Craig's List- Scammer's Haven

Thar' be sharks in these here waters.....
A short while back I advertised a catfish for sale on Craig’s List for $75.00. I exchanged emails with several people. A couple of weeks later I received the typical fake check for almost $2500, with a note asking that I refund the overpayment via Western Union. Yea, right! In total the catfish offer hooked 11 scammers. One sent a check, the others did not follow through – but they were obvious. Two legitimate people, and the catfish found a new home.

I did a test ad for a house rental on a property I own. It ran for one week. 52 scammers answered that one! They were all almost identical: They will need the need the rental in a few of months. Can they send a certified check to hold the property. I could take the rental for the property out for the two months I’ll hold the house. Wow, what a deal – I’m supposed to really buy this scam. Here’s how it works – the “certified” check is counterfeit – but it’s so good it takes up to three months to bounce! After a month passes, the “tenant” cancels and asks for a refund. They negotiate a price, and expect a refund of $2000. The idiot who falls for this scam sends the refund check. A few weeks later the “certified” check bounced back. That great deal just cost the landlord $2000 for a refund, plus the lost rent on the property.

Had another listing selling some training manuals. This one only netted six scammers. No legitimate replies.

Another listing promoting a photography service. Three scammers. No legitimate replies.

It’s so bad on Craig’s List that they no longer accept free job offer posts. Why? Because over half the job offers were scams. Get rich quick schemes, pay advance scams, and more. They figure that a scammer won’t pay the fee (I believe it’s $25.00) – hopefully they are correct.

I like Craig’s List, but anyone using it has to be wary. They did not reply to any of the emails I sent concerning the massive amount of scammers and crooks on their service, nor did they reply to help requests or help offers. Eight emails sent. Eight emails received by them. Not a single one was replied to.

See: http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/10/ebay-craigs-lis.html