I still don't understand how this scam works.

thelivesandlovesofmaggiethecat · Posts: 8858

I have two matching pieces of furniture listed on Craigslist. I get a lot of response to the ad but it is expensive so patience is required.

However I of course get one scam inquiry a week. Today I had one that just asked if the item was still available. I responded it was and asked for a phone number. Instead I got an email saying he wanted both pieces and would require me to remove the items from Craigslist immediately then send him my PayPal account name, email address and home address. As soon as I did this he would pay the full amount plus the shipper's fee via PP. He wanted the furniture ASAP.

Okay. I know this is a scam and didn't respond. But I still don't know how they work this. These are 2 massive pieces of furniture. You need two men, a large dolly and a moving van.

Assuming I would follow his instructions and he sent money to my PP account. From there how does it work.

If someone shows up at my door and asks for his fee, he doesn't really think I would pay the fee before the furniture is removed from my house. I'm quite sure they would cancel the PP payment as soon as they collected their shipping fee. People are not really dumb enough to fall for this are they? How do they pull it off without raising suspicion of even the dumbest?

cosmicray · Posts: 3071

No tracking number for one. He/She may send you a personal payment, which has no validity for SPP.

theartsandlettersofmaggiethecat · Posts: 1592

What is SPP? Do they then show up asking for the furniture? Do they cancel the payment? How do they win?

bearcreekcreations · Posts: 2134

You know Maggie, I never understood that one either. I'd like to know how that works as well. I used to get those types of emails all the time.

YardSaleBargains · Posts: 557

I got one of those responses to one of my ads on craigslist a while back to. I don't know how that works either. And like cosmicray said: with no tracking to show its been delivered you would lose if they opened a case with Paypal. That's why when I list on craigslist now I always say CASH ONLY.

TyreeTrading · Posts: 1430

One angle...The credit card info used to make the payment is stolen. He will have your item before the credit card holder can act on the unauthorized charge. The card holder files and paypal refunds the money. You are out the money and the item.

I agree with YardSaleBargins. Any transaction done in person should be cash only. If it's a large sum of money, have at least one other person with you whose only job is to watch the people around you.

Another angle...the neighbors down the street sold a used car. A week later the buyers showed up early in the morning, tied up the couple and stole their gun collection, jewelry and SUV. The neighbors recognized the thieves which helped with the recovery. What they learned, according to the paper, was to never allow a buyer in your house, just in the yard or the garage.

cosmicray · Posts: 3071

Maggie, next time they try that just tell them you would prefer they send payment to the shipping agent, and then the agent can hand you the cash upon pickup. That should slam the door on it quickly.

bearcreekcreations · Posts: 2134

I haven't used Craigslist in a while. It seems like 99% of the responses I get are from scammers or kids just calling me to play phone pranks about the item I am selling. It seems like the only few people that are genuinely interested prefer to email me instead of call me and I don't like to set up appointments by email because they almost always forget about it. I don't like to have to babysit a buyer and ask them if they remember that we have a meeting set up. Plus, around here there are just way too many people so most of the Ads go unnoticed anyway. The Criaglist in my area is for around 20 different little cities combined into one and it's too overcrowded. The search brings up listings for cities that are 30 miles away but they won't narrow it down to just our area for some reason!

thecheapskirt · Posts: 1730

I sold a car in Craigslist in hours. It was amazing the response I got. I posted it when I woke up and it was gone by 10am.

And I refused to talk to anyone on the phone. Did it all via email. First guy who had emailed and then showed up with cash bought it, the other 100+ people who had contacted me saying they wanted it were out of luck. I was nice and took down the ad immediately and replied to everyone who had emailed that it was no longer available.

Some people got angry with me for selling it. Because my ad said no phone inquiries but they emailed telling me to call them and I didn't. So THEY got angry with ME because THEY chose not to follow directions? LOL

And their profanity-laden emails were exactly why I didn't want crazy people to have my phone number.

thelivesandlovesofmaggiethecat · Posts: 8858

I didn't respond to this guy's second email setting up the guidelines. Most of the scammers don't send a second email, probably because they reveal their hand in the first email.

I've had two items sell on CL almost before I got my finger off the post button. A fax machine and just recently a sunburst clock that I was asking a hefty price for. The lady who bought the clock showed up a half hour after we talked on the phone, didn't even look at the clock but just handed over the money and took the clock.

bigtallmensclothing · moderator Posts: 21683

They OVER PAY you
They then ask for the some of the overpayment to be used to pay the movers when they arrive
and you get to keep the extra ... usually alot

of course all this is done on a stolen card!

then of course theres the
paid for item
then they say it cost more to get it then they thought
and ask you to send them cash
sometimes they tell you to keep a check for your inconvenience

again, a stolen number

there's a million ways

elpereles · Posts: 1351

thecheapskirt · Posts: 1730

Today I successfully talked my fiance out of driving an hour away to meet with a person who claimed to want to buy his printer from Craigslist.

All the red flags were in place (changed the venue they were to meet 5 times, originally were going to meet in public but now wanted to meet at some sketchy apartment, tried to guilt trip him when he said he'd rather meet in public, etc) but he ignored them, despite my warnings.

I honestly thought this was going to be the end of my boyfriend, or at least his wallet and his car. He'd asked me to go with him but I said NO WAY! But I couldn't stop him, until I texted him a picture of this person's mugshot from their booking in the Dallas jail 10 days ago.

Then he finally turned around and came home. Sheesh. Some people you have to hit over the head with common sense. LOL

SheilaDeesPostcards · Posts: 1496

Opposites attract in the world of love. Good that he has you watching out for him. Laughing

CandyAppleCrafts · Posts: 27

You can say one thing about scammers...they're really creative!

I got a spam email this morning (not from Craigslist, though). It told me an elaborate story about a girl whose parents had been killed by rebels in East Africa. Her money-grubbing uncle was trying to take her inheritance from her, but her father had put it in trust for her at a bank and she just needed me to agree to be her legal guardian until she turned 25 and could claim the money. She wanted me to supply her with a bank account number (to transfer the millions of dollars her father had left her) and help her fly to the US to pursue a college education.

I thought, "Well, with those storytelling skills, this person should get a job at a publishing house!"

Why do people work so hard at making a dishonest living?