Im afraid my friend is in over her head with craiglist

[Dznypal]

My friend listed a cell phone on craiglists for $250 she got a buyer from Texas (were in WI)

Im afraid something is shady going on

the guy insisted it be shipped today (today is Presidents Day so the post office isnt even open)

wanted the listing taken down right away

plus was going to pay $50 for shipping

usually my friend sells on ebay I dont know why she was going through craiglsits

her son is a convicted felon and has pulled alot of shady deals through out the years so I could see him doing something here

theres something too with her paypal on this deal--the money is supposed to be there but she doesnt have access to it--she knows paypal always sends an email when they send money

I know all she sees is the $ signs with this deal but the whole thing sounds fishy

actaully I though CL was for local selling

so I would like to hear your thoughts and any advice I can tell my friend

thanks all

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Scam

 

[mnrose]

Total scam. Your friend is an idiot if she thinks this is real.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I am sure that it is a scam.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We sell on Craigslist. It is a scam.

You sit there and wonder how people fall for this???

In addition as a precaution, I would tell her that selling something THAT expensive requires a public place meeting place.

Also CRAIGSLIST is cash only unless you are actually doing a legit sale with someone. When we do a sale like that it is #1 local only and #2 we meet at one parties bank. We have bought and sold cars, boats, etc on CL.

 

[waltonmkb]

It's a scam. They have you ship it and pay through PayPal. Then they make a claim to PayPal that they never received it and PayPal gives them their money back. Your friend will be out the money plus her cell phone. Tell her to tell them local pick up only and cash only.

 

[ibob52]

This info is from a standard craigslist *For Sale Page*

I referred to it when I got a email (approx once a day)

asking if I would Ship it and do I accept PayPal

My answer was . . . NO

• • safety tips
  • prohibited items
  • product recalls
  • avoiding scams <= click here

Avoiding Scams
Deal locally, face-to-face —follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts.

• Do not extend payment to anyone you have not met in person.
• Beware offers involving shipping - deal with locals you can meet in person.
• Never wire funds (e.g. Western Union) - anyone who asks you to is a scammer.
• Don't accept cashier/certified checks or money orders - banks cash fakes, then hold you responsible.
• Transactions are between users only, no third party provides a "guarantee".
• Never give out financial info (bank account, social security, paypal account, etc).
• Do not rent or purchase sight-unseen—that amazing "deal" may not exist.
• Refuse background/credit checks until you have met landlord/employer in person.

 

[Dznypal]

thanks for all the great advice--I told my friend all what I found out here

all she said was theyre being careful and wont deal with this person anymore

I asked her if she was still going through with the cell phone deal

she didnt say anything about that so Im assuming she is

just to show you how niave she is awhile ago she asked if she could come over to use our scanner--theres didnt work and she was just notified she won 2 million dollars in the Austrialian lottery

she called about it and the guy said just scan your passport to me--she said she didnt have a passport but she had a drivers license

the guy said that would do so she wanted to use our scanner to scan this to Niegria!!!! of all places

I told her sure she can use the scanner --then just out of conversion I asked what she wanted it for and then she told me about the lottery

I told her thats one of the biggest scams--I could just tell the disappointment in her voice

and her deadbeat son was trying to help her fax her DL to this scumbag--

she told him I told her it was a scam--her son says yeah I knew it was a scam

yet he was trying to help her get her info to this guy

I hope she doenst get caught up in this

but thanks again for the great advice

 

[sunshinehighway]

thanks for all the great advice--I told my friend all what I found out here

all she said was theyre being careful and wont deal with this person anymore

I asked her if she was still going through with the cell phone deal

she didnt say anything about that so Im assuming she is

just to show you how niave she is awhile ago she asked if she could come over to use our scanner--theres didnt work and she was just notified she won 2 million dollars in the Austrialian lottery

she called about it and the guy said just scan your passport to me--she said she didnt have a passport but she had a drivers license

the guy said that would do so she wanted to use our scanner to scan this to Niegria!!!! of all places

I told her sure she can use the scanner --then just out of conversion I asked what she wanted it for and then she told me about the lottery

I told her thats one of the biggest scams--I could just tell the disappointment in her voice

and her deadbeat son was trying to help her fax her DL to this scumbag--

she told him I told her it was a scam--her son says yeah I knew it was a scam

yet he was trying to help her get her info to this guy

I hope she doenst get caught up in this

but thanks again for the great advice

Some people just never learn. It's frustrating to deal with people who seem to continually fall for scams. All you can do is let her know you think it's a scam and then delete yourself from the situation. If she starts to tell you anything about it, just tell her you don't want to hear it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

thanks for all the great advice--I told my friend all what I found out here

all she said was theyre being careful and wont deal with this person anymore

I asked her if she was still going through with the cell phone deal

she didnt say anything about that so Im assuming she is

just to show you how niave she is awhile ago she asked if she could come over to use our scanner--theres didnt work and she was just notified she won 2 million dollars in the Austrialian lottery

she called about it and the guy said just scan your passport to me--she said she didnt have a passport but she had a drivers license

the guy said that would do so she wanted to use our scanner to scan this to Niegria!!!! of all places

I told her sure she can use the scanner --then just out of conversion I asked what she wanted it for and then she told me about the lottery

I told her thats one of the biggest scams--I could just tell the disappointment in her voice

and her deadbeat son was trying to help her fax her DL to this scumbag--

she told him I told her it was a scam--her son says yeah I knew it was a scam

yet he was trying to help her get her info to this guy

I hope she doenst get caught up in this

but thanks again for the great advice

Some people live in their own bubble.

 

[gingerfeathers]

Oh my goodness. Your friend definitely needs to learn how to spot a scam. I mean, I wish I won $2 million in the Australian lottery (or any lottery!), but if I didn't actually *play* the Australian lottery...

You're a good friend for being concerned. I hope she listens to you and doesn't actually go through with this deal for a cell phone.

 

[Heidict]

Total scam. Your friend is an idiot if she thinks this is real.

I was going to say that calling her an idiot was bit harsh. Gullible & naive, sure.
Then I read the follow up. You were right.

 

[rwdavis2]

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I sometimes help my parents list a vacation rental on Craigslist. We've found lots of people who turned out to be good tenants. But, I'm always on the lookout for scammers. A few years ago, a woman emailed me asking about some particular dates. I told her they were available, gave her the cost and all of the particulars. She said it sounded good and she would like to reserve it. Since the dates were several months away, I told her we just required a $100 deposit, and she would pay the rest before we sent her the keys. My mom only deals with checks and money orders, no Pay Pal. So my mom received a check not just for $100, but for $500 over the total rental amount. It was from some tool company in Ohio, although the woman said she and her husband would be coming to California from Utah. When I questioned her on email, she said the check was from her husband's company that was sending them on the trip as a reward. The $500 was meant to be spending money for them, and could we please wire it directly to them immediately? Yeah. No. I emailed her back and basically told her where to go. No response. I called the tool company in Ohio, which was a legit company that was apparently targeted by the scammer. They asked me to mail them the check, which I did. The guy on the phone said this had happened to them once before. Someone had dummied up a check to look like it had come from them, but it was a fake check. So my mom would put it in her account, wire the scammer $500, then the check would bounce and my mom would be out the money. Always good to be careful with Craigslist.

 

[Not My Fault!]

It's generally understood as scientific fact that the most common element in the universe is hydrogen. But I don't believe that's true. I think it's stupidity.

 

[North of Mouse]

Nigeria???? Big time scam!! We've reported several of those - never bite on them!!

 

[Dznypal]

my friend can never say no to her son!!!!!

he did text the guy in Texas and say the deal was off but then he lists it again on craigslist!!!

my friend said she got an email from paypal but it wasnt really from them--she said it didnt look anything like what the real paypal sends out

the guy still insists he paid

I asked her why her son relisted on craigslist and shy she didnt go through ebay since she sells on there quite a bit this is the first time for CL) her reply was she didnt know but her son knows what hes doing yeah right

hes doing the listing and dealing with replies but its my friends paypal account its going through

I can see this wont end for awhile

but thanks again for the advice--I passed it all on to her--

 

[Poohbug]

Yes, CL is for local selling. The only way I sell anything on CL is I give over my item and they give me cash(or vise-versa). Any other kind of transaction is shady and you are taking a big gamble.