internet due to
numerous scam activities. I will appreciate more pictures if available & also make sure it is in condition described before concluding on how i will be sending your money.Do you have paypal account because, I have a paypal account that I can easily send money through because,
its good for business payments. Get back to me with your paypal email address and name in order for me to have your money sent on time. I would av preferred calling but due to my hearing impairment meaning
loss of my hearing partially my inability to make phone calls.Confirm sale to me and remove the add from posting. Regards”
Me:
“Thanks for your inquiry. I’m also skeptical of concluding any business without face-to-face contact, or a live phone call. If you are unable to meet in-person or make the call, I’m sure that you could have a liason complete the task. I can provide as many pictures as you like, and a demo of the guitar’s performance. Thanks”
ggked01@gmail.com
“As regards my previous message, I stated i would have loved to come over for personal inspection but my choices are limited by the phone due to my ear damage and this was caused due to the heavy sound while i was working offshore due to the heavy sound of the Oil Rigs. I am an honorable man and you will receive your money cash in hand before the shipping agent come for final pickup at your residence. However, it’s free & easy to create a paypal account, it’s like instant cash. As soon as you open an account, get back to me with the name and email that you linked with your paypal account and I will have your money sent asap.”
Me:
I’m so unhappy to hearing about your hearing loss due to the heavy sound on oil rigs. I wouldn’t feel very good about myself if I sold a guitar to someone who couldn’t hear it due to ear damage due to heavy sounds on oil rigs! Now I’m convinced that you are a very honorable man, indeed. Is there any way I could just send you free cash for Ear Damage Surgery?
Regards “
I just received this from a gentleman that is currently out at sea, I told him his agent is more than welcome to come and visit me at my work at the Dept of Homeland Security building and I am dying to ask his agent a few questions.
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 am highly interested in immediate purchase of it. I am buying this for my son as a surprise gift and I would love to go ahead with the deal right away. Kindly get back to me with the following questions below:
1) Are you the Owner?
2) Pick up Location?
3) Your PayPal Email ID to effect the payment
4) Your absolute rock bottom price?
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 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,PayPal Email ID and rock bottom price to effect the payment and if you don’t have PayPal account yet, it is very easy to set up and am pretty sure you will love their service, go to http://WWW.PayPal.com and get it set up,
Looking forward to reading from you,
Thanks.
Thanks so much for posting this in full. I just got the same email and it sounded fishy, but I’ve never sold a high ticket item before, so I started googling. Seeing that you got the same exact email, word-for-word, just saved me from potentially making a stupid mistake. I had tentatively answered the person’s first email while I’ve been asking around and researching this. Just in case others have done the same, here’s the second stage to that scam:
<>
At least one thing can be said about this scam: The moment the buyer, “Luke Garcia,” began asking me to send HIM money, I knew without a doubt this was fake. Nice of him to include such a tip-off. From the second paragraph on, not even someone as exhausted and harried as I currently am could miss the obvious problems.
Again, thanks for sharing your email. Thanks, too, to the blog owner for the great post!
Hmm.. I must have committed a coding error. Here’s the text of that scam email, stage 2, once again:
I have just made the payments now and i expect PayPal to have emailed by now and it has been successfully deducted from my account, i sent $3,100USD in all to your PayPal Account Note….. I found the copy of the message PayPal sent to me in my spam mail, should in case you haven’t receive in your inbox you can as well check your spam/junk folder am sure you will find the PayPal confirmation email in one of those box.
I added $1000USD meant for pick up fee commission and delivery and $100USD for the western union charges fee, they said they have emailed you to this effect, you will need to send the $1,000USD to the pick up agent via western union money transfer,so that PayPal can credit $3,100USD into your account as soon as you have emailed the western union details (Actual Amount Sent,10-Digits MTCN#,Sender name and Sender Address) to PayPal Customer Care, i added extra $100USD to cover the western union charges which shouldn’t be more that $76-$89, below is the address of the pickup agent as stated by PayPal. i have the receipt of this payment as well
Name: Connie Jaquez
City: Seminole
State: Texas
Zip code: 79360
Country:United State
Get back to PayPal with the required details
I will need the details of the transfer once you have sent fund . . .
1.The MTCN number that is the 10 digits number on the Western Union receipt
2.Sender’s name and address used in sending the money
3.Actual amount sent
Regards.
I got the same exact text but with a different person. I feel really dumb for falling for this bull… I’m just thankful I didn’t let it go too far. Is there any way to get our money back? Or at least find this dickhead?
If you lost money, consider it an expensive lesson. I doubt that any agency (private or public) will spend any time and effort to help you. It’s the same as when your car gets stolen. Kiss it good-bye because the cops don’t really look for it. You would have to track them down yourself and considering that most of these are in other countries, it’s not really worth the effort. A few hundred dollars is not worth the time and energy and aggravation that you will waste trying to get it back. Chalk it up as a donation to someone who is more desperate than you are. If it was done with Paypal or a credit card you could look into a chargeback through them.
After getting several of these on my travel trailer ad I have added the following text to the Ad:
To all you pathetic PayPal scammers: Don’t bother emailing me with the I am a Marine Engineer, Out at sea, in Africa, or whatever and I can only pay via PayPal and I have someone that will come pick it up. This is a CASH ONLY sale and the buyer must pick up the trailer in person.
And I’m sure you will still get the annoying emails because those people have no shame. 😉
Yup, got another one this morning. You gotta love the opening sentance from the fake PP email: “We Sincerely Seek Your Esteemed Co-operation In Order To Get The Total Fund Released To Your Account.” Who the heck talks/writes like that?!? I do enjoy messing with these losers.
Todd, ill like to know the guy that says hes a marine engineer out to sea. To tell you the truth, I know this guy from lagos Nigeria. His name is lanre oyekan, he likes to scam people on the internet saying he is a navy senior chief and he works for a project overseas.
If u receive an email from anyone telling u about a business you can make good money, do not attempt to listen to that person, it is a scam from africa, most especially lagos nigeria, he or she might tell u he or she works for the unitedstates military and he or she is out to sea on deployment, be careful guys.I have seen and met this guy and you might be lucky to find out if he is the same guy sending you this email paypal scam.
Guys be careful, if he attempt to ask you for some money via paypal.ask for his name, investigate who and where the person is from.
The nigerian guy I told u about travels back and forth to sandiego, houston and other cities and he scams people for a living.
Be very careful so you dont end up a victim
i was so stupid i got burned. i got an email from kruppdukejr1@gmail.com wanting to buy for a friend. Before that, a woman named agatathompson@gmail.com emailed me and said she would add $500 to the purchase price (which they did not quibble with) but she implored me to go to the nearest western union office with $500 of my own funds and then it would be added to my deposit. i did not. however, the next buyer, kruppdukejr1, i received an email from enujekorucas1@gmail.com on behalf of Service ****@***pay—pay and interestingly enough ppconfirmedunit@easy.com relfecting a deposit in my account of $1870.00 with the paypal logo and everything. i don’t know how they did did it, but stupid must be in my family, i went to western union and sent $570 to a guy in Florida (Naples) named Joshua Regnier who picked up the money within 2 hours. i then got an email from krupp saying he had confirmed with paypal that the money would be active in my account within two hours. it wasn’t.
All i can do now is try to find these people through the local officials and press charges, but i doubt if anything will happen to them, and i sure don’t expect my money back. the email receipt of funds looked so very authentic i didn’t stop to think. i’m naming names so everyone can see who all tried this little venture and if you hear from any of them, email me. i have reported it to the fraud department of western union (which will probably do no good), and am filing a police report with Dallas PD. I spoke with Naples FL PD and they told me to send a copy of the police report to them. this seems to be an organized ring of sorts because i got a 3rd request for the final price from another woman. started out the same way.
just want you to know. Laugh if you like, because that’s all my wife and i can do right now is laugh at our lesson learned late in life. I find it hard to believe that it’s easier to steal than to work for a living. in the first place, why would paypal use western union when they are just like western union (i wasn’t thinking) . Then Krupp writes me back and says he has nothing to do with it, his computer was hacked and they got $900 from his brotherinlaw. RIGHT.
Folks, you have the names. so if you hear from anyone wanting to add to your asking price for you to pay shipping, don’t fall for it.
Sorry to hear about your situation. My advice for anyone who gets this similar situation is, “Receipts can be faked!”. Always log in to your paypal account and make sure the money is there for REAL. Never trust any correspondence anyone sends you. And yes, it is easier to be a crook than to work for a living. These people have existed since the beginning of time. The term “Snake oil salesman” comes to mind. I’m sure they were probably selling fake rocks during the stone ages also. 😉
I looked for a job on Craig’s list. Got an answer from SFL.inc. they asked for my résumé, asked me to fax a test written by hand – the said I was HIRED and sent a contract – which like the silly goose that I am, I filled – so here they are with my info in hand. Now a person named Cathleen Tiger asks me if I have an ebay account, how many feedbacks, if I have a Paypal account – and for how long. All the emails used weird, slightly broken English. But I thought since they have a website, that they simply hired an illiterate – not a crook. Finally this Cathleen Tiger emails me that her secretary is on vacation, that I should sell stuff for them on eBay and I’ll get 10%. At that point I woke up, realized there is no job and that I am being conned. I wrote them telling them I’ll report all this to the FBI. This C. Tiger answered that they are legit (yeah, right) and they’ll DELETE my info – then said they’ll contact me when they open their office in town. How – if they deleted my info?!? I feel sick to my stomach and these people will get away with their crimes. Maybe they are using my name to rob somebody else, even while I write this. Beware!!
Hi Chuck, I just wanted to say thanks for your warning. I recently listed a few guitars on CL and was contacted by a pushy buyer who insisted on using PayPal. I was suspicious of his absurd language and told him I would only deal with someone I could speak with directly. He said that he couldn’t use the phone due to severe hearing loss (oil rig explosion). When I asked him why a person with severe hearing loss would want to buy a guitar, he said he was doing it for a friend that was wary of internet scams. Luckily, I was also wary and decided to do a little research. That’s when I came across this helpful blog. If you’re still trying to build a case against this prick:
kruppdukejr1@gmail
He’s latched-on to me now, but doesn’t know that I know. Maybe I could help, you’ve certainly helped me.
I have a question. I’m the buyer and the seller wants us to use paypal to do the transaction. WOuld I be able to get my money back fi it is a fraud?
Yes, you can, but there are many conditions. Read up on the PayPal conditions so you can protect yourself. Go to PayPal and read their Buyers and Sellers guides so you know their current rules.
I am selling a princess cut diamond ring and I got text messages from all of these phone numbers.
(513)341-6793 kolgilbert@gmail.com
(773)669-1433 Joes Bold
(435)660-7383
(513)900-8078 Jim Howard
(702)208-2512 Adenuga Edward
They all wanted to pay me extra for shipping and also they all wanted to pay by Paypal. I only sell local and take cash!!!
(513)900-8078 – My son is trying to sell a diamond ring and he listed it on Craig’s List. He received a reply by text from this number, as did the lady above. Luckily, my son is smart enough to say, “in person and cash only.” I looked up this number to find out that the carrier is a landline registered in Ohio, many hours away from we are. I happened along this post, and thought I’d add a “strike” against this number, as well.
Im selling a high-end oven and this is the response I received from a Kathy Rose lol:
Thanks for the email, I m a marine technician and I am ways 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 duty and coming to your residence for inspection won’t be possible as I have said earlier. I have gone through the advertisement add and for what am seeing through the advertisement 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 ahead with the deal right away.
1. are you the owner?
2. pick up location
3. Your paypal email id to effect the payment
Lolol lets start with NO AMERICAN talks like this, secondly if you are always out to sea then why in the hell do you need a high end gourmet oven, next let me say I was in the military and currently work for the government so I am not new to security provisions but you are telling me you can’t receive or make calls but you can email me from a gmail account? lol, next are you adding my advertisements? Next why the hell do you care if I am the owner or not, you already said you are at sea so why do you need the pick up location, for security purposes I doubt you could use Paypal and who says”your PayPal email Id to effect the payment?”
One thing also that many people seem to forget is that its really stupid to use PayPal because they will charge you fees. They take out a percentage of the money sent to you as fees. I doubt that the other party is willing to send it with additional fees, or that they will mark it as a gift to you a friend of theirs. It’s just not smart no matter how you slice it.
I think these are MY crooks! “Mine” also used “kindly” a lot!
I think I have just received this scam regarding the sale of my car through Craig’s List. Buyer says he is at sea, a marine biologist, will pay full price plus fees. He is buying it for his cousin. Now he wants me to pay the shipper once the money is in PayPal. All these above postings have confirmed my suspicions.
Same scam! My buyer is in the Navy. LOL!
Last night, technically this morning at 1:50 A.M. I received a text message frome Katie Perry Lee, (LOL) She told me she was pleased with my ad for my 2002 Nissan Maxima, She proceeded to say ” I Only do Business through paypal, do you have an account, if so can i have your full name and email listed on it”. I will send you 2400 and a shipping agency will come pick it up for me. I am currently working on my vacation farm in Arizona. (Who works on a farm in the summer while they are on Vacation?) I asked her to call me and she said I am Mute i can not talk on the phone, I asked if she could wire me money through western union or money order, or even a personal check. She said She has no form of transportation thus is why she was wanting the vehicle, when i asked her for her email she did not respond, i then said I can meet you halfway in texas and take 2000 dollars she said she could only use paypal, never once asked why I am selling my car, is this a scam, or does katie perry really want my car hahaha
Thank you for the response. I’m buying it for my Dad as a gift and I want it as a surprise package to appreciate him towards his achievements and should be delivered before my arrival to Wisconsin cause my family resides in Wisconsin.
Anyways, I am working as a Construction Engineer and we are presently offshores in USA/Mexico and we do not have access to phones at the moment so am working 15days offshore and 15days onshore that’s why I contacted you with internet web messaging application and you can easily text me on my phone number (210) 201 7491.
Please I will need to ask a few question from you:
– Where is it located at the moment and can I see more closer pictures?
– Does it have any history I should be aware of?
– Why are you selling if you don’t mind my asking and What is your last price?
I am already in talks with the courier that will handle the pick-up and delivery to Wisconsin. As regards the payment, I can pay you through direct bank deposit, using paypal instant bank wire transfer service. I will need your bank details (Bank name, routing#, account # and name of account). If you are not comfortable with that, you can set up a paypal account @ http://www.paypal.com and I will make the payment through paypal, this way all I will need is your paypal email address. Hope to read from you soon.
kelvin cath
kelvin cath’s profile photo
kelvin.cath3565@gmail.com
I received the following text message from this same scammer:
Is your RV advert still available?Pls get back to me with your firm price on ( kelvin.cath3565@gmail.com ) ASAP. Thank you !!
I had the exact scam happen recently when I was helping my stepdad sell his drum set on Craigslist. The lady said she was on a ship and didn’t have access to a phone due to no signals. Then, she said that an agent would pick up my stepdad’s drums if I Money Gram her money she was going to send me. I am so happy that my stepdad and I caught on to what she was doing before anything bad happened.
Got a similar message on my Facebook page, telling me this guy is a marine biologist working for the navy – that he likes me and wants my email address. He had a Facebook in his name – but the idiots had used a CARNIVAL CRUISE ship as a background! The name of the ship was visible!! The page was gone within a day.
All these scammers out to sea and having to deal with things for family and friends who are here on land. Hmmm? Add 714-696-0818 to the list. All text responses.
i am sell a car on craigslist and a man text me telling me he wanted it and was going to pay with paypal i thought it would be fine he says he sent the payment and i needed to send 650 of it to a shipper in new mexico thats when i started thinking something is wrong so i called paypal and it was a scam. they told me to forward the email and now the man is telling me that i have to do it and if i dont i could go to jail. i have responded to his texts. just got a email from service@intl.paypal.com telling me if i dont send the money with in 24 hour they will take legal action and they have informed the FBI
Hahahahaha that is hilarious. Don’t worry NOTHING will happen to you. If you look at the emails from PayPal you will see in the RAW text from your email server that the email comes from some place else but they modify the sender to make it look official. Its BS, dont worry.
hahaha it happen to me just yesterday I also did call Paypal the real one I also reported to Google because the return email address was a Google account: janetcynthia108@gmail.com and the name that contact me was Alicia Doughty and then they wanted me to send to a Marie Lambrecht in buffalo Minnesota. 3 different names I was given.
Ok so a few months ago I was looking for a job I came across a interesting ad on Craigslist for a housekeeping job. The job was 3 to 4 days a week and I would be paid $400 weekly. I responded to the ad and they said I would be cleaning their families house until they moved in and if I still wanted to work there as their housekeeper I would be able to. I told them I would like to move forward with the process. I was asked my name, birthday, email, home address, phone number, and city. I provided the information and we was suppose to set up a time for a interview. A few days later I received a email with a tracking number stating my payment was on its way. They also stated that they was were in the hospital so they were sending extra money for me to send to the painter via Western union. Once the check arrived I called the number on the fed ex envelope and they told me they never sent anything to me and their records showed several things were sent using there fed ex account without their knowledge. The person that sent me the check began to email me constantly telling me to deposit the check and take my $400 and send $1200 to the “painter”. I told him I would but the bank said the check looked fraudulent so I didn’t even bother with it. I emailed them and told them the check was fake and they began threatening me. They told me to send the money now or they would send the police to get me.
add this one.. I even copied my response to the KC FBI and the scammer still replied back…..
So – let me get this right – you want to buy my 32 ft 11,000 lb and 11.5 ft
wide sailboat and will have some one “pick it up”? $25,000 and no survey
needed?
Are you out of town? I thought I recognized this scenario.
Please confirm this situation so the fine folks at the KC FBI can let me
know that you are on the level and not another Craigslist scammer.
Thanks for your kind and courteous reply.
Rick
—–Original Message—–
From: Joel Raymond
Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2014 1:12 PM
To: Rick
Subject: Re: 32 morgan
Thanks for getting back to me, just asking about it to make sure its
in good condition, so can you assure me i will not be disappointed?
also no shipment involved as i have a mover that will come for it, Im
okay with the price and condition, I can only pay you via (PayPal) do
you have a PayPal account? Let me know asap so i can arrange the
payment through PayPal. my shipper will be coming to pick it up as
soon as the payment clears into your account, Await your reply.
—
I found your post on Craiglist, so I wanted to know if you still have
the item available for sale. Please let me know the conditions and
also send me some recent photos so I can be sure of what I am buying.
Thanks
Please note that all the replies are sent with the “found your post on craigslist” section like an auto signature. he is responding to so many and is too lazy to type it each time he tries this scam.
Thanks to all who created this page to help identify these people
This is a tremendously useful site. Just moments ago I was contacted via text by an individual who asked ?s for which the info was clearly stated in the ad – very formulaic, and the agreed to pay the asking price through paypal and a mover would then come to pick up the item after “confirmation” of payment. They used an Michigan area code but said they were from Mississippi when I asked. I am in Charleston. As much as I would like to sell this dining set and free up some space as well as $ the rat smell was pretty strong. I told them I did not have a paypal account and told them that a money order/certified check would be fine.
That is when the text conversation came to a halt – I called the # but only reached the standard cellphone greeting.
As soon as he/she mentioned paypal I googled my way to this site and the rest is history. Trust your gut – its always better to walk away from the deal if you are not feeling it.
Gracias to all.
This time they did not use PayPal. Beware of ‘Steven Butland’!
My wife just experienced the scam where the scammer sends you MORE money than you asked for. They asked for her to please just wire the balance to their “shipping agent” through Western Union they will arrange a pickup. If you do this, then the scammer files a charge-back saying their account has been hacked, and that they never intended to send you any money. The bank then debits the money from your account.
Beware of this Steven Butland scam! Below is the FedEx label that delivers the over payment check, ostensibly from ‘David & Company’ of Boston, MA. David & Company is a legitimate business (I think) that deals in jewelry.
Thank God for this share as I’m thinking to apply for pay pal to start my business. What about pay pal here? Is that safe? Or full of scams too? Thanks again
Pay Pal is safe as long as you are careful how you use it. Be sure to turn on all the safetys and have your buttons encrypted. You should be fine.
Here’s a story that happened momenst ago. thank goodness for this site. I was selling some parts on craigslist and someone began their scamming. he wants to send me extra money and finally reveals a fake name. Start at Bottom and go up
richard ben wrote: Name: Adebayo Williams
ME: i know how western union works, but need to know the agent name to have a name for western union
richard ben wrote:
contact them they will explain it to you
ME:which company is this
richardben033@gmail.com> wrote:
okay you can contact them trough there number but you can only text them through this number 307) 298-0851
ME: do you have a particular agent in mind? how can i contact them and make sure everything is legit.
wrote:
You will send them the money via western union before they can come overthere
ME:so will i pay them the 200 when they get here. havent used an agent before
wrote:
I want to send the pick up agent to your side and they only charge $200 for the pick up so include the money in the invoice
Whenever someone talks about agent pickup, sending extra money, uses bad grammar, etc. i immediately delete the email. These scams are not hard to spot.
Now check this ..this scammer is even replyign to my email where i said i accept only cash— see below…tops all ..works in WHO. Read it
Email came as below:
Establish your final selling price with my mom on
mathsformars@gmail.com.
Thanks..
______
I replied to that email address
______
Calls her self : Charlotte Linney and wrote:
Good to hear back from you. I’m satisfied with the price and the
condition. Presently, i am out of town with my WORLD HEALTH
ORGANIZATION TEAM to raise funds for People Living with Diabetes and i
won’t be able to come for the inspection due to the nature of my work.
I will be paying you through PayPal as it is the only Medium at which
i can send Payment at the Moment.if you don’t have a PayPal account,
It’s pretty easy to set up a PayPal account at http://www.paypal.com . it’s
just a few minutes away from signing up. it’s safe and secure for both
Parties and i have been using PayPal to buy and sell for years now
without problems. Pls get back to me with your FINAL SELLING PRICE and
PayPal email so i can proceed with the payment and contact the Pick up
Agent who will come
for the Pick up
I look forward to your Positive response
Charlotte
_____________________________________________________
I replied: We only do cash.
She is a tough one replied back this:
I do strictly cash deals but presently, I’m away on an assignment and
that is why i am offering to Pay you via PayPal. I have been using
PayPal to buy and
sell for years now and i have never for once had any problems
whatsoever. I Also have a 90% Customer rating with PayPal. i’ll send
full Payment as soon as you provide me with your PayPal email address
and FINAL SELLING PRICE.
Regards
Charlotte
———
Any person would think this is for real, but I see a scam and your post confirms it…Mom turned into Charlotte and works for WHO …wow and you want to buy when you are out of town without seeing it.>>I would rather not sell it instead of getting into trouble with scammers and this time quite stubborn scammer.
We are also selling a motorcycle and first received a text message, then an email (below) that was almost word for word as above also!! He used a different Gmail address in the text than what was in the email. He claimed he couldn’t call us, only send a text. That was a red flag so I did some Googling and found this site. Thank you!!!!
Oscar Morales Email:
Thanks for the reply back. I’m just asking about it to make sure its in good condition as am buying it for my son as a birthday surprise gift and he doesn’t know about it, so can you assure me i will not be disappointed? I’m a Molecular biologist / Oceanographer and am currently on sea right now which is strictly no calls. I study subduction erosion and effects of benthic foraminifera. My Mode of payment is PayPal because i don’t have access to my bank account online, but i have it attached to my PayPal account. Since I’m requesting this transaction to be done via PayPal, I will be responsible for all the PayPal fees/charges on this transaction, if you don’t have an account with PayPal, it’s pretty easy, safe and secure to open one. Just log on to http://www.paypal.com. I hope we can make this transaction as fast as possible. Less I forgot, I have a Mover that will come for pickup once payment is cleared in your PayPal account and they will be handling the title for me, as I look forward to hearing from you with your PayPal information as requested below.
Your PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name:
Firm Price:
Address for Pick Up:
Phone Number:
Awaiting your response asap..
I love these guys. They can never be a regular guy making a purchase. They always have these fancy titled jobs that they are involved in. The sad part about it is that most of these scammers sitting in a hut in Nigeria probably have no more than a 5th grade education. I get a good laugh from these every time. 🙂
The really sad part is there are a lot of naïve people out there that aren’t savvy with these SOB’s. We aren’t experienced with selling things on Craig’s List but know people who are who sent us your link after I forwarded the email. (thank you again 1000 times!!! :)) Both hubby and I have worked with law enforcement both state and federal, (retired) so we had the automatic red flags along with cynicism which made us search and ask further. I have to thank you so much for your site.
I just got an email that was almost IDENTICAL to this. Phew! Glad I looked here first. Now to send a sassy response haha.
Hi Bill. I guess I fell for this one. I just gave that info yesterday on an email was but second guessing it , so I decided to look at some sites on scams. They haven’t gotten any merchandise from me yet, But I gave them my info you listed above. What can they do with that info? Do I need to change or cancel anything. Please help! 🙂 Thanks!! DBG
You have nothing to worry about. Keep an eye on your accounts as any smart person would, but I doubt that you will have any issues.
I am looking for a vacation rental in Chicago and came across one that honestly looks too good to be true. In the leading lines it states that it is a six bedroom unit. Later it says it’s a four bedroom unit. I answered the ad using my email and now I’m nervous that I did. The ad lists the cost at$190. In the email response from the DUPLEX owner he says:
Thanks for the interest in my apartment, Yes my apartment is available for your date April 4th – April 8th, 4 nights, My apartment is cost $160 per night with a security deposit of $300 which will be refundable at the end of your stay if nothing is damage on my property.
4 nights at $160 per night: $640
Security Deposit: $300
Total to be paid to secure your date : $940
Note: Payment most be made so your date will be secured. after payment receipt will be sent to you which you will be bringing along with you on your arrival.
Hope to read back from you soon as so for me to send you the Agreement form and form of payment detail.
Thanks
Now that I have answered him with my email, what should I do to protect my email?
You don’t need to worry much at all. There isn’t much this person can do to your email account unless he is a hacker of some sort. Otherwise just spam the guy and you will never need to see his emails again. If you are worried, just make sure you have a good password, or change it to a better one now. If any of your online stuff uses this email, make certain that the same password is not used for all of them so even if they did hack your account they cant get farther than that. Most emails now are very good about that. Last year someone tried to hack into my Gmail account and Gmail stopped it cold because geolocation told Gmail they were in South America (or Africa I forget) which is not where I am. So it was stopped cold and I had to reset my password to gain access again.
I was selling a painting on Craigslist and received an email that went something like this:
—
“Catherine Hudson
11:23 PM (57 minutes ago)
to me
Good to hear back from you. What is your final asking price? I’m okay
with the condition.
Presently, i am out of town for my vacation and i won’t be able to come for
the inspection due to my location. Moreover, I would have loved
to call but am out of service for days now which
restricts calls.I have a pick up agent who will be coming for the pick up
after the transaction has been completed. I will be paying you through
PayPal as it is the only Medium at which i can send Payment at the Moment.
I would appreciate if you email me with more pictures (if available) too
since i won’t be be able to see this in person. And if you don’t have a
PayPal account, It’s pretty easy to set up a PayPal account at
http://www.paypal.com. it’s just a few minutes away from signing up. it’s
safe and secure for both Parties and i have been using PayPal to buy
and sell for years
now without problems. Pls get back to me with your PayPal email so i
can proceed with the payment and contact the Pick up Agent who will
come for the Pick up of the item.
I will need these following details so i can proceed with the payment right
away
1:Your PayPal e-Mail Address
2: Home Address
As soon as you get back to me with your PayPal email, I’ll proceed
with full Payment. I look forward to reading from you soon.
Regards”
—
I knew something was fishy about this, because first of all her email is kristinediaz46@gmail.com, but she went under the name “Catherine Hudson” 😐 Plus the wording is just all too weird.
Since I don’t really like paypal in the first place, I just told her that I only meet up locally, and only accept cash at this time.
After I sent that, I googled “craigslist paypal scam” to make sure my suspicions were correct. And of course… they were 😐
Come on. Can’t you tell right away from the poorly written response that this is a scam? Every time someone say’s they will have another person pick the item up – run, don’t walk away! This has scam written all over it.
I have a motorcycle for sale on Craigslist and got an email back from Frankie Mc Mahan @ destinycvy@gmail.com. See following emails to watch out for the scams they are putting in place. If I would have followed up I would have lost the bike and the $1250 Moneygramed to the “shipper”. I currently have 4 emails from “PayPal” in my spam folder but no money in my “real” PayPal account. These are fake PayPal accounts to lure you into believing they have deposited the money and to proceed to the shipping phase of the transaction. Another thing these people do is have you ship and then contact the “real” paypal and say they have never received. According to everything I am reading is PayPal will refund them their money back out of your account! Loose money and product. See following emails from this scammer:
#1 from Frankie
Hi,
You should consider it sold .I want to buy it for someone ,and
the payment would be through PayPal . I am working in a ship at
moment, i am out to the sea,So it is a pick up agent that would be
coming for the picking up. i would like you to forward your Paypal
email add. and name with more pictures .
I would be expecting your prompt reply,with the name and the
email address on your PayPal account so that i could make the payment
asap and i will appreciate if you could send more pics as i would
not be seeing it in person and the picking up would be at a
designated place or your residence.And, Lastly , i am offering
additional $ 100 to your final price for you to keep it off from other
offers.
#2.from Frankie
I just want to know more about it to make sure its in good condition
so can you assure me i will not be disappointed??? I have a little
problem with the pickup agent and i was told to make a payment of
$1,250 for the pickup agent, which i will be including with the
paypal payment now. I will add the $1,250 to the $4,000 (total
$5,250) and once you received the payment confirmation you can help
me send the $1,250 to the Pickup agent through Moneygram as i have
tried so many times to make the payment directly to them but they will
not accept paypal only Moneygram, and i couldn’t send the money
offshore because i forget to bring along with me my credit card .So I
will make the payment right now to you and once you receive the
payment confirmation help me send the money to them to schedule the
pickup arrangement.
#3.(me)
I have a question. Why don’t you get on line with your credit card account and get the information to forward to your shipper ?
#4. He/she Frankie
i told i forget my credit card at home.
After this I discontinued any correspondence.
i got some emails from katherinewyv@gmail.com classic money overpay and question to cash it and send it somewhere via moneygram…
scammer email:pls reply me via buy12878@gmail.com wat is the lowest price? tx
Alicia James
Sent from the Samsung Galaxy Rugby Pro, an AT&T LTE smartphone
me: the lowest price is f$%k you
You should add this scam and any others to our new Forum. We just created a forum on our website so people can more freely add scams and everything else that they experience on Craigslist. Also it will act as a help forum that is not judgmental like the one on Craigslist. People will be able to help each other with posting and ghosting problems. Go to http://www.beatcraigslist.com/forum and register for free.
I had accepted a job via craiglist as an ‘accountant’… this guy has been having ‘customers’ send money into my paypal for so called rental properties. I have even uncovered a contract where he put my name on as the owner of an apartment. None of the names of anything match up… He uses different names on the contracts and there have been around 6 different transactions since i started only a week ago. Now that I am suspecting foul play, what can I do to protect myself? I have sent around $1500 from my paypal account to some strange address in S. Africa. The money was all verified but I am concerned that when these people go to there rental there may be something wrong. I have told the man I want nothing to do with this entire thing… Has anyone ever heard of this before? Sorry I know I sound so stupid right now but I didn’t suspect any thing foul until I started really thinking this over. Why would anyone who owns so many properties need someone else to accept payments into their paypal? He even put my name on one of the contracts as an owner of a property. What will happen if these are not valid and I am stuck in the middle? These people will attempt to contact the rental person but still Iam the one accepting payments via paypal… Could this be legit?
I’m not a lawyer, but I can foresee a lot of potential problems since you have been the “man in the middle” of all of this. If your name is on one of the contracts than that is even more trouble. I would contact an attorney or the police and try to limit your liability. If or when this blows up, yours is the only name anyone will know and go after.
I was looking for a job as well. These people were advertising that they look for a sales advisor and they have website. Now they have my info – including DOB and signature – and I have no way of preventing them from doing some mischief… Not a pleasant feeling.
We scored selling a Jag paperweight for cash and meeting the buyer. We scored buying a bed and TempurMedic mattress. We have not scored trying to sell furniture. Some probability of success using them. But beware. Lots of attempted frauds.
I received an email requesting tracking number and scanned copy of shipping receipt from “pay pal” is this a scam? the package was sent yesterday and prepared to arrive in Alaska on Friday. What c a meeting I do to stop it if it is a scam?
Why would you have to send that anyway? I would wait for the package before doing anything. But don’t worry, if its a scam, there will be NO package.
I just got one for some office furniture that I’m selling, it’s a six-desk bullpen setup for $5000. It’s not really the kind of gift you would get your father… I figure any reply at all would only add to the potential risk of this person scamming me… Here’s the email I got “Thanks,I’m seriously interested in buying this for my Father as gift, your asking price is quite reasonable and affordable considering others I’ve seen lately,I would have loved to come check it out my self but am currently in camp as military sere instructor for new recruits. I however squeezed out time to check this posting as all personal dealings are highly restricted here, i really want this as a surprise gift for my Father so i won’t let him know anything about this until it get delivered to him and due to the fact that phone calls making are restricted……i will be paying you with my PayPal account because it’s attached to my bank account and its safe and very secure way to make payment. If my mode of payment is accepted just send me your paypal email address,(Paypal ID) so i can pay in right away. I’ll need your name, the pickup address or location and please include your PayPal email address for the payment and send me some recent pictures if available And if you don’t have a PayPal account, you can easily go to http://www.paypal.com and sign up. its very easy. I await your reply asap Thanks Marion Villaneva USAF”
Beware.
I’m selling a very expensive Motorcycle and I received a text message and then an email that was almost word for word the same. It’s a scam for sure.
Dealing with a similar issue with a man by the name of Dave Nelson from craigslist that is interested in a schoolbus i am selling. Here’s the transcript thus far:
Hello and how are you doing? I saw your ad and i am interested. I would like to know what the present condition is, you sell for 5,000$, what is your final asking price and do you have more pictures. You can contact me directly at email, dav_nelson@outlook.com .
I hope to hear from you soon.
David
…
Good morning David. The final asking price would be $4300, but I am willing to discuss an offer if you have one. I have a few additional photos, and I want to let you know The bus is located in Jacksonville, Al. The bus cranks up but has been sitting a few months. It was used mainly to transport my disabled brother in law between alabama and Iowa.
…..Thanks for your honesty on your reply, I’m satisfied with the condition of the item, Now we can talk about the payment … i will be making the purchase right away as i want it picked up and delivered by next week, if you are willing to complete this transaction with me today. I will be needing it urgently and i will like you to send it to my shipping Agent by next week. I will be making the payment via Check deposit or Paypal . kindly get back to me with your home address and full names details or your Paypal email id, so i can proceed with the payment..
Regards David.
David,
Is there a number where I can contact you? I want to make sure this is not a scam.
Sure here is my number +13526392221 feel free to text me on there..
(Text no reply..searched on Google and it is a landline. Also searched David in Gainesville)
Friends of mine who frequenty sell goods on the internet said it wouldn’t hurt to give him my paypal email address so i did. Heres his reply
Thanks, I will be sending the funds today. Like i said before I will Organize a shipping Agent who will be in-charge of the pick up. I will be adding their charges to the total amount i will be paying you, and all commission payments made for pick up, i would need you to help me transfer their charges to the shipping Agent once you get the payment.
i will write you an email as soon as the payment is been sent .
Regards David
O_O
Shipping Agent = SCAM!!!!!
I received an email from a Renzo Collins today wanting to buy a ring I have on CL. His name came up as Joel Charles and he asked me to email him at a rocketmail address. I had a feeling right away that he was a scammer. He had a slightly odd way of wording in his email. So I used an alternate email account I have that does not give my name. I stated I do not deal with business that is not local and I do not accept Pay Pal. He wanted me to give him my Pay Pal info and he told me I needed to get a Pay Pal acct if I did not have one. Rude! He offered $100 more than I asked to cover shipping. I knew he was definitely a scam! Ugh! I read that someone else on this site had an issue with a Collins Renzo (same guy probably, just flipped his names) who also wanted to buy jewelry.
Today I received an E-Mail from PayPal in my junk mail.. Well not to confuse you all but I opened a paypal account a week ago and closed the account 2 days ago. I never did finish the process with my paypal account with my bank account number and credit card nber as well I was a bit worried about this buyer Frankie Mcmaham and here’s his email address destinycvy@gmail.com this is the biggest scare so please folks beware of the A-Hole well back to my story I canceled my paypal account, them I received an email from paypal on my junk mail and that email was BS because everything that email had is identical to what everyone has received in this blog that I have read.. Thank you all for all the info. So as follow I called paypal customer service and asked them how is it possible for me to received a paypal email reguarding a pending payment to me when my paypal is closed as I’m cancel. And they look and check and nothing so I gave paypal the verification number that paypal is showing pending amount of the sum. So I have the number and it’s a bad number…lol
Ok get this the buyer sends me an address of the shipper and name ok. I looked up the address on Google and behold its a residence address. So this scammer thinks I’m dumb so I’m going to make him assume that I sent the money to his so called shipper.. And the shipping cost to Anchorage Alaska he quoted by his shipper is $1,100.00
Well just so you know folks I knew from the first email this person was a fraud or scammer and how, there was a lot of red flags.. He offer to pay my asking price of the item I’m selling on Craig’s list and a additional $100.00 to close my Craig’s list post witch he didn’t even hesitated to try and talk me down witch to me seem strange because anyone who is buying something would like to make an offer to see if the seller will except. And then the latest email I got from this a$$hole was he’s having problems with the shipper and he can’t make a payment so he wants me to help him out and pay for the shipment via western union to his shipper and take that number I got form Western Union receipt and give that to PayPal to release the whole funds to my account. Witch is a BS because I don’t have a paypal account.. My goodness these scammers out there are really stupid to use the same script on everyone.
So just so you all know I’m really having a field day with this a$$hole scammer witch I know you all are saying why do all that and waste your time.. I agree but I just want to give him the run arounds..
So please folks beware of that scammer out there I posted his name and email and if any of you have received am email identical email address that I posted them don’t waste your time.
Have a safe day
AkinFokai
Wow, Im so glad I found this. Pretty sure Im getting scammed.
Selling my iPhone, from Craigslist.
Using Pay Pal.
Upon doing research I found that Pay Pal only protects sellers if using Ebay.
I got three emails, asking to confirm and whatnot. Basically I had to ship the item to NIGERIA and then I would get a confirmation and tracking number. Then Pay Pal would put the funds into my account. “New Security Feature.”
I promptly looked up the name “Johnson Gbenga” and typed Scammer in Google.
Appearantly there are a lot of Gbenga scammers, and a lot of information on them as well.
Especially from Lagos, Nigeria where he wanted me to ship it.
Of course, it was an email and series of texts from a nice American woman name.
Full adress and Phone :
Johnson Gbenga
NO 20, Pedro Str
Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria, 2340
# (724) 291-6203
Scam, am I right?
I had the same email thread from Frankie McMahan, destinycvy@gmail.com as this one. I now have 5 messages from PayPal???? in my spam mail, no monies in my “good” PayPal account. Wants to give me extra $1200 to ship item since he/she is on a boat and forgot their credit card at home and the shipper won’t take PayPal. I am assuming I would be out of the product being shipped and the $1200 Moneygram to the shipper. (I checked and I can ship this product anywhere in the US for $600.)
Smart not to fall for that. You should go to our forum and post up the entire email that you got on our forum. I want to turn that into a searchable database of all the scam emails that people get. This way hopefully by being more searchable than here, we can help people find the exact names, phone numbers and emails of all these scammers. Hopefully shut these people down eventually.
Beware of this Email address and this person claims to be in Anchorage Alaska and he or she is working in a ship..
Beware of this email:
destinycvy@gmail.com
I have read every post that was in here and its so amazing that I did my research because I posted am item on Craig’s list and I got a reply from a guy from Anchorage Alaska and he want to pay my asking price with out talking me down and he wanted to add an extra $100.00 for me to take the post off Craig’s list well after a couple of back and forth emails I learned after the first that this person is a scammer so what had happen he claims to be out in sea on a ship and he’s buying the item I’m selling for someone. But I just think its to good to be true and a bunch of red flags was in the air.. He kept insisting that I give him my paypal email address and now he email me and he saying that he’s having problems with the shipper and he’s going to pay me extra more for the shipper and I will have to send the extra he sent me to western union another red flag.. Well just SONYOU know the red flag arise when I receive the first email..my wife did some research and found your site and we read all the warning signs you have put on your site and the funny thing off all is this.. After reading some of the post damn I must say. The people that has posted in here I’m regards of there questions about fraud there story about the buyer being out in sea and asking for paypal email then wanting the seller to send money to the shipper through western union its identical to what I received on email about the item I’m selling… Lol thanks people for the education and this is a great site to find unanswered answer..
Thank again
Almost took for an idiot
Here’s one I don’t see covered in any of the sections here or on the beatcraigslist site. I recently replied to an ad for a job and this is what I got in response:
I really appreciate your response regarding the part-time errand position and sorry for responding late, My name is Richardson and My wife’s name is Ariel Amandamila. We are relocating from San Francisco, California to Arizona with our twin sons Ethan and Nathan. I have been transferred to head my company branch over there, so I will need someone who could help me in taking care of the apartment by doing some house work while i am off to work because we are expecting our third child soon and it will be very stressful for my wife to do the cleaning.
I will be offering you $300 weekly, I will be needing your services for 5 hours at any suitable time of yours. I believe you are fit for this position in as much you will prove yourself to be a reliable and good person, My company’s headquarter will take care of all your payments and other expenses too, so I will instruct them to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service, actually if i am satisfied with your service after the first week, i shall make it weekly and with time make provision for an increase in the payment.
They will be making out a check to you before our arrival, you will be receiving a check out of which you will be deducting your pay of $300 for the first week and you will be using the remaining to buy groceries and other things needed in the house, you will getting this foodstuff on the day of our arrival which is the 25th of January, 2014. Actually our flight from California will arrive at night so you will be getting the groceries in the morning and making all other preparations. I will also instruct my Realtor to mail the keys of the apartment to you as soon as the renovation work is completed so that you can do all other necessary preparations before we arrive. The apartment is located at E 6th St, Tucson, AZ 85716. I will also email you the shopping list in due time.
You have to get all the shopping ready before our arrival so that we wont have to start running around when we arrive, So I would be needing the following Information from you to make out the check to you.
Full Name to be on Check,
Home Address :
City, Zip Code:
State:
Cell Phone:
Home Phone:
Email address:
All I need from you is total honesty and sincerity and you will also have a nice period of time working with my wife. I will be waiting to hear from you.
Thanks.
Richardson & Ariel Amandamila
Now obviously there is no paypal involved here and it looks like they’re simply after my info. But could it possibly be legit?
It may be legit or it may be an identity thief looking for info. I would dig deeper. Ask more questions. What company does he work for? Where is this company located? Call the company and see if that person works there, or if yes, then ask to speak to that person. They may be using a real name of a real person and that person may be shocked to find out when you speak to him, if you get what I mean. Run by that apartment address and see what you can find out. For your info, I would suggest to use a P.O. Box address (some P.O boxes give you a real street address, and your box number can be written as apt#, or suite#). Use a cell number and tell them you have no home number as that is “Obsolete” these days. If you really need and want the job, just make very sure of all the info you get and be careful with what info you give out.
I received this exact same e-mail but with a different name and location. (California by the beach) I am positive it is NOT legit!!! I don’t know what exactly they are after but I sent no info.
No not legit because about a year ago I got a similar one saying that he needed a personal assistant and that I also had to get everything ready for him because he was going to be flying in from the UK back to his house in Mn. He wanted to send me a check in advance and told me how much I would make etc… I went on google to look up the phone number he was texting me from and it had other complaints as well. And now just 3 days ago I posted a computer for sale on Craigslist and every text or email I got was a scammer asking for me to set up a Pay Pal account. One even said he’d give me a hundred extra if I do it right away so he could get it to his daughter asap “as hers broke and she desperately needs one!” After this I’m done with Craigslist. There are a lot of idiots out there ruining it for everyone. Would rather rip people off than get a job. I guess I just noticed you wrote this a while ago. Hopefully you didn’t fall for it!
I responded to the same job and they sent me the exact same email word for word with the exception of the address, they told me the apt was in Norfolk Va on York street, must bea scam
Was contacted by someone that wanted to purchase my 5 piece dining set and pay for it to be shipped – they were willing to pay shippers fee.
Scammers name: Capt Victoria Lopex
Scammers phone number: 904-494-8356
I googled the phone number and this website came up – someone else on this site had a nearly identical experience.
I’m selling a printer and someone from another state texts me about it…they said they have a fedex account shipping wouldn’t be an issue, I would just have to drop it off…they said they can pay through paypal or direct deposit into my bank account…how can I confirm this is legit??
You can’t and it isn’t. Why would anyone want to buy a printer on CL from another state when you can go to any Staples or OfficeMax locally and get a new printer for under $50? It’s a scam, don’t even bother.
to be fair, the printer is a discontinued…and popular for making t-shirts…the number they texted from led me to a business online, and they confirmed that in the text, but locations were very different which they provided an explanation…
If it’s a specialty item then I can understand better, but it didn’t make sense for an ordinary, run of the mill printer. In this case all you can do is be very careful and cover all your bases if you choose to go forward.
Hi!
I’m just trying to make sure this isn’t a scam before I complete the transaction.
+15073129544: Wow! nice stuff, am buying it for family and am thinking of offering you 120 8:31 AM
Me: Sounds Good. I can meet up at anytime today if you would like? 10:51 AM
+15073129544: I’ll transfer the funds through Paypal , send the invoice to kolgilbert@gmail.com 1:59 PM
Me: Alright. I’ll send it right away. 2:10 PM
Me: Where would you like to meet up so I can give you the ipod? 2:36 PM
I’m a little worried about this. =/
Sounds a little strange to me. I mean, why would you need to use PayPal if you are going to meet up in person? Doesn’t seem right.
Hi,
I got an email that read this regarding a camera I am currently selling:
“Get back to me with your final price if you still have your item for sale,i’m interested in buying it.thanks
Dr Jennifer”
I told her the price (200 or negotiate) and she responded:
“Ok Dear,It’s a Christmas gift for my son,i’m unhealthy to pick it up so i will be paying you through PayPal.Send me your PayPal email for payment.I will be paying you the sum of $280 to cover the cost and shipping.thanks”
I’m definitely worried that this could be a scam but I’m not 100% sure.
It is a scam. I would say that a good rule of thumb is that anyone who starts off with “Tell me what is your final price….” is a scam. NO ONE negotiates that way in the real world.
Actually what I think is funny is that oftentimes people will say this.. and it isn’t accompanied with all the other bullshit.
My reply now is simply “You are not qualified.” lol. One guy got pissed and started calling me names.
well this is my scenario should i be skeptic?
2000 Audi A4 – $5500 (indianapolis)
Inbox
x
Charity jenkins
6:50 PM (23 hours ago)
to me
I read an understand the add quite alright, but there are few thing i
would like to know about the item (1) are you the first owner (2 )Let
me know its condition (3) Try to email me more Pictures of it (4) Your
last asking price.
anthony xxxxxxx
7:04 PM (23 hours ago)
to Charity
I’m sorry for the question but i have a lot of scammers emailing me for it if you can tell me what other car companies audi is affiliated with so i know your real that would be great. thanks
Joel Raymond
2:09 AM (16 hours ago)
to me
Thanks for getting back to me…..Just asking about it to make sure it’
s in good condition. So can you assure me i will not be disappointed?
Well am buying this for myself but presently am not around due to the
nature of my job but i will arrange for the hauled agent
which will be coming for the pickup at your residence location for the
pick up once the payment is cleared… I will be glad if this transaction
can be done via PayPal so the PayPal charges will be on me,If my offer is
accepted send me your PayPal email and your name so i can pay you as soon
as possible.
anthony xxxxxxx
8:59 AM (9 hours ago)
to Joel
yes the car is in good condition you can give a cashiers check to the hauler and I will accept that I don’t deal with pay pal
Joel Raymond
9:47 AM (8 hours ago)
to me
I am so sorry,I can only pays you via PayPal as only online secure
payment.since I was screwed before I prefer payment terms to go through
PayPal so as to protect both buyer and seller.Get back to me with your
PayPal email for immediate payment and if you are not PayPal user, you can
set up one in few minute through PayPal website. Kindly sign up with them
here http://www.paypal.com and get back to me with your PayPal email address used
and full name with total cost, so i can transfer the fund to it.
i have yet to reply back
Big SCAM don’t even bother wasting your energy replying.
Just got an email today for my armoire for sale on CL.
From Bill Mike,
Thanks for your reply concerning my inquiry.I am quite comfortable with the item.I will be paying you by Check and i would be making arrangements for the pick-up after you have received payment,If this meets your approval,
Kindly get back to me with the following details:
Name to be on the Check,Home or office address(No P.O.BOX), City,State,Zip Code,
Home & Cell Phone to contact you and your last Selling price so that I can have your check ready.*
Please,be aware that the amount on the check is more than your asking price.the excess amount is for the (Shipping). You are to send my shipper the excess amount when you receive the check.I will Be Happy if my offer is Granted.
Hope To Read From You soon.
Bill.
My reply:
I’m sorry I do not accept checks, I have heard too many scams with checks. This is a very heavy piece and I think I would prefer for it to be picked up personally. Or you can arrange to have a friend pick it up and pay cash.
This has scam written all over it. I almost said I would take Paypal, but something stopped me and at the last minute before I sent the email I took that part out. Then I looked up CL scams and got this site. I’m glad I took out the Paypal part now.
I changed my listings to read:
Cash only.
Disclaimer for any scammers: I’m not going to ship this anywhere. So don’t email or text me telling me you have a shipping agent and you’ll send me more money than what I’m asking.
Hopefully that will stop them from trying, on my listings, knowing I’m aware of the scams.
Oh his email is
billmike1321@yahoo.com
I put my camera in need of repair on CL for $275. The only person to respond asks if I’m the first owner and if price is negotiable, which is reasonable, but then adds, “to get a hold of me leave your regular email id in the mail and we go from there.” I gave him a backup VOIP number and he never called. Anxious to sell, I (regretfully) provided my email address, to which he quickly responds:
“I just finished AIT (Advanced Individual Training), But I’m waiting for deployment. I would appreciate if you can handle the shipment once you confirm payment and that brings the total to $350. You can request money with my email (Ronaldxxxxxxxxx@outlook.com) for a PayPal payment. Keep me updated once request is sent.”
I should have backed away at this point, but anxious to sell, I reiterated that the camera would need repair and that I’d even throw in some lenses. He writes, “That works for me and do keep me updated when the request is sent.” So I sent a request, which was about my third regrettable action thus far, but I figured I had a few more chances to back out…
Shortly thereafter I receive the following message:
“$350 has been sent to your paypal and I got a confirmation email from PayPal which states that debit was successful on my side. Hopefully you also got notified about my payment, Below is the shipping address.
Name – Lisa Yemitope.
Address – #13 Inyi Street, Achara Lay-Out Enugu, Enugu State, 23442, Nigeria.
Do get the package in the mail today through United State Postal Service only (USPS Express Mail*3-5days) and keep me posted after shipment.”
Alright, then… I do some research, cancel the PayPal request, change my PayPal email, and notify PayPal security, who promptly verify a phishing scam. Should have seen that with the initial email request, and I shouldn’t have simply been so curious and cavalier about PayPal. Presumably this scam falls under categories #3 or #4 above. Perhaps the oddest thing is that it remains a broken camera, but it could have been worse.
One more scam number 415 754 7406 ask me for PayPal email, so he can by my car. When I said that I need his name and drivers licens to fill out the title he told me that pick up agent will come and his lawyer will sing for him just get back to me with your paypal.
What can he do with my paypal?
And how stupid you should be to by a car online without looking or inception it.?
It is just interesting what he going to do if I sand him my info.
They can do several things with your paypal. The can try to hijack your account and then use it for fake payments. They can get the merchandise from you without actually paying for it. As you can see from other comments, they tell people that “Paypal will not release the funds until we have a tracking number” which is complete BS. And there are many other scams they can pull such as using your email instead of your actual paypal account. They can then try to hijack your email. That is one reason they ask so many people for personal information so they can derive passwords from that info. Most people will use familiar things such as birthdays and such as passwords. With your email they can attack other people such as your friends, and so forth. Its a spider web effect. Anything they can get from one person, then they can start branching out from there and attack others.
Same thing happened to me. Customer asked for my paypal email I said no I will send you the invoice then they claimed they paid it. They argued with me stating paypal said they would release the funds once they received a tracking number. I said “Really because I just spoke with them on the phone and they stated they will never ask for that ever. Nice Try I’m not an idiot.”
Hello,
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
I wanted to verify if this is a scam. Because after all the comments i have read, it sounds like it. this is how it begins.
I want to buy the 4 packs 20inch = $460 am currently in a militray camp out of the state i will like to speed up this transaction cos i need this item as an xmas gift , I’ll offer you $600 for the item and shipment via Canada post Airmail…kindly send me your full name and PayPal email address so i can make out payment !
Me
Hello,
3 packs(bundles) 20inch = $460
3 packs 18inch = $360
3 packs 16+inch (best/highest quality hair) = $410
3 packs 16 inch = $325
3 packs 14 inch = $290
Lace closure (best quality and 18 inch length = $95
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
Am okay with it and currently in a militray camp out of the state i will like to speed up this transaction cos i need this item as an xmas gift , I’ll offer you $763 for the item and shipment via Canada post Airmail…kindly send me your full name and PayPal email address so i can make out payment !
Me
Hello,
I will get your hair tomorrow morning and send it off via Airmail before Tuesday that way it gets to you latest Friday I guess. However, I do not have pay pal but Is it possible if you can send the money via email transfer or direct deposit and when I get the email transfer Ill notify you so that as you receive your hair, you give me the security password to get the payment. Let me know if that works out.
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
Okay…I only have access to paypal kindly make use of your credit card or bank details and sign up a paypal account now once you have it sign up kindly get back to me with your full name and paypal email address so i can make the payment to you immediately…
Awaits your quick response
Me
Hello,okay then i will do that now and send you the information as soon as possible. Thank you.
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
Hi…Still waiting to receive your full name and paypal email address so i can make the payment to you immediately….Awaits your quick response
Okay..I will get back to you as soon as i made the payment..Reply
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
Hello
I want to let you know that payment has been sent now into your account, and i hope my paypal will have sent your a confirmation of my payment to you email now, kindly help me to package the item well, there will be a receipt that will be giving to you at the post office kindly keep the receipt well because that s where the tracking number is written on..
Kindly get back to me with the consignment number (Tracking Number).
Below is the address where the item will be sent too :-
Name:Akerele Abolaji
Addres:70,Dosunmu Street Lawason,Surulere
State:Lagos
Country:Nigeria
Zip code:23401
Hope to read from you soonest
Best Regards..
Me
Hello,
Ok then I just received the payment and I will ship your item first thing tomorrow morning at the post office. I will definitely get back to you with the Consignment number by tomorrow. Thank you very much again. The address you wrote below is that where I am posting the items?
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
Yes…Kindly make sure you have it shipped in the morning and once you have it shipped mail the tracking number to paypal immediately also keep me posted as well…..Reply
Me
Hello,
It says I received the payment in my email but when I checked my paypal, I do not see the money. Where in my paypal can I see the funds?
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
I got your message understood, what i suggest you do now kindly take the item to a nearest post office around you tomorrow morning and complete the shipment, once the shipment is completed there will be a receipt that will be issued to you at the post office that is where the tracking number is written on,the tracking number is what you will forward to paypal for verification once that is done you will receive an instant alert that your account is fully credited okay…Reply
Me
So does that mean the money isn’t in my account yet until I post the item at the post office?
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
Yes…Kindly go through the confirmation of payment you receive properly and bide with the instructions given once you have it shipped and provide the tracking number you will receive an instant alert that your account is fully credited okay…Reply
Kindly have it shipped via canada xpress post…reply
Okay great…Kindly have it shipped once the post office open….waiting for your quick response
Hi Kelly,
Kindly have the package shipped out this morning and as soon as you have it shipped keep me posted with the tracking number immediately….
Awaits your quick response
Okay…Waiting to receive the tracking number..reply
Me
Payment has to be shown in my paypal account and any shipment made must confirm valid shipping address, name, email and valid cellphone number. This is for security purposes to make sure there isn’t any scams. Any shipment made, client must send money for shipping fees and if reqested express mail, client must send money for these services and also insurance to make sure that if item gets lost, money is refunded back to the seller.
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
I got your message understood, what i suggest you do now kindly take the item to a nearest post office around you and complete the shipment, once the shipment is completed there will be a receipt that will be issued to you at the post office that is where is the tracking number is written on the tracking number is what you will forward to paypal for verification once that is done you will receive an instant alert that your account is fully credited okay…Reply
me
I asked for your email as well and didn’t get a reply from you? where do you live at the moment?
Akerele Abolaji (alain.elharar@live.com)
You sound skeptic from your email and that’s very wrong,if you are thinking that I just want to take your Brazilian hair for nothing then that’s very wrong and sounds so absurd When I know how people work hard to earn their money.I will never think of taking some kinda advantage over you and please take that out of your mind that is an awful thing to think about. Please understand me better.It seems you don’t even trust your self,because you have to trust yourself to trust another person.I was not trying to lure you into this, everything about me and this transaction are 100% real and OK, i will like you to know one thing i am a Man of God and i so much believe in him and his words and i wouldn’t do such a thing when i have blood running through my vein…Reply
This is where i caught the client lying. They copied and pasted this last message and it looks like they have scammed previous people and tried to do with me. They have been pressuring me to send the hair ASAP and that they are in a military camp. Thank God i asked my mom first and i read this previous reviews before i even dared going ahead to send 3 packs of hair.
Let me know if this is a scam
Most definitely a scam and you were smart to be doubtful. The money will never show up in your account or if it DOES it will be taken back soon by paypal since they most commonly hijack someones account. When that person finds out of the hijack, they inform paypal and then payapal reverses all transactions. You would be the one out the product and money.
The scammer from my Craig’s list “car for sale” post believed we were moving forward with the transaction and actually provided me with the address and name of the individual (supposed shipper) where I am to send the money via Western Union (WU) – a store front in DC. I did not fall for it, but I want to prosecute the individual(s) involved in this. When I have used WU to send or receive $ they require 2 id’s etc. The name of the recipient of the funds for “shipping” was also the name of the owner of the store that has the WU depot. It seems that WU would want to take away this franchise at the very least as it gives them a bad name. Do you have any thoughts or ideas on how to shut at least one of these punks down? I know using the USP system is a federal offence and am hoping there are other laws in place. Thank you for proliferating the info about these scams as well as any thoughts you might have!
In reality there are many laws on the books already that could be used to prosecute and stop these individuals. In practice our government and prosecutors are uninterested in doing anything about it. This type of fraud along with identity theft is a low priority crime. Police agencies and prosecutors prefer to get involved with nasty crimes (murder, rape, etc) because those are what makes the news and headlines and that is what will further their careers. These crimes are boring (unless you are the victim of course) so they are not willing to follow through on anything you give them.
does it seem like a scam? Help needed
John Gibson
To Me
Nov 25 at 1:02 PM
Thanks for getting back to me, i am located in commerce city in CO,i really need to buy this and send to my son schooling outside the state as a gift. I know is more that the asking price but i will offer you $340 so as to close the deal off. I will be paying through PAYPAL because i have a verified account with PayPal.com kindly get back with your PayPal email address so i can make payment into your PayPal account.Get back to me if my approval is granted.I would like to see the pictures please.
Thanks
Yes it’s a scam. Don’t bother with it.
Watch out for these scammers posting across different websites.
They post cars,trucks.motorcycles,boats,RV’s and a variety of other motor vehicles for under 1/2 of the real Kelly Blue Book value as BAIT.
They send you PHONY Google Wallet, Google Checkout, EBay Motors, or Western Union,etc invoices. All these are spoofed invoices that may look legit and may even have a PHONY toll-free customer service number [ lately they use 1-888-431-0957] or PHONY Google Checkout website for you to verify the items/transactions numbers. Their emails come from
domains such as accountant.com and consultant.com – Not Google,Ebay,or Western Union!
ALL of these are PHONY and a total SCAM.
Please pass this information to everyone you know.
Be safe and Happy Holidays top all.
– I_Fry_Bad_People ” Let’s fry some bad people today…”
————bad people that need some frying——————-
miller.sandra72@gmail.com
dms7506@gmail.com
pat22rs@gmail.com
jessycastle25@gmail.com
hollycharette129@gmail.com
briannajackson010@gmail.com
brenda.rose1030@gmail.com
vivi8g@gmail.com
————————————————————————–
I posted my car on craigslist yesterday without any pics, I said text for pics because I couldn’t get them to upload to my computer, and got a text from someone (848-482-8078) who asked a million questions about the car and I answered them, then never replied. Then just a moment ago I get a reply from them saying “I’m okay with your price but I will be paying through PayPal cos I do not have access to my bank account online, but I have it attached to my PayPal account and the reason I am using PayPal to pay is because I am not local right now and I need this urgently, am still in service at Maxwell Air Force. And I will be responsible for the pick up i have a shipping company that will come to pick it up after I send the money to your PayPal account. So I will like you provide me your PayPal email address for the payment and also your address for the pickup after the money clears in your PayPal account.” And get this, HE NEVER EVEN ASKED FOR A SINGLE PICTURE. How are you going to buy a car without ever even seeing it!!! lol I immediately knew something was a bit fishing so I typed in some keywords on google and this site came up so I decided to check it out and one of the 3rd comments was an email almost exactly like the text I had received!! So I replied, “No thanks, nice scam though… How are you about to buy a car and not even see a single picture of it? lol just a little tip for you on your next scam, don’t be so obviously stupid.”
Thank you so much for this blog. I wish I had read this before I posted my add to Craigslist. I received the following email below this afternoon. I was at the post office and if it weren’t for the two women working there who realized who I was doing…I would’ve sent this package. She told me how there are many people who send “Express” mail and come back the next day because the money never made it to their account and it’s too late because with Express mail, it has already been shipped out. Smart jerks.
I guess I was just excited about my first Craigslist sell. Cash only. Local only. That’s what I had always told myself then everyone that pinged me about my ad was asking me for my PayPal email address. I just figured that was the new thing. Thank God for you and for the Federal Postal workers! (Btw, my asking price was $1800, he “deposited” $1900 – as per the Pay Pal email notification I got, which, as you say, is fake too. Red flag again, I know..)
“The payments have just been made now.Go and check this mail( —————@aol.com) you used in opening your paypal account,the confirmation mail have been sent there..check the SPAM INBOX OR JUNKMAIL you should see it there.I also add additional money to cover shipping cost via EMS EXPRESS MAIL SERVICE OF USPS POST OFFICE, to my friend place.Please I want you to write at back of the package that the present Gift is from me Barry Wood.Ship with padded Regular Envelop Size via Ems Epress Mail Service Of Usps Post Office.
SHIPPING INFORMATION
NAME :OJO OLADOTUN
ADDRESS:8,ASO ROCK STREET AJIBODE
CITY :OTA
STATE :OGUN STATE
COUNTRY:NIGERIA
ZIPCODE:23439
petsmith012@gmail.com wrote to me:
Hello, I will be happy to buy it but i will not be able to come and view it in your place because I’m not in town now.Note that you will not be responsible for shipping and handling and i can only pay through paypal as i don’t have access to my bank account online cos i don’t have internet banking,but i have my bank account attached to my paypal account and this is why i insisted on paying you through paypal. My shipping company will come to your location for the pick up. Kindly provide me with the address where it will be picked up so that i can forward it to the shipping company to calculate the cost of pick up for me.Also with your paypal email address.Do get back to me as soon as possible so that i can proceed with the payment via PayPal.
Best Regards.
——————–
This Blog Saved me – thank you!
-Krishna
i got this message following putting an advert on vivastreet from a ‘danbrown1777@gmail.com’
Your asking price is quite reasonable and affordable considering others I’ve seen lately, I’ll take it. I would’ve love to come check it out my self but I work for RAF. I’m currently in camp as Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Extract(SERE) instructor for new recruits.I’ll arrange for pick up and delivery.I’ll make the payment through PayPal for the safety of both of us. I’ll need your full name, the pickup address & your PayPal email address for the payment. If you don’t have PayPal account It’s very easy and secured just visit http://www.paypal.com and click on signup.Regards
and I also got this message from the same advert
From: kim kimberely
Date: 05/11/2013 12:57 (GMT+00:00)
To: all us crawfords
Subject: Re: berg peddle go-kart and accessories
Hi, Thanks for your mail,I will not be coming to view it because of my Job,i am Marine Caterer . i accept your offer and i will be happy to accept my offer.I can only pay through paypal at the moment as i dont have access to my bank account online,but i have it attached to my paypal account, and this is why i insisted on using paypal to pay,all i will need is your paypal email address to make the payments,and if you dont have a paypal account yet,its pretty easy to set one up at http://www.paypal.com i will be expecting your email. my mover will come for arrange to pick up after payment clear .Thanks and nice doing business with you.
Had a call from what I was told is North Bay, Ontario. Wants to use Paypal. Area code 707 – NOT North Bay – California. Google search of 10 digit # linked to a site “707.phone-callers.com”. On the website it says:
“707-809-5890
posted 13-10-2013 16:21
This is a spam number, I think from Nigeria.”
Person, identified himself as Frank Gary – had an African (Nigerian?) accent.
…Doesn’t feel legitimate.
WOW! Buddy just called me wanting to use my paypal to sell his truck. Same stuff as reported here; his potential buyer was out of town, negotiated the price down a little, etc., etc. I told him no, it had to be a scam and I would not expose my account, though I wasn’t sure how you could scam paypal.
I advised he operate cash in person only.
Thanks for affirming my suspicion.
Same name? Number?
2002 Z24 Cavailer; 1 owner!; 32 mpg – $2400….Hi,am David;What is ur final price? reply me directly to JOHNDD600@GMAIL.COM.This phone is not mine.
This is the text I recieved. After I gave him a price I received this email.
Well am ok with the price and am willing to proceed with the payment
but am currently out of town cos i work as an airborne maintenance
and engineering service i will be requesting this transaction via
PayPal as it is my only means of payment,do you have a PayPal
account…?? this is my only option to pay you
How’s that for fishy. This blog saved me
She says her name is Chandra Brooke. She’s sending me a cashier’s check for my wedding dress. I will be taking her local contact information and check to the police…
Here is what I got after a request by text for additional information via email… Smelled like SCAM immediately!!
Hello thanks for reply, i am a marine engineer, i am at sea right now.
I am buying this for my son as a surprise gift. However,does it have
any history I should be aware of? and why are you selling if you don’t
mind my asking and I will really appreciate if you can email more info
and if possible more photos. I can only pay through paypal at the
moment as i don’t have access to my bank account online(i dont have internet banking with it), but i have it attached to my paypal
account, and this is why i insisted on using paypal to pay,all i will
need is your paypal email address to make the payment, and if you dont have a paypal account yet, you can set one it cant take you less than 3mins to do that, i will be expecting your paypal email so l can pay and your phone number. I have a pick up agent that will come for the pick up after payment has been sorted, l will be waiting for your reply asap.
I see a big trend lately with Marine Biologist, Marine Engineer, Marine, whatever. I seems like the “I am currently deployed in Iraq” has been worn out. 😉
I just got an email from one Myriam Mack mackmyriam@gmail.com claiming to be a marine biologist, and entreating me to sign up to PayPal. There’s just something about the lack of spaces between words and full stops that sets alarm bells ringing.
That and marine biologist makes me think of George Costanza.
(646) 580- 4198 Austin Smith- another one. Keep your eyes out!! They are everywhere- my husband and I almost fell for it…but I smelled something phishy and googled this sort of thing. Boom. Gotcha.
Thanks you for this website. I found it very quickly and my email was almost identical to a very first one in this thread.
Hi there,
Thank you for getting back to me.Can you assure me that it’s in
good state and that i will not be disappointed with it?I’m ready to
pay your asking price and to be honest, i want to buy this for my Dad
as his birthday gift. I a marine biologist that works on the sea at
the moment. phone calls making and visiting of website are restricted
but i squeezed out time to check this advert and
send you an email regarding it so my only quickest payment option is
PayPal as i can send money via PayPal anytime.Since I’m requesting
this transaction to be done via PayPal, i will be responsible for all
the pay pal fee/charges on this transaction and if you don’t have an
account with paypal,its pretty easy, safe and secured to open one.
Just log on to http://www.paypal.com.
I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible? I have a mover
that will come for it once payment clears . i will like to see more
pictures and you last price, i look forward to hear back from you
soon. details that i needed are below Your
PayPal e-Mail Address :
Full name: Firm Price:
Your cell phone number:
God bless you .
Thanks.
This JUST happened to me! I was pretty sure it was a scam and then when he asked me to wire money to his agent for pick up, I said no way. Luckily I trusted my instincts! Thanks for posting!
Just got the same thing from someone asking about my car for sale. Almost verbatim. Instead of being a marine biologist, the person claims to be at a conference and can’t make calls right now. The person contacted me by text first
Thanks for posting this.
The same exact thing happened to me about an hour ago. EXCEPT it was a “woman” with the email address of “ROSEHOWARD3008@LIVE.COM” except her excuse is that she is “deaf”…wow this is wrong and I am actually worried being that this person has my number. Should i change my number?
Nothing to worry about. They cant do much with your number. You can always block her number or if anything starts to happen, just get the police involved. Phone harassment is a crime.
here’s mine..
I appreciate your response,I’m an marine engineer and at this moment
am presently working offshore,Sometimes access to regular emails and
phone calls is very poor offshore due to inefficiency of the immarsat
service,I located in Pacific WA, and i want you to know that I am ok
with the condition of the Wheels/rims and the asking price as well,I
am buying the Wheels/rims as a gift for my father and I want to
surprise him.I don’t have access to my bank account on-line as i don’t
have internet banking but i have my bank account attached to my PayPal
account and this is why i insisted in paying you through PayPal,kindly
get back to me with your PayPal email address and if you don’t have
PayPal account yet,it is very easy to set up at your bank or online
and get it set up,after you have set it up i will only need the e-mail
address you use for registration with PayPal so as to put the money
through,I can proceed with the payment and after the payment has been
done,I have a pick up agent that will come around for verifications
and to pick the Wheels/rims after i have made the payments for the
Wheels/rims.So I will need you to provide me with the following
information to facilitate the making of the payment.
1.Your PayPal full name.
2.Your PayPal Email Address.
3..Your phone number.
Once again ,I will like you to know that you will not be responsible
for shipping. I will have my pick-up agent come over as soon as you
have receive the payment confirmation.
Regards.
i told him to go F&*k himself. Ray Shoock
SOOO glad I found this! Just saved myself some grief. I’m trying to sell my wedding dress and the email I received was from someone in the Navy who was buying this for her daughter. First red flag was long intro about her background and serving in Desert Storm. Second red flag was terrible grammar. She said she was a Navy officer and after several emails and a gut feeling this was a scam, I responded:
“No offense if you are legit but if you are military, and you are a Navy officer you probably have excellent communication skills and should therefore have impeccable English/grammar. Your email reads as if English is your second language. Nothing wrong with that, but there are red flags all over this. I am going to decline selling you this dress because going forward, I will deal with locals only.”
She had tried to add shipping charges to the PayPal amount and reading all of these posts was the best thing I’ve done this whole week!
I posted a WTB ad for a certain kind of guitar. A guy emailed me and sent me pics and everything. He seemed for real for the majority of our conversation until i asked him where he was located. he responded:
Hi Mitch, Yes I’m a little South and have a guitar shipping box, I bought the the guitar from Wisconsin and had it shipped. Just about everything is shipped nowadays even if I lived in Virginia a few hours from you, I would probably ship anyway. If you use palpal you are protected from scams and they control the money between our banks accounts. I worked at Dean guitars here in Florida and know how to properly pack and ship a guitar. That is how it is gonna work. If you don’t have a bank account or are a minor, I can’t sell it to you unless you open a account or use someone else’s account or send a money order. I said I found your ad you posted on the web by accident. I am a real person. I am 56 years old. I am well established in my town. I have references. If you don’t want it that’s okay with me or call my personal cell number 727-873-8444 and we can discuss it if you want. Thanks, Brian
Should i trust him? would giving him a call help?
Should you trust him? I can’t answer that question for you. What I would do is check out the phone number online first and see if its a real number or voip. If real then go ahead and call him and ask as many questions as you can. Next I would ask if you can come see it in person. Even if you don’t plan to do so, make it sound like the drive is no big deal to you. That you have friends in the area that you would love to visit. Lay it on heavy and see if he starts to crack. If its a “I can’t meet you” situation, then you know to walk away, because a real person would be happy to meet you in person.
The typical send money via Western Union / PayPal scam just happened to us! Sending more money than requested and send Western Union money to shipper and then the money would be put into my account with a 10-digit verification number.
It took me a couple of emails to get suspicious! So… here’s my questions for all of you out there:
I DID NOT send money to anyone, but I had given them my email address and home address. Does this put me in any danger?
I reported to PayPal … they want me to send all of the emails from the person to them and they will report the fraud to government agencies. Is this correct? She also told me to delete all of the sender’s emails from my email account.
Should I report this information to my bank?
The person’s name and email address was Rebecca Palmer . So please be cautious!
Do we, as victims of possible fraud, confront the person … or ignore them and let PayPal handle it?
You are in no danger. Giving them your home address is practically useless. They don’t have your bank account number so there is nothing to worry about. They need you to actively participate with them to be able to do you any harm. You stopped it so you are fine. If you want to send that info to PayPal go ahead, but its useless. These people are in another country and they dispose of emails regularly.
Thank you! Very unnerving and frustrating that no legal action can be taken against people who commit such a fraud! Is it okay to tell the scammer that you know it’s a scam?
Sure…..You can have as much fun as you want with them as long as you know to keep your info secret. Lots of people enjoy jerking the scammers around. Enjoy yourself. 😉
LOL! Thanks again!
THANK YOU!
I received one of the good ole “FBI ALERT” ones, which was coincidentally sent after telling my “buyer” that I don’t trust her (most likely a “him”).
1) “You got funds!”
2) “Please send money to my agent”, cost was 80% of the item cost. (RED FLAG)
3) “FBI ALERT. You have been reported to the local authorities.” (Now a RED FLAG). Ask your self: WHY would PayPal even pursue INDIVIDUAL fraud when there are bigger fish to fry? (Not to mention there’s the resolution center).
4) The supposed “funds” don’t even appear in your account even when the “email” says you got them. Even if PayPal holds it, it will STILL appear in your account with “pending”.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JUST WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY PERSON IN CONFIRMING MY GUT, I KNEW FROM THE INITIAL MESSAGE THIS PERSON WAS PHONY, BUT WAS UNSURE ABOUT THE SECURITY OF PAY PAL , AFTER GOOGLING THAT I RAN ACROSS THIS AD AFTER READING JULS GR’S POST, MAN OH MAN, WE MUST HAVE THE SAME DUDE I WISH I COULD POST THEM SIDE BY SIDE TO SHOW EVERYONE, TOOO IDENTICAL. HIS EMAIL IS ROBERTVITAL006@GMAIL.COM AND NAME OF LAVINA BATIE VITAL… THAT ALONE TELLS YOU SOMETHING LOL THANKS AGAIN AND PEOPLE WATCH FOR THESE A$$HOLES!! 🙂
So I am in the middle of a Pay Pal fraud attempt right now. I was very apprehensive and suspicious the entire time, and then my wife tried to convince me that Pay Pal is secure so you can’t get scammed. Well the text was from “Nika Zola” 407-519-0382. She wanted to pay me $350 for $250 camera and have it shipped to Florida from Illinois. I actually went as far as the send the invoice and then realized that it was definitely scam. I got a very strange email from the “FBI” or some weird thing “validating” the legitimacy of the person. Haha. REALLY? She sent me another text telling me that I should be receiving a confirmation email and to make sure to check my spam folder, and to proceed to the nearest USPS and ship immediately. Oh and she wanted it shipped to her son at college. I doubt the funds will actually ever show up in my account and if they do I will contact Pay Pal immediately and try to get them refunded in case it is a hacked account. We’ll see what happens. Wish it wouldn’t have gotten this far.
Sell cash and carry only, or deal with someone you are sure you know. The Craig’s List people are telling you the same.
I am selling my bedroom set on Craigslist. It all started with a text describing my item and the cost. For example WOOD BEDROOM SET – $ 800 (MIAMI) still for sale? Then they asked why I am selling it to make the seller seem they are legit and that they care. I told them cash only and the scammer said he/she is working as a head nurse for the military air force base at Lackland and needs me to setup an account through PayPal so he can send me the payment. They then asked me for my email address to my PayPal account. Extremely persistent and pushy sending me text messages like ARE YOU THERE? That was my first gut feeling. He claimed his name was Louis White and when I asked him for his email address so I can send him an invoice through paypal his name did not match the name on his email address crustarwell1@gmail.com. He seemed very bothered that I asked him for his email address. After the invoice was sent to him he said the following:
[I will want to inform you that I have made the payment and it has been confirmed and deducted from my account. Kindly check your inbox and spam folder for the email alert and also I will be needing a little help from you about the hauler. I added an extra $350 which you are to transfer to the hauler to transfer the hauler address via western union for the pickup to be made because I cant do this here due to the fact I work in the military] Why was it my spam folder? Another strike!
The point of all of this is so you can follow their procedure on their email which includes a fake Paypal website so they can gain access to you bank information. In the email there are instructions to western union money to them. Beware they even have a fake email address withing the email for help and support. Do not click on any link within this email this might case viruses to your computer as well. They even send you a confirmation email telling you the money has been deducted from their account. But when you check your paypal no money has been received.
The fraudulent person tryed to still convince me it was legit see below:
[The money is irreversible for the safety of the seller and they have held my bank and paypal account as well for the safety of the seller.. so please kindly proceed with the western union transfer details back to paypal your account will be credited immediately.. do you understand please?]
[You have nothing to worry about over this.. I have contacted paypal and since they deal via Craigslist as well you are highly protected. But please can it be picked up tomorrow by 5pm?]
[You can email papal directly by sending them an email via the email alert you got about the payment and I have gotten back to them as well and they have assured me to send you an email about your safety and assurance that your account will be created immediately.. kindly check your email and do you have the haulers name and address to send the money to?]
I told him THIS IS A SCAM NICE TRY and he never texted me back.
SELLERS BEWARE!!!! Take cash from local buyers ONLY.
I was trying to sell my quad on Craig’s list. The first response I get is a text. I live in Pa. and didn’t recognize the area code. I googled the area code and it’s San Francisco, California. So I thinking ,I don’t know about this, guy can’t even call me. So I get a few more texts and he says he’s going to pay via Paypal and another text that says payment has gone through and I should look for email from PayPal in my Spam, but the money won’t be available until I put up a 1,000 out of my own pocket to cover the shipping costs which goes to Jose Anibal from NY,NY. There is an extra 1,100 in my account to cover the shipping. Fishy from the get go. I was giving this guy the benefit of the doubt and then he asks me to pay for shipping. Why couldn’t he send a Money Gram himself? So I looked in my PayPal account and there’s no money. I thought it just didn’t go through yet and I called PayPal the next morning. The representative was very helpful and told me “do not send him any money sir, this is a scam to defraud you”. It never hurts to call when you think something is wrong . Next time I post something on Craig’s list I will make it clear, I accept cash only and local pickup.
This blog has definitely has saved me from loosing $450 and an iPhone. Just today I got a text from a guy interested in my iPhone and told me to check my email, and this is what it read
Dear PAYPAL user:( erica.guerrero1720@yahoo.comt ) you have made a sale at Craigslist.org!!!
Order SummaryiPhone 4S,
This is a confirmation email of the payment of $480.00USD you received from Morgan Jani, what is required of you in order for your account to be credited is the Item’s Tracking/Reference number, this number will be given to you at the courier office after you might have sent the item to the bearer, this is part of our new policy and a security measure in order to protect both the buyer and the seller, also to verify if the item was really bought from you we have sent you a confirmation email earlier to inform you that the payment is legal and has been confirmed, also to guide you against fraudulent acts.
We have included the buyer’s full name and amount paid for you to know this message was really sent from PayPal. We advise that you make sure the item is sent out as soon as possible and request for a tracking number at the post office after you might have sent out the item, then you can email us the number by replying directly to this message after it might have been given to you at the courier office so as to credit your account without delay.
After we receive the number from you for security verification, your account will be credited at once, Our system has witness new upgrades, Please don’t be surprised if you see us forwarding you to new customer attendants, its due to the amount of fraud going on involving our name which we are trying all our best to limit and put a stop to. As soon as we receive the requested information from you, your account will be credited.
PayPal Account Review Department.
Sincerely,
So glad I did not go through with this sale! I told the guy to find something better to do than to scam me, he never texte me back 😉
I am trying to sell a wedding dress on Craigslist, and got a text from someone interested who wants to use paypal. She asked that I give her my Paypal email address (I don’t know what that is) so that she can make the payment and make arrangements for the shipping company to pick the dress up at my location. What’s your advice on it? I really need to sell the dress, but I’m more comfortable with cash/local. The only other offer I’ve had on the dress wanted to use a cashiers check, and I declined that one on my brother’s advice.
And they now seem to be in quite a hurry for me to send them Paypal information. I asked where she was located and she said “I live in indiana you don’t need to worry about anything just get it done now . . . . Asap.
A cashier’s check from a known bank may be fine. I doubt that is what the “Buyer” had in mind. Probably meant a certified check, that would be cashed by your bank and then bounced back a few weeks later. when your bank found out it was fictitious and after the shipping company had picked up the item. Cash and carry is the only way we will sell. Specify that in your Craig’s item description.
There are enough tools out there for anybody to make a fictitious Cashiers Check using the name of a known bank. You wouldn’t know its fake until after the fact. So, I really don’t know if you should trust that either unless you are willing to call the bank and confirm the check before accepting it. Some banks may not be willing to confirm checks any more either.
I am selling a Nexus 7 on CL and this is how the conversation went:
———————————————————————————-
+15125539082: Is it still available? ASUS Google Nexus 7? 32 GB – $185
Me: Yes it is still available. Where are you located?
+15125539082: Okay,i will like to buy it for my Son in abroad so you will have to help me to get it shipped out to him.I will pay you an amount $320 including the shipping fee through the Post office and the payment will be through Paypal. So get back to me with your paypal email address so that i can make the payment. I will need your word that the item is in good condition. Daniel fred
Me: I have no problem with using Paypal as long as the address you give me is CONFIRMED by Paypal. I will only ship to a confirmed address once payment is cleared.
+15125539082: Okay just get back to me with your paypal email address so that i can make the payment now.I will need your word that the item is in good condition. 12:17 PM
Me: The item is in good condition. I will not ship until funds have been cleared and address is confirmed. *****@gmail.com
+15125539082: Okay,i will make the payment asap,and i will like to know if you have done any transaction like this and if you know how paypal works?
Me: yes i know how paypal works, been using them for years.
———————————————————————————–
Really??? The dead give aways here is the story about his son, the extra $145 he wanted to give me for shipping, asking if its in good condition, but the last question really gives it away when he asks me if I’ve ever done transactions like this and do I know how Paypal works!! He’s just trying to see how much knowledge I have about Paypal scams. I haven’t heard from them once I told ’em I’ve had my acct for years.
Here is the fake email I got from Lincorn Lemar, or as he would have me believe, paypal.
The payment of your Craigslist Ad has been verified and confirmed. Due to security reasons on both sides of buyer and the seller. The status of the payment is pending. Most sellers do not ship out the exact items as listed on Craigslist Ad and we keen on securing the Craigslist Ad community. We deducted that amount from the buyer’s account, until we receive shipment reference number and approve the goods (merchandise, service, digital product) that the terms of the sale have been met. Once you provide legitimate evidence of shipment, only then we forwards the payment to your account immediately. You are authorized to post out the item and email us the shipment reference number to verify the status and contents of the shipment with the courier service its been shipped through. Once we complete verification, your account will be credited instantly within 5 minutes on the same day of evidence. We tracks and confirmed the content of shipment to ensure the seller shipped and the buyer received the merchandise. Expert support is available 24/7/365 through our highly experienced team of customer service. For all other general inquiries, help with your PayPal account or this transaction, please feel free to email/reply this verification customer service team directly for first-class support to provide the shipment reference number: with the shipment reference number so we can credit your account immediately without any delay. As a valued customer your dedicated account manager will help you get the best out of your services.
IMPORTANT: Only use Paypal.com
Peace of Mind – We verify the transfer of goods has been duly completed;
Security – Your financial information is going to a respected third party and not a stranger;
Money Back Guarantee – If the seller does not transfer the goods, paypal will return the buyer’s money to their account within 5 business working days;
Convenience – Monies can be put into paypal using any money depositing options available to Paypal users.
Using Paypal.com can help keep buyers and sellers safe. When you use paypal.com, Paypal.com is licensed and regulated company and the only online service that can be used for transactions.
Note: Do not send the shipment tracking number to the buyer until we have confirmed the status of the shipment and credited your PayPal Account.
Delivery Information
Name: Sherif Aluko
Address: 23, Ireshe Road.
City: Ikorodu
State: Lagos.
Zipcode: 23401.
Country: Nigeria.
Address Status: Confirmed
Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team
PayPal
Email ID: PP7535
PayPal, an eBay company.
Copyright © 1999-2013 Paypal.com. All rights reserved.
PayPal (Europe) Ltd. is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the United State as an-electronic money institution.
I received a similar response to a ring I was selling. They wanted me to ship it to the exact same person and address as yours. I did check my regular PayPal automatically and of course, nothing there. I am glad everyone is sharing their experiences! This guys name was Collins Renzo.
Thanks people.
I got this letter from a Fred Ronald in response to an item I am offering for sale on Craigslist.
Hello,
It sounds good to know that it is still available for sale. I did go through your advert and I am satisfied with it. I am okay with the asking price and would love to go ahead with the deal right away because this meets my perfect search for time being now. I am contacting you via email, I am on duty and coming to your residence for inspection won’t be possible, so you have to assure me that its in condition described. You may now consider me a favorite buyer and if possible withdraw the posting from the site immediately so that I can be rest assured that it is all mine . I don’t mind adding an extra $200.00 (a previous letter mentioned $300) for you just to take down the posting.
Like I said earlier, I’m very busy with my job as I currently work as Marine official, so I will be paying you online via my PayPal account which is attached 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. If you are interested in selling it please provide me with the following information:
1)Your full name
2) Paypal email address,
3)Address for pick up
4)Your personal mobile #
Kindly get back to me with your paypal email address or better still you can send me a paypal invoice so that i can complete the transaction.
In case you don’t have a paypal account, simply log on to http://www.paypal.com you can either attach it to your bank account or credit card and fund in paypal can be transferred to either accounts.
What is your final asking price ? . I will be waiting to hear from you soon
NB.. pls get the ad off the internet or mark it as sold as i am really keen about the purchase and i will be willing to pay any price offer from you. what is ur best price offer?
Best regards
Fortunately I checked whether it was a scam. It obviously is.
I have been posting a bunch of stuff on craigslist lately and just keep getting these scammers over and over. I haven’t run into anyone who actually tries to send a payment with paypal – it’s always them faking an email from paypal to try and get me to send a Western Union payment. I tried sending a “refund” to one of these people via real paypal, and paypal wouldn’t even let me send a payment to their fake e-mail address @mail2world.com 🙂 So perhaps paypal has some people blacklisting the scammers’ domains.
What’s the best way to deal with these scammers? Are there good ways to report them?
There is no central repository of scammer information, so the best way to report them is to post as much info as possible about them here. That is why all these comments are here to help everyone else know what they are up against and to restrict or limit the damage that these scammers can do. So in answer to your question, post your info here and share with everyone else.
I’m selling a psp on craigslist and I constantly get those scam messages. I wish there was a way to be secure on PayPal.
lately I have been telling them my final asking price is $5,000,000. lol
I guess I’m going to just stop selling on Craigslist period. Even local sale seems kind of scary as far as being robbed or assaulted. It happens in very public places too. Sad world that we live in.
I had the exact same thing happen too! I was simply trying to sell a chair, but started getting weird texts from someone who had odd grammar, and wanted to buy it right away. “Hello, how are you doing. Its a pleasure to hear back from you. I want you to consider sold, pls do withdraw the advert from craigs list to avoi disturbance. Anyways I don’t have time to come over to take a look because of my business schedule but you don’t need to bother your self with the shipment. Just to let you know my financier will be making out the pay check to you this week.” But in a separate text message, they wanted me to accept paypal. Just today, my son tried to sell his boat, and got another weird text, asking to use paypal, with extra $ added to accommodate the “shipping.” SOOO happy we found out about the craigslist-paypal scammers.
Add me to the list of people scammers have contacted. I’m selling my couch on CL for $400 OBO. Within 30 minutes someone contacted me. She asked if it’s still for sale, I said yes. She asked the typical questions: condition, why am I getting rid of it, and can I send close-up pictures. I answered what I could, but told her I was out of town and couldn’t send the pictures til tomorrow when I arrive back in the area. Without even responding about the pictures she told me she’ll take it and will go ahead and pay me on PayPal. I use PayPal very often for my freelance work, so I saw no problem with it, and I gave her my email. She then responded and said the transaction was complete and she put some extra in there for her movers if I could forward them the money with Money Gram. Now, I might have been tricked up until this point. But I do know that people who give money to a total stranger for a couch that is sight-unseen, then ask to pay a mover from that money is suspicious. So I Googled “PayPal Craigslist Scam” and found this page. It helped confirm what I believed. I replied to the scammer saying “Ah, a scam. Nice. Thanks for wasting my time.” and have not gotten a reply back yet. Now I’m all freaked out about my PayPal because it’s my business account! Thankfully, I always transfer money immediately out of there into my REAL bank account, but I don’t know what kind of scandalous things they might do with my PayPal account, or (Heaven forbid) my LINKED bank accounts within my PayPal account. I guess I should start figuring out if PayPal can put a fraud alert on it like my bank does.
Scammer Name: Sherly Dean
Scammer Number: 702.608.4568
I posted an ad for an Ashley Furniture 5 Piece Bedroom Set for $500 and this is what happened. First got an email asking if we could text. Then I received a text saying: “Hi, Its Terry from Craigslist. I will pay you your asking price in the ad. I am set manager for a movie crew and we move from one location to another. I am sorry I won’t have access to come pay you in cash or see what am buying due to my job, so I will have to pay you via paypal (www.paypal.com) and I will include the shipping.”
My immediate thought was “Why the heck do you think a 5 piece bedroom set can be shipped???? You would pay more for shipping than I’m asking for the set!” So I decided to do my research as I’ve never sold anything on Craigslist. After researching and finding this page, I responded thanks, but local buyers and cash only!!!
I just want to say THANK YOU for this website!!!!! Even though I was skeptical, you have saved me a world of headache and trouble.
Scammers Email Name: Terry Eggleston
Scammers Phone Number: 904-494-8356
I also heard from “Terry Eggleston”. I was selling a bedroom set. In my case, he was a corporal in the Army. But other than that, it was the same scam. He wanted to buy it sight unseen. He was going to pay via PayPal including the shipping costs, then I was to send the shipping amount to somewhere and then the shipper would come get it. Anyway, fairly east scam to spot. For one, he had some crazy reason that because he was “in training” he could not talk, because no phone service, etc. But he could text. Well, that makes no sense. The real reason for that obviously is, the person doesn’t want you to hear them actually speak, because you’d know it was a scam then because they would be foreign, I suspect. The phone number in this case was 772-237-0562.
I also just got the email from Terry Eggleston – exact same situation. Wanted to buy a dining room set for his mother, sight unseen, pick up right away. Said he was military personnel and in training camp so could only text. Just like the previous poster, he told me he wanted to arrange for a shipper, but this shipper did not understand paypal. So, he had to send me the money for the set and the shipping via paypal, and then I would pay the shipper.
That seemed suspicious, so I googled him and found these posts. I then texted him that I thought it was a scam and would need cash to proceed ahead. No more texts after that!
“Think again. Pay Pal (the real one) will only protect you (maybe) if your transaction goes bad on Ebay, NOT any place else.”
Not at all true. I sold an item (legitimately) via Criagslist and got paid with PayPal. Didn’t insure the item (dumb) and the buyer claimed they got an empty box and filed a dispute, they got all the money back.
PayPal behaves the same as a credit card company. They will refund the money of the buyer regardless of the type of transaction (if it is legitimate of course). If it is fraudulent use of the card or ID, they will also refund the money to the disputing party, so everyone should be VERY careful of PayPal transactions. Always attempt to get a receipt and/or deal locally. Long distance means more chance to fraud or sales going bad. What is the to stop someone from saying that they never got the product? Nothing, that’s what.
This is more from my last post my phone isn’t letting do it right.
(1/2)asking about it to make sure its in good condition. so can you assure me i will not be disappointed? Is the price negoatiable?..am requesting this (2/2)transaction should be done via PayPal due to the nature of my work,so the PayPal charges is on me.Payment will be made via PayPal only
Please help me. Also received a texted from a woman she calls her self Linda said she could only pay via pay pal due to the nature of her work.
408-788-9615
2005 Chevrolet equinox ¤10,000 obo – ¤10000
ello my name is linda,is your item still available? let me know the present
condition
Never accept that much money through PayPal.
thank you!!
I have just recently received two texts from I believe scammers. I’m new at this and an trying to sell my car. I’m so glad that I read this big and all the comments.
201-228-0611
(1/2) is your 2005 Chevrolet equinox ¤10,000 obo – ¤10000 (El Reno,OK) in cl still available for sale?kindly get back to me to my private email address (2/2)peterpl136¡gmail.com also with the recent pictures
Here is the two phone numbers that tried to scam me so be ware! 626-502-6508 (This is the one who pretended to work for the FBI)
and 424-226-8105
You guys have got to hear what one of these scammers just did to me as I’m writing this. Especially craigslist staff. I put an IPhone on Craigslist today and got two of these scammers texting me, each with the same story, the story all of you guys got also…out of town, buying for a family member, need PayPal info…blah blah blah. The first one said he was buying it for his son and would pay me double what I was asking for and needed my PayPal email. I knew this was a scam because it says on Craigslist to never use PayPal so I googled PayPal craigslist scams and found this great website and couldn’t believe the exact same things happening to other people. Exactly the same thing! So after reading the posts on here, I text one of them back calling him a scammer and some nasty names and told him I was going to put his phone number on this website. He never replied. Well I said the same thing to the second guy.
Here is what I said:
Do you think I am stupid? You are a scammer, you all say the same thing, you are a scum bag for doing this to people and you should be put in jail. I am posting your phone number right now on a craigslist scammers website warning others about people like you and there are a lot of people with the same stories of what you do.
Here is what he said word for word: sorry this is not a scam okay..am really…h=how much messages is there about this on website??
Me: There are very many messages about what you people do, why do you ask?
Him: ask because my intention was good…I really want to buy it. please if you don’t mind let me have the number and website I work with FBI I want to put them under investigation okay…just tell me the website number they will face the law okay.
Me: (playing stupid) You work for the FBI?
Him: yep as am agent okay
Me: Wow you really think I’m stupid, you are a scammer and want to see the website so you can figure out new scams. You do not work for the FBI, stop scamming people, I already posted your number so stop scamming people.
(Like he’s going to listen) No replies since the last one I sent.
Can you believe he said that? It’s so obvious what he is doing, he can barely speak English! I just thought you would get a kick out of that one! Be careful everyone and thank you for this great website!
We are selling our extremely nice gym equipment that we don’t use anymore. We have been getting BLOWN UP with texts from scammers. Today, after renewing our equipment (listed at 2,500.00), I get a text asking if it is still for sale and to “kindly” get back with him on the condition. Anytime I read “kindly,” I automatically know it is a foreigner/aka scammer. I immediately respond with:
“Fuck off spammer. Eat shit. Stop wasting my time and other people’s time who are trying to sell on Craigslist.”
I know I sound crazy, but I am certainly a little peeved by the continuous texts from this scam artists. An amount of time goes by without a response so I then say:
“Scum bag. You don’t know enough English to rebuttal do you? Ignorant piece of shit.”
And what kind of response do I get? LOL! The dumb ass proceeds to say: (Word for word, grammar and all)
“Thanks Im just asking about it to make sure its in good condition and I cannot be able to have you cash at hand or a face to face deal due to the nature of my job. I’m buying this for my son as a birthday gift present.I believe it will make a wonderful Birthday Gift His Birthday is next week . also no shipment involved but I have a pick up agent that will be coming for it once the payment is cleared through paypal. , I can only pay you via one of the fastest and”
He/she didn’t even know I was insulting him/her. Ridiculous. Number is (347) 201-1053. I have since deleted our phone numbers from craigslist and said REPLY TO AD ONLY WITH PHONE NUMBER. It is sad that these people are making it hard for us to sell on craigslist. I am not falling for the scams, but I am getting tired of the annoying text messages. In 3 days we have had 5 texts from different scammers.
I got this today in response to my motorcycle ad on Craigslist:
+12082743482: Im satisfied with your advert and price, as am requesting this transaction should be done via PayPal so the Pay Pal charges is on me. If my offer is accepted
+12082743482: I was just about to pay when i receive a message from my pick up agent saying, i will need to pay for the pick up before they can schedule a pick up time, they charged me $850 for pick up and delivery,and the payments most be made available through money gram transfer
+12082743482: i will add the $850 to the money i will send through paypal as soon as i have made the payments, i will email you and let you know and please i will need you to help me send the money to my pick up agent through money gram transfer, this can be done from any post office ,there is always Money gram transfer section in most post offices and get back to me asap so that i can make the payment fast.
craigsliststaff says:
December 28, 2012 at 1:59 am
I think what she was trying to say is that if you are in the USA you don.t need to spell out USD. Only a foreigner would say 100USD. Different countries say things differently than we do. An American would just say “Pay me $100? where foreigners would say 100$, or 100USD or any other variation. The fact that it was a foreigner is a tip off to a scam because why would someone in another country be buying stuff from Craigslist in this country? You would buy locally in your own country. Ask yourself the same thing. How many times do you go to a foreign website to buy stuff? Never, right?
hi, i agree with the USD that looks bad. however i would like to ad something… I live in Canada (west coast) and I have searched into other areas of the states on CL when i was building my car. parts are hard to find here where i live and was able to get people to send me things from as far away as chicago.
I am not a scammer and the parts weren’t over 100.00 and easy to pop into the mail. This is going back a couple years now. and after reading all these posts I guess i was lucky to be believed and not in a hurry with needing parts. i waited for the postal cheques to get there and clear.
i wanted to add that my girlfriend was selling an industrial sewing machine…. this thing weighs a ton. some idiot “nick” in california gets ahold of her wanting the machine…. my BS meter went straight up… you can guess the rest… paypal scam
cheers
It is still going on. I listed something yesterday and almost immediately received a text message that could have been copied from one of the scripts in this thread. I asked where they are located and the question was ignored. I tried calling the number and went to a voicemail which sounded like a business. They then sent two texts insisting on the email address for my paypal account so they could pay right away – “I will cover the paypal charges” and his private shipping agent will come to pick it up.
Who the hell has a “private shipping agent?” And I have used paypal enough to know that they don’t send confirming emails or tracking numbers or that you have to do an additional action to get the funds transferred. When someone pays, they pay and the money goes to your account.
So I texted the scammer back and said, “This is a scam. Paypal doesn’t work that way”. They replied, “What do you mean by that?”
I simply ignored the text and that’s that. But the keys are keep your eyes open and really, how many times does someone say, “Kindly provide your ____” or “regrets…”
A legit buyer will more than likely say, “Is it still for sale”, “when can I see it”, “will you take $____ for it instead?”, things like that.
I’m glad for this thread.
You posted:
“A legit buyer will more than likely say, “Is it still for sale”, “when can I see it”, “will you take $____ for it instead?”, things like that.”
I disagree, in part. I get a lot of robo-replies to Craigslist postings like this.
“What is your final price?” – “Final price” is not a phrase that Americans use, but many foreigners use – which tips me off that it is probably a Nigerian scammer. As you noted, the use of “kindly” and “regrets” (both common British English sayings) are also a tip-off that you are talking to someone who is from a former British colony. Nigeria.
“Will you take $1000?” – sounds legit, until you get five e-mails from fishy addresses and odd names (Jeb Stewart?) with the exact same wording. Very odd that someone would offer a price for merchandise WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT IT. Even odder that five people would make the same price offer. I suspect a ‘bot is programmed to look for a price and then generate an e-mail saying “Will you take (price-$500)” to try to sound legit. After all, agreeing to pay full price is suspicious, right?
“Is the Item still for sale?” or “Is the vehicle still for sale?” are also red flags. No mention of what the “item” is, or what kind of “vehicle” we are talking about (could cover cars, boats, motorcycles, etc.). Again, scammers want to use generic responses, perhaps using a ‘bot, to cover as many postings as possible.
And a note: If the item is still on C/L, it is still for sale, right? What numnuts leaves up a C/L posting after selling something.
Craigslist is a LOCAL sales advertising medium. There is no need to get caught up in rounds of e-mail discussions for such things.
I am putting in my Craigslist ads to CALL my phone number if they want more information, or to put THEIR PHONE NUMBER in their e-mail if they want me to respond.
Most people on C/L just don’t respond to e-mails anymore, as so many of them are phony.
I just got a response for something I’m selling they said
“Sounds good,i am a member of the US Marine and currently on duty right now. I am getting it for my son who is studying abroad as a surprise gift. I accept your price and will be adding $80 for shipping fee..so get back to me now with your PayPal email for an instant payment”
Unsure how to respond.
Read through all the other comments here. You will soon find a common thread and you will see that you are not alone. Just do what the others have done.
About an hour after I posted my wedding dress for sale someone claiming to be caroline zimmerman text my phone saying that her wedding is in california and that she will take care of the shipment of the dress, and that a mover will come to pick it up from me. The message goes on to read i will like to make a payment via a cetified cashier check that will deliver at your door step soon via fed ex or usps, then goes on to read without any correct grammar, you need to confirm the clearance of the check and deduct ur money before the picker can come for it. Sounds like a huge scam to me!!!
the phone number they texted me from was 916-800-8435
I am dealing with this as we speak. The buyer never tried the “I am sending more money” part until now and I just received the fake email from paypal saying the money will be released when I pay the extra shipping money. I told the buyer I wasn’t born yesterday and the email is fake. The phone number of this scammer is 909-742-0451 and he calls himself “Lucas” even though when you call the number the voice mail says his name is “Cory”. Glad I read these blogs so I knew what to look for!
I got one from “Anita” phone number 804-638-9088.
I posted my car for sale and 15 minutes later got a text saying they wanted to buy it. then proceeded to tell me they needed all my paypal info and they were out of town and would have someone else come pick it up after paying for it without even looking at it. after telling them we have no paypal account, they stopped responding. the phone number that came up was 919-322-9842.
I’m so annoyed with myself right now. I didn’t fall for it really, but I also got the fake “paypal” emails. I had two people asking the lowest acceptable price on an item I listed. I told them to make an offer – I’m not bidding agaist myself. They both then agreed to pay full price, $1,000. I was more than a little suspicious when they then were ready to buy, sight unseen. I didn’t mind using paypal. I have little experience with it, other than paying my Netflix account, but the one said she’d happily send and extra $6.00 or so to cover the fees. Of course, then she sends an email saying, “Oh I should have mentioned by movers just told me they won’t pick it up unless their paid in advance. I’ve sent you $650.00 extra. Will you Western Union or Moneygram it to them?” My response was, “How stupid do you think I am? NO!” And I forwarded the fake “paypal” email to spoofs@paypal.com. The second “buyer” got the same email from me, stating if they were also a scammer, not to waste their time. Never heard back from them again. I did, however, get another “paypal” email from someone who never even emailed me in the first place.
Another wanted me to accept his accountant’s check. I told him cash, or perhaps a money order. I’m nervous about the fact that he now has my home address….but I realize now he’s also a scam (that item was only $50) and emailed him to say he can pay me when he picks up and if his “mover” is picking up, he can send the money to them to give to me.
This has been so annoying. I also changed my paypal password. But I’m really nervous about these aholes having my paypal email address….is there a danger just in that?
Thanks for the good info! We are moving right now and selling a lot of our stuff in the Santa Barbara area. All the CL scammers are slithering out of their dirty little holes. Here are two more numbers to avoid: 775-773-8405 and 510-255-5063 They are both definite scumbags trying to use variations of the PayPal / my shipper / mover scam.
This is a scam gave me a sad story of them losing their son and it being his truck and they just want to get rid of it then starts by saying it is in a shipping place and they travel for work and need all kind of information to go through ebay protection plan!
Scams related to vehicle sales are very common in Craigslist. Its seems that currently a large part of the vehicles for sale are scams of one sort or another.
scam numbers: 1(516)360-0857 ; 1(661)376-0457
281 – 940 4754 and 646-820-9407. Both texted me and enquired about the car. They asked if i had any paypal account! When i said no ( eventhough i have) they stopped texting me!! Be careful of the 2 numbers!!
this guy from ny just contacted me saying he/she realling interested in my ps3 and was gona overpay to me for the shipping costs when i said i dont have paypal and wont use paypal they stopped texting me then i texted them a link to this site and said im going to add your number there now 347 8295262..careful guys dont fall for it
I am new to Craigslist and almost fell for the “oldest scam in the book” and even went as far as giving out my email address and home address before googling the situation and finding out about this scam. Naive, I know! Now I’m concerned about the information I did give out and what I should be doing about possible consequences. Any thoughts?
I wouldn’t worry about it. I dont think you gave out anything vital. Its good that you stopped yourself in time.
Selling an item on Craiglist and got a classic scammer from 865-309-5830…all the normal questions, Whats your address, want to see it. “so your coming to look at it?” “I’ll have by shipper look at it when they come to pick it up” Whats you Paypal account, I’ll pay you extra for your trouble and you just western union the funds to my shipper blaw blaw blaw…865-309-5830 I just what to have this # on file for the next person that searches it.
A guy tried to scam me from (323) 638-9647. May the next person he tries to scam find the number here.
I am selling my Dell Inspiron Laptop for 300, I have the same issue but the really stupid thing was that it was to obvious, I put right in the ad, pickup only. Next thing you know I get a guy wanting to buy with Paypal for 450 and says to ship it to West African College. XD like i would do that.
But I really want to buy your car only if you open a PayPal account. I dont have a paypal Then he text me back sayings oh so sad but thanks anyway. I text him back, No thanks to you, now I could add your number to Craigslist and E-bay for Scammers. Just remember this number 1-240-459-3162 people.. Second asshoe that try to scam me
Got one of these, too. I thought of playing with them a bit, but so far haven’t gotten a response…can’t tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing!
Their email (from a “Julie Martinez”):
———————————————————–
I would appreciate if you email me with more pictures (if available) too
since i won’t be be able to see this in person. And if you don’t have a
PayPal account, It’s pretty easy to set up a PayPal account at
http://www.paypal.com . it’s just a few minutes away from signing up. it’s
safe and secure for both Parties and i have been using PayPal to buy
and sell for years
now without problems. Pls get back to me with your PayPal email so i
can proceed with the payment and contact the Pick up Agent who will
come for the Pick up of the item.
I will need these following details so i can proceed with the payment right away
1:Your PayPal e-Mail Address
2: Home Address
As soon as you get back to me with your PayPal email, I’ll proceed
with full Payment. I look forward to reading from you soon.
———————————————————–
———————————————————–
My response:
———————————————————–
You know what? I normally wouldn’t do this… but you sound like a straight shooter! 🙂
I always tell my girlfriend: “you know what Craigslist needs? More pictures! People don’t share enough pictures of themselves to each other, reducing the beautiful art of a commercial transaction to naught but a cold, heartless, impersonal exchange of money for products and/or services”. Of course, I don’t really tell her in those words, because she charges me by the minute, and I usually run up my bill pretty quickly what with all the spanking and subsequent crying. But I digress. Are you on Friendster? I’m totally on Friendster, we should become friends there. Then I could share all the awesome pictures of my cat. They’re pretty awesome. Here’s a picture of me playing with my cat. LOLZ!!1 He’s a cutie pie.
So that’s just one picture, but I can totally send you more, being that we’re pretty much like best friends but now and stuff. Send me some of yours! Are you on MySpace? Send me a message there and I’ll add you to my page! Well, it’s not really my page, it’s my cat’s page. Did I tell you about him yet? He’s totally awesome, here’s another picture of him dressed up as a pumpkin for Christmas, LOL!!!1 I know people do pumpkins for Halloween, but I’m all like a rebel and stuff. And you would know that, missus, if you would join me on Friendster!! Man, you’re such a hoot, I can tell that we’re pretty much total besties by now.
So this Paypal thing sounds good, but I’m not very good with the internets. Can you help me open an account? Let me know what information I need to send you so that you can open that on my behalf, being that we’re pretty much BFFs by now. Are you on iTunes Ping? I love it, because it lets me share all these super cool music videos. They’re of my cat. He plays the piano. He’s pretty awesome. Here’s a picture of him drinking milk out of a tiny plate. It’s hilarious because he doesn’t know it’s a tiny plate, you get it? He thinks it’s a full size plate!! LOLZ!!11
Anyway, I await your response, let me know what information you need to open that Paypal account for me. Thanks!
PS: Miss you already, chick!
———————————————————–
Needless to say, those were not pictures of a cat. I did not add any links to this post, but on the original email they all linked to either rick-rolls or some nasty pictures…
Hilarious!! Loved reading this. I should try next time. Although I just cuss them out and it seems just as fulfilling insulting them with about 50 text message in a 10 minute span. I know I sound like a sociopath, but I just want to give them a dose of their own “annoying, time-wasting” medicine. It would be interesting to know if there is ACTUALLY a person behind the texts or if it is all computer generated…?
He is the biggest scammer out there, had also sent me a fake FBI email….
YOU ARE COMMANDED to arrest and bring before a United States magistrate judge without unnecessary delay.My Name is agent David Colton,i work as an international liaison corespondent officer with FBI.We have an issue at hand regard a case with a buyer Gerrard Kon regard the transaction between you ,according to our report,we found out that you are trying to defraud her of her money after she has paid for your merchandise upfront ,there is need for you to send the pick up fee upfront to the agent address as provided by your buyer.We request for the Scanned Receipt of the Money Gram transfer and the Money Gram Reference number to prove sending of the pick up agent fees in less than 12hours and we will fund the money into your account or face the consequences of LEGAL ACTION.
NOTE:
Failure to Abide to this means your Name and Address will be forward to the law enforcement Agency in your Country to get you Arrested, because you are practicing Scam, And your Account with PayPal will be BLOCKED, In order to free yourself from this” send the pick up agent fees within 12hours and send and correct the Money Gram Reference number to available for pick up to PayPal for Verify. If you have any comment on this issue do not hesitate to contact us.If the information you wish to provide pertains to an emergency situation, please contact us through our email . Although we check our e-mail frequently, we do not consider it to be an alternative to telephonic contact in emergency situations. (fbi.govalert@secureroot.com).
Here is the contact info I have for this guy-
DO NOT LET HIM FOOL YOU!
(980)238-2409
verifiedfund@secureroot.com
gerrardkon@gmail.com
———————————————————
This was the info he have me for his “Pick-up Agent”
Pick-Up Agent Address – Confirmed
Name : Adeola Yusuf.
City : Toledo.
State : Ohio.
Zip code : 43615
Country : United State.
Just got one that says word for word-
scammer- ‘ist still up for sale?1982 Marinette express28’- $7500(OP)
ME-yes
THEM-1/3 I just wanted to make sure nothing is been left out.i need you to understand that I am willing to purchase it right away,put it off the post
2/3site and consider me as your favourite buyer I will be buying this for the price.and Payment will be sent using PayPal I will handle the paypal surcharge
3/3as well. I will arrange with a shipping company to have this picked up at your location once I have paid as I am out of town at the moment. in the
ME-No, in person cash.
Stop trying to scam me, go be scum elsewhere.
I got some hot sh** right out of my dogs a$$h**e you can have. I hope you get hit by a f*%-ing bus, f*&-ing sh%*bag.
F*&^ing die already.
Free texts here, I can go all night.
I am reporting your phone number as a scammer on craigslist.
So you better change it quick, sh&*thead.
All vcgvdfnnffgdfhnhjfurgeij- this goes on for 3 texts, etc.
All night long.
THEM-1/2 Hey you dare not do that…cos you are going to regret it.. I was trying to negotiate with you..not to do something else if you really want to sell this
ME- Don’t lie, this isn’t the first time I have gotten the same exact text, let me guess, you need my email so you can send to my paypal right, well guess what, i’m still posting to craigslist
THEM-2/2 let me know im not joking with you ok
ME- Scammer
Cash in person if your not joking, let me know when you are in town
THEM- You dumb a$$ ..you don’t dare do that I swear ..you are going to regret it ..believe me
ME- Don’t ever reply to my posts again, and look for the scammer post with your number on it.
I am reporting your number to craigslist now.
THEM- 1/2and guess what ..im posting your number too and report you as a scammer .,. I will look for you on ebay and if you are there ,,,I will make sure I
2/2negative ur feedback and report you as a scammer you dumb a$$
ME- Its ok cause I’m done posting
THEM- doing that now
ME- For what, because you couldn’t scam me?
I told them everything you wrote on the text just like last time.
THEM- How dare you trying to report my number..?you dumb a$$
ME- Not try, did.
THEM-and besides this is just the beginning of reporting you..im going to look for your location
ME- Now your stalking, I can report you to the police, and your text is evidence.
no reply
thanks for reading and letting me share.
I wish one would reply to me 😦 I have insulted and cussed three out so far…and no responses? Boohoo. One I even sent a good 100+ messages to…and NOTHING! I will let them know I reported their number. Maybe that will get them going.
I now add the following to all of the ads I place on Craigslist: (No fake cashier check scams or trying to hack into my PayPal account or anything to do with a Nigerian royal figure who has been killed in an airplane crash.)
So far so good. The criminals have moved on to a less “cool” target.
I just received this email and it sort of sounds about the same..
Thanks Marty,
I appreciate your prompt response and i hope it’s in good condition as stated on the address..? am buying it for my Dad as a surprise gift in Washigton,i will arrange mover that will pick it up.I hope you don’t mind if i use paypal to process the transaction…?as am requesting this transaction should be done via PayPal so the charges is on me, I’m presently out of town deployed,Am in air force, Chief Master Seargent USAF.sorry i won’t be able to come over to look at it in person and only reason why am trying to pay from my PayPal at the moment. I hope we can make the purchase as soon as possible? you can get back to me with the following details
1: Your email attached to your paypal
2: I’ll be offering you $30,500
3: Your contact address
Cordially
Tom
Just wondering is there a way to either turn the tables on this person or to figure out his actual location..
You can try and get as much information as to location or names or anything that you want but I foresee two things happening. 1- Any information that you gather will be fraudulent and of no use to you, or 2- No matter how many emails or inquiries you send, you will always get emails back asking you for more information and they will not relate to what you asked. In other words they will simply ignore your questions, not bother trying to make you comfortable and simply keep asking for your name, address, paypal account, etc. You’ll just be wasting your time and get yourself frustrated. The end result will always be the same, cut them off and save yourself time and trouble.
Thanks so much for this post (and everyone who has left a comment with the details of their potential scammer!) I was trying to sell my wedding dress on craigslist and got two text messages.
The first (from 678-861-6473) after I said yes, it is still available.
Potential Buyer#1: “Sound Great.My Name Is John.Am Willing to Know It’s Condition And Your Last Firm Price You Will Be Selling It To Me.”
Me: I confirmed the price, but became suspicious due to the text typing (who puts everything in capital letters??)
PB#1: “I’m Satisfied With The Price And The Condition Through The Advert,.Am Located From (Cedartown, GA) As A Drilling Engineer, I Would Have Love To Come And Have A Proper Look, But Due To The Nature Of My Job And Current Location, I May Not Be ABle To Come For The Inspection And Pay You Cash.I’m Just Asking To Make Sure I Would Not Be Disappoint So Can You Assure Me That I Won’t Be Disappointed At All? As For Payment I Will Be Paying You Via I Fastest And Secure”
Me: obviously red flags are going off all over here, so I said I’d be happy to talk if the first buyer falls through.
PB#1: “I would love to call whom i wanna buy from..But i have to let you know that i really appreciate and understand to talk to me but due of my condition..its so sad to tell you am a deaf”
Me: end of conversation – I didn’t reply back, so then two days later I get a message from a second phone number (813-862-1687) which looks oddly like the first set of messages…he got a bit more pushy in the second set of texts.
Potential Buyer #2: Listed item “…I would love you to get back to me what your last asking price”
Me: told them the price and said thank you.
PB#2: “Sound Great.My Name is John.Am Willing To Know It’s Condition And Your Last Firm price You Will Be Selling It To Me.”
Me: “Are you local?”
PB#2: “OK Sounds Good to Me. With all Due Respects Sir/Ma, I’m Contacting My private courier agent will come for the pick up You Regards the Purchase of Your Item. So can You Assure Me that I won’t be Disappointed at all? Do You Have a Verified PayPal account?”
Me: “Would you want to have a conversation sometime to discuss?”
PB#2: “Do You Have A Verified PayPal Account?”
Me: “yes”
PB#2: “kindly get back to me with your PayPal email so i cab proceed with the payment”
–about 20 minutes later–
PB#2: “Am still waiting…”
–an hour later–
Me: “My apologies. What is your first and last name again? John?”
PB#2: “John Ruben”
Me: “Mr. Ruben. I am working today. Please let me look at getting you the info you need at the end of the day.”
PB#2: “kindly get back to me with your paypal email so i can proceed with the payment”
–45 min later–
PB#2: “kindly get back to me with your paypal email so i can proceed with the payment”
Me: AFTER READING THIS POST – THANK YOU “I’ve amended the posting. Local. Cash only. Thank you”
I’m sooo happy I found this site. I’m very new to Craig’s List and have successfully sold several items recently. One of the items I’m selling is my iMac. This is the email from a John Brown:
“Thanks for your mail,what is the conditions of it?i am buying the item for my aunt. who work in oversea.i will add $20 for taking down the add and $100 for shipping,i would have done it local transaction but i am out of town presently…you can get back to me with your PayPal email account so i can pay now,and if you don’t have one,you can log on to their website http://WWW.PayPal.com to create an account with them and get back to me with only your PayPal email address so that i can remit payment into your account. Hope to hear from you soon best regard”
Being a regular seller of stuff on eBay the alarms immediately went off so my reply was I prefer a face to face transaction and even offered to hold it for a couple of days for him. While I waited for his reply, I googled “craigslist paypal scam” and viola your site was the first of many.
Well I’m sure you know he did reply and said:
“I need it shipped out today cause its urgent,and shipping via USPS EXPRESS MAIL is very safe that is why i asked you to use their service”
I was like boy bye. I should of included a link to this page to let him know I’m hip lol
The moral of the story is…if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t!
I realize that this is a scam. But can someone explain what the actual scam is? I went through this today. Listed my laptop on craigslist and got a response quickly. Guy said he wanted to buy my laptop for his fiance who is out of state. Wants to pay me $390 even though I only asked for $300. Then asks for my paypal address so he can pay me immediately. What is the scam? Like, what would have happened if I’d given him my paypal address? I’m confused as to what the exact nature and mechanics of this scam are. Can anyone explain it in a simple way? I just don’t understand how it’s a scam if they actually send money to your paypal address. Can they somehow send “fake” paypal money?
There are MANY variations on this scam, but the simplest scam with PayPal is to use a stolen or fraudulent account. Later after you release the item and PayPal takes back the money is when you realize that you have been scammed. Another is to use unverified addresses. PayPal will NOT protect the seller if he sends to an unverified address or an address that is different than what the account holder has in their account. Read through the comments here and you will see many more ways they use PayPal to scam you.
I just listed my laptop and almost word for word got the same email, i listed it for 450 and he said ill do 600+shipping then the massiv reason why and i googled scams and here i am. plus the email he was using didnt have a way for me to find him, no yahoo or anything so i was a little concerned now im just not going to reply back
I am so glad i found this website. I regularly list things for sale on craigslist. Yesterday after listing a harley davidson sportster i received 3 different messages from different numbers all wanting to send money thru paypal. Flags went up when they started asking for my address and what color the shop was that the bike was in. No one ever asks that sort of question. All 3 were out of state and couldnt look at the bike. Never did they ask for additional information or pics. Which considering there is very limited info on the listing i think questions would be in order. This not sitting well I checked into what kind of protection i would have as a seller doing this sort of transaction… None
Then today I googled like many other the craigslist paypal scam and found this. Ive told my husband absolutely no transactions thru paypal for anything we sell unless its on Ebay.
Thank you so much for having this website to warn us who look 🙂
Wow, thanks for this!!! I got the following email about my post:
“Thank you for getting back to me. Please assure me that it’s in good
condition and that i will not be disappointed with it.I’m ready to pay
your asking price and to be honest, i wanted to buy this for my Dad,
but the issue is i am an oceanographer and i do have a contract to go
for which starts tomorrow and am leaving any moment from now.The
contract is strictly no call due to the lack of reception on the sea
area. But I’m able to access email anytime as we will make use of
laptop so my only quickest payment option is PayPal as i can send
money via PayPal anytime. Since I’m requesting this transaction to be
done via PayPal and if you don’t have an account with PayPal, its
pretty easy, safe and secured to open one. Just log on to
http://www.paypal.com. I hope we can make the purchase as fast as possible? I
have a mover that will come for it once payment clears and they will
be handling the title for me. So i look forward to hear from you soon.”
I agreed, and then got this email:
“I was just about to make the payment when i had this little problem
with the picking up, I got an email from my private courier agent..i
taught i included that in my previous email.he said he won’t come and
pick up the item unless i pay him the agent commission fee first in
order to be able to schedule a pick up time ,and my private courier
head quarters is in the Michigan United State and all commission
payments made for pick up, from anywhere in the world is sent to their
head quarters in the Michigan United State and the only form of
payments they accept is western union money transfer and i tried to
pay online but i will need a credit card which i don’t use and there
is no post office(there is usually a western union section in most
post offices) or any western union agent offshore! so i have to ask
you to help me with the pick up fees, i will include the $1000 they
charged to pick it up to the payments i will send through paypal to
you now so i will need you to help me send the $1000 to my courier
agent through western union money transfer. The western union money
transfer can be made at a post office near to you, there is always a
western union agent in most post offices or online at
http://www.westernunion.com. I will be making the payments shortly and will
email you as soon as it has been done. I will make the payment soon
and i will get back to you once i through with the payment”
This made me really suspicious, and those suspicions were confirmed when I did a google search for “Paypal craigslist scam” and I found this site. Thank you for supporting my suspicions and helping me avoid getting ripped off!
Very useful information, thanks for sharing. This shows that they are changing their methods slightly to entice you through the safety of PayPal, then lure you into releasing money through Western Union. You notice that it never changes that the person cannot be contacted, they always pay more than what you ask, and have broken English. Always dead giveaways.
New to Craigslist or using Paypal for anything other than paying my Netflix bill. I got the exact same thing as you. My response was to write them back asking just how stupid they thought I was, forwarding the “paypay” email to the paypal spoof email address and then changing my paypal password for good measure. When paypal asked me to put in my bank info to change the password, I called them directly and told them I wouldn’t do it so they sent me another way to change without entering my account information. I’m still nervous knowing this bastard has my email address and home address.
i put up my laptop on craigslist a few days ago and got this reply tonight:
Thanks for the mail,But am not in state presently…Am buying this item for my company agent located in oversea as a Birthday gift and i will add $150.00 for the shipping cost Via USPS Global Express Mail International 3-5days.. And i will made the payment through my PayPal account because is very secure and fast to receive money,Kindly send me your PayPal email account and your full name so that i can send the payment there … and if you are new to PayPal, you can easily log on to http://www.paypal.com and set up an account with them, its simple and easier, just in few secs; you get your account activated and i will like to see more pics.
Glad i read googled this, saved me a lot of wasted effort.
Same story, same song..was in another country, use PayPal , she said she would send extra $ to cover wires etc..ask for extra pix, blah blah. Continued to ask & her dealer would pick it up & to send $$ , & give her my acct to send to….well you know the end …I just told her I sent her all the $$ & MORE, since I was feeling generous!!
It helps to have a sense of humor in these cases. 😉
Within one day of listing my Boat on Craigs List I got two offers to buy from scammers wanting to use Paypal – Their stories were almost the same – though one was more creative than the other but both had the same MO -wmark444@gmail.com was one and pablobillsx1@gmail was the other – Mark Williams claimed he was a Rugby coach and I looked it up and there actually is a Rugby Coach with that name – maybe I should contact him so he can get the creep in a scrummage!
this is what I am getting with selling a vintage table and chairs:
“Thanks for the information, i just wanted to make sure nothing has been left out. I will be buying for the price. Payment will be sent using PayPal and i will handle the PayPal surcharge as well. Once payment has been completed my pick-up agent will take care of any necessary documentation needed for the purchase. Funds will clear in your account before the shipper comes around to inspect and pick up. In the meantime can you send me more pictures (if available)?
I cant make or receive calls here due to the nature of my job as i am offshore. I would have love to call but our satellite server has been down which restrict our calls Please bear with me as i’m willing to buy. Funds will clear in your account before the shipper comes around to inspect and pick up..”
I decided to give him a link to the set on etsy, to see if that would be easier…totally ignores the link and keeps repeating the same story.. thank you all for sharing your stories.I almost believed, except for that nagging little voice.
Note that these folks are keeping up on our shared knowledge and alter their approach to match. My recent email asked for details about condition and for more photographs (though the condition is NEW!), and it was only in a 2nd email (after I responded to original questions) that they moved on to a 180 degree flip where they want to buy, send the money (to PayPal) but their licensed mover will pick up, etc, … Since the item is well over a thousand bucks I’d be HAPPY to get payment through PayPal – from a legitimate buyer, on my legitimate PayPal account. But this “buyer” sent out the warning signals. Still, they have begun to play the role of a more serious buyer, with logical questions about condition, even negotiating the price – which, to them, is irrelevant. But it helps disguise their intent. It’s too bad, between these charlatans, the fake sellers and the buyers who never show up when they make an appointment, Craigslist is being murdered.
Very good point, they do indeed change and adapt to what is going on. I can tell you that from the logs I see that a lot of people reading this blog and my website blog are from foreign countries (Africa, Pakistan, etc) so they are checking what you know and you all need to keep abreast of what they are doing. That is why these comments are so helpful. Readers should read not only the blog but the comments as well.
Someone just tried to scam me using a similar method. I am pasting their email contents below.
Thanks for the mail, I’m seriously interested in buying this for my
Friend as a birthday gift hope is in good condition Like I said I will
like to purchase this item for my friend as a birthday gift so kindly
withdraw the advert from Craigslist but i will not be able to look at
the item or pick it up from your place because i am currently out of
the state,I’m representing my company on an official trip, You will be
shipping the item to my friend just because I’m buying the item for
him please I will like to know why you are selling the item and do you
have the receipt of the item,
I will offer you $1,030 for the item and will also add an extra $100
to the money so as to cover the shipping and insurance charges via
USPS Express Mail,I will also add an extra $20 to the money to
compensate you for sealing a deal with me.
And about the payment, My mode of payment will be through PayPal
because it is fast for a safe,secure,reliable transaction and easy to
send money online, So get back to me with your PayPal email address or
send me a PayPal money request so that i can send out the payment and
as soon as you received the payment you can make the shipment,But if
you don’t have a PayPal account you can quickly set-up one
at(www.paypal.com) it is easy and save and it’s free also your reply
will be appreciated by me if you get back to me asap..
Looking forward to read back from you shortly..
It’s a new year and there seem to be a lot of scammers afoot.
Thanks. I am selling a 42″ plasma TV, got someone who said they were a marine, on a ship with limited access to phone or their bank but luckily their bank account was attached to their paypal account. Wanted to buy TV sight unseen as present for their dad, just for me to send them my paypal email and once money cleared they’d send their agent to pick up. I couldn’t figure out how they were scamming using paypal but knew it was a scam. Emailed back that I knew it was a scam and called them an asshat! I wish craigslist had a way that even after they first contact you on the anonymous email, when you respond they then get your email. I really hate all the damn scammers! THis summer I was looking for a rental in a college town and omg they are everywhere!!! ASSHATS!!!
Have a Brass Bed with fixins posted on craigslist.Was sent an email
from someone supposedly named Lara Johnson, supposedly in the
military, recently deployed somewhere overseas who wants to make the purchase via paypal. Do not trust it! She claims phone access is
limited due to security reasons. Right!!! If you can not talk on the phone, why would you try to buy a bed in St. Louis (as a gift) with paypal off craigslist? DO NOT TRUST THIS REPLY!!!!
I am selling a diamond ring and was notified by someone saying their name is Amanda Crawford and is an offshore engineer without any phone communications but would PayPal me the money plus 100 USD for shipping. First, who offers you more money? Second who uses USD? Third, who doesn’t have access to a phone? Maybe a prisoner or someone in Nigeria..lol. I’m so glad I read this article because I use to beliee PayPal would protect me and now know I need to be wary!
I would imagine anyone in the United States would use USD, being that it’s United States Dollars.
I think what she was trying to say is that if you are in the USA you don.t need to spell out USD. Only a foreigner would say 100USD. Different countries say things differently than we do. An American would just say “Pay me $100” where foreigners would say 100$, or 100USD or any other variation. The fact that it was a foreigner is a tip off to a scam because why would someone in another country be buying stuff from Craigslist in this country? You would buy locally in your own country. Ask yourself the same thing. How many times do you go to a foreign website to buy stuff? Never, right?
Thank you, sir.
You are welcome. 🙂
I am selling sound equipment on Craigslist, got a reply next day telling me her name is “Whitney Jones” from the Diabetes Foundation and that she wanted what I had, and that she needed my Pay-Pal account so she could pay me. I thought this was weird, so I looked up Whitney Jones in Google and found there is a Whitney Jones at the Foundation with a Facebook comment section, so I sent a message about it, asking if she actually emailed me, still waiting. This email I received had Whitney Jones as lead name, but the address is no where close to her name, which flipped a red flag for me. I replied to the mail, but have received no reply.
Smart man….Saved yourself a lot of grief by being careful.