{"id":16490,"date":"2018-07-13T14:50:40","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T22:50:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=16490"},"modified":"2022-04-13T12:27:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T20:27:08","slug":"avoid-craigslist-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/avoid-craigslist-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Craigslist Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you searching for a job? A used car? A new apartment? A Blu-Ray copy of <\/span>Air Bud 2: Golden Receiver<\/span><\/i>? You can find it all on <\/span>Craigslist<\/span><\/a>. But as with <\/span>online dating<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>unsolicited emails promising riches<\/span><\/a>, internet classified ads can come with an unseen price if you\u2019re not careful. Here\u2019s how to avoid Craigslist scams in 4 easy steps<\/span><\/p>\n

Craiglist: The Good, the Bad & the Deadly<\/h2>\n

For millions of Americans, Craigslist is the prefered way to buy, sell or trade with others. Most transactions go something like this: <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Person A clicks on Person B\u2019s classified ad offering goods or services<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Person A contacts Person B via email or phone<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Person B sets up a time and place to meet <\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Person A meets with Person B, goods or services are delivered, and both go home happy<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    While the overwhelming majority of Craigslist deals go off without a hitch, the site is home to a small but very real cadre of scam artists looking to take advantage of your goodwill and cash. The results can be costly, or in a few extreme cases, <\/span>even deadly<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

    That said, the rules for avoiding scams on Craigslist are simple and easy to remember.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Meet Face-to-Face<\/h2>\n

    Internet scammers are a crafty bunch, but you can neutralize almost all of them by remembering one simple rule: <\/span>always<\/b> deal locally and meet face-to-face in a public place.<\/b><\/p>\n

    According to Craigslist<\/span><\/a>, \u201c<\/span>most scams attempts involve one or more of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n