When you\u2019ve got something to buy or sell, Craigslist can be your best friend. Its audience is huge, you\u2019ll find local listings just about everywhere, and it doesn\u2019t cost to put up a listing of your own. Of course, there are downsides as well: The interface is decidedly clunky and old-school, many users are militant about only offering a rock-bottom price, and \u2014 of course \u2014 the site has a pretty robust population of scammers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of the scams on Craigslist are variations on a relatively modest number of themes. We\u2019ve compiled a list of five common scams that represent most of those, to illustrate the basic rules for spotting Craigslist scams. Once you know what to look for, those tell-tale red flags will be obvious every time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
People will always need a roof over their heads, which makes housing scams<\/a> an \u201cevergreen\u201d opportunity for criminals. There are several variations on these scams, targeting both renters and landlords. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scams aimed at renters will typically be priced below current market value for a given area, and the photos will make it look really<\/em> good. Of course <\/em>there\u2019s a lot of interest, so the scammer needs a deposit. Or<\/em> first and last month\u2019s rent, or<\/em> first month\u2019s rent and security deposit, depending on what\u2019s normal in your market. If the scammer is interested in identity theft, you may be asked to fill out a detailed application or credit check, which gives them your personal information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Key \u201cTells\u201d: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Scams aimed at landlords typically take a different tack. The putative renter will often \u201cmistakenly\u201d overpay the rent or deposit using a cashier\u2019s check<\/a>, and ask for the difference to be sent back. Then the check bounces, leaving the landlord on the hook for the money. Some scammers actually do rent the place using fake ID and a counterfeit cashier\u2019s check, and then fraudulently rent it out to multiple applicants (taking the money in advance, of course). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Key \u201cTells\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cars are one of the biggest-ticket items most people own, so buyers and sellers are often victimized by scammers<\/a> looking to make a score. If you\u2019re a buyer, the ads will usually feature both a really good deal \u2014 below market price \u2014 and a convenient explanation for selling: being deployed overseas; recently divorced or widowed; moving out of the area, or some variation on that theme. There may be no photos at all, or strangely professional-looking photos. Whatever the setup, there will always be a request to pay sight unseen, and usually through a payment app or wire transfer. Once sent, of course, the money is gone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a seller, the focus changes slightly. Your supposed buyer has some specific reason for not meeting in person, but will happily send you a cashier\u2019s check for the cost of the vehicle and send someone to pick it up. If you agree, you lose the vehicle, and then the money once the check is returned by your bank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Key \u201cTells\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One type of Craigslist scam deliberately targets users\u2019 fear of falling victim to scams on cars, real estate and other big-ticket items. When homes and other big-ticket items are sold, the money is usually paid into an escrow account, where a third party (a bank, law firm or other institution) holds the money until the deal is finalized. Scammers leverage your familiarity with this legitimate business tool to part you with your money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019ll try to get around your perfectly justified reluctance to send money sight unseen by suggesting the use of an online escrow service. They\u2019ll even helpfully send you the link! Unfortunately, the service is bogus, your money is gone, and \u2014 if you\u2019re really<\/em> unfortunate \u2014 the faked escrow website also contained malicious software that stole your personally identifiable information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Variations on the scheme may attempt to persuade you that the other party is \u201cCraigslist certified\u201d and therefore trustworthy, or that Craigslist itself or a third-party intermediary guarantees the transaction (spoiler: Craigslist does neither of these things). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Key \u201cTells\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the crash of 2008\u20132009, increasing numbers of people have turned to gig work and \u201cside hustles\u201d to make ends meet, and scammers were quick to take advantage. Both the desperation to find work, and the number of scammers purporting to offer it, rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic as well<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are lots of fake job scams<\/a> out there. In one, your \u201cjob\u201d is unboxing merchandise, repackaging it, and shipping it out. The merchandise is stolen or purchased fraudulently, and the paycheck never comes. Another scam offers \u201cwholesale\u201d merchandise to you that you then resell at a markup, but the merchandise never arrives and your money is gone. Variations on that theme are bogus network marketing schemes, or fake signups to a real network marketing company, which take you for the cost of your \u201cstartup kit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bogus job placement firms and mystery shopper contractors ask for fees to set you up with work, or ask you to pay for bogus certifications (legitimate companies don\u2019t charge you, they charge the employer). Others have an \u201conboarding process\u201d that involves you sending them all of your personal and banking information for payroll purposes, which is outright identity theft. Some scammers will send you money, which you\u2019ll redistribute to various destinations under one or another pretext: You\u2019re hired as a \u201cpersonal assistant,\u201d perhaps, or your supposed job actually is<\/em> to transfer money between accounts. The job is bogus, the money comes from criminal activity, and you may be liable for dollar amounts (or worse, potentially subject to prosecution). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Key \u201cTells\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another evergreen scam, which lurks anywhere things are bought and sold, is the selling of fraudulent or non-existent merchandise. Tickets are a popular choice, because there\u2019s a built-in sense of urgency (\u201cthe game\/concert is tonight!\u201d) that can help push victims to plunk down their money. They\u2019re also much easier to fake than, say, a piece of Louis Vuitton or Gucci merchandise, because they\u2019re just printed paper. The scammers may even claim to be mainstream vendors like Ticketmaster (they\u2019re not<\/a>). By the time you find out that the ticket is bogus, your money is long gone and so is the scammer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are plenty of other scams, of course. Shrink-wrapping machines and bags are relatively cheap, so that \u201cnever has been opened\u201d phone might simply be a flat rock inside a re-sealed box. The \u201clightly used, perfect condition\u201d appliance or electronic item might be non- or barely functional, or have been recalled by the manufacturer, or…may not exist at all. If you\u2019ve paid by Venmo, or wire transfer, or gift card, your money\u2019s gone whether or not the product is functional, as-advertised or even real. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Key \u201cTells\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how can you avoid Craigslist scams<\/a>? Your first step should always be self-education. Craigslist\u2019s own \u201cAvoiding Scams<\/a>\u201d page is a good starting point (if Craigslist says something is always<\/em> a scam, believe them). The Better Business Bureau\u2019s Scam Tracker<\/a> is another good source; just type \u201cCraigslist\u201d into the Keyword box and settle in for several hours of educational (and hair-raising) reading. Common sense plays a key role as well: If an offer seems too good to be true, or just feels wrong, walking away is never a bad option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If a given Craigslist listing displays a few of the \u201ctells\u201d (i.e., red flags) listed above, it\u2019s time for a little more scrutiny. Some examples that can help you thwart specific scams include the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\u2019re selling as a \u201cside hustle,\u201d buying on a budget or just looking to de-clutter, Craigslist is a superbly useful tool (that is, after all, how it got to be so big). While the site doesn\u2019t lack for scammers, most of the people who buy and sell on Craigslist are ordinary people just like you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As long as you\u2019re sensible about your interactions on the site, and exercise a degree of healthy skepticism about any offers that sound too good to be true, you should be able to rely on Craigslist to deliver a happy and trouble-free experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019ve got something to buy or sell, Craigslist can be your best friend. Its audience is huge, you\u2019ll find local listings just about everywhere, and it doesn\u2019t cost to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":25376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[614],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety"],"yoast_head":"\n2. Car Buying Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Escrow, \u201cCertified Seller\u201d and \u201cFinancial Middleman\u201d Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Job Offers and Work-from-Home Opportunity Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Bogus Tickets and Other Fraudulent (or Non-Existent) Merchandise Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Protecting Yourself from Craigslist Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Bottom Line on Craigslist Scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n