Experienced Craiglister opinion wanted!

I received an email response to a Craiglist posting I placed for a Canon lens. The first email just asked if I still had the lens for sale.

The second asked if I could please end the advertisement, and wait for a check to arrive from him, once the check cleared, he'd arrange for pickup.

Latest email says he included funds for shipping and that after the check has cleared he'd like me to ship it to him.

He has yet to let me know where he is located. The whole exchange feels a bit "funky".

My question is: If he is sending a check, that I will wait to clear my bank before I ship, how can I lose?

Any thoughts?


PS: All that he knows about me is my name and a UPS post box address that I gave him as a ship to for the check (not my home address).

Any emails asking if the item is still available without any contact info is a phishing scam, delete it. Any offers to pay and have it shipped is a scam, delete it. I've done plenty of deals on CL and it's always cash face-2-face deal in a public area. Good luck.

Smells fishy to me.

A majority of the time, a red flag should go up anytime you're asked to ship your item. Also, when you're asked to "end the advertisement", that's also a pretty good indication that something is amiss.

Craigslist can be a great marketplace if you go local and cash only. Beyond that, there are a whole lot of Nigerian spam artists out there.

I got this on Craigslist:

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

* DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.
* FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
* AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

Personally, I would stay away from anyone that asks me to ship anything to them when dealing on Craigslist.

Pretty much, what I figured. We'll see if a check shows up.

It's a scam. The check clears, then they inform their bank that their account was compromised or something and your bank will freeze those funds.

I've had terrible luck with Craigslist.

Too many people stop communicating (out of the blue), don't send money when they promise, and flat out lie.

All my Craigslist dealings are in person and cash only--no exceptions

Scam all the way...

dave kadolph wrote in post #9331876
All my Craigslist dealings are in person and cash only--no exceptions

this...

98% of all craigslist responses that only say, "is the item still availabe" are scams.

after replying with a "yes"

they say, okay, i want this product but im located XXX, we can deal through UPS and i will cover next day shipping with paypal, check, wire transfer, etc...

Bottom line, its a scam. Don't give them any of your real information.

Think of it this way, it is the dumbest thing in the world to send a check to a complete stranger on CL.... as someone already mentioned, the check will probably come, it will probably clear initially... just enough time for you to ship out the item. After a day or two, they file a report with their bank or whatever saying the account was compromised and the check is no good. at this point, you are in the hole for the value of your lens and the amount for shipping.

They do the same thing with paypal, they will paypal you the money, after a day or so, they file a chargeback.

The moral of the story is, NEVER ship items from craigslist. you have no recourse if anything were to happen.

Most scams seem to ask if the "item is still available", never the lens or the camera. It is that generic response that is always a scam. Always insist in your ad that anybody who wants to purchase the lens send along their phone number to at least weed out the obvious scam artists. But accept CASH only, a check or even paypal on Craigslist is a recipe to get scammed.

Scam! Do not cash the check if it arrives!

face to face, cash on the table at Starbucks or forget it.

Check cashing scheme...

I saw an episode on Dateline or 20/20 that explains how it works..

The scamers will recruit 'stay at home moms' to work as a 'mailing service'. All they have to do is recieve packages and forward to Nigeria. The postage is prepaid for them, with the Moms keeping a portion as their payment.

A 2nd person is hired as a payment/payroll service. They are instructed to pick up printable checks from office max. They print out identical checks to whatever account the scammer is copying. They are given the software and instructions. It seems like a legitimate business to the person writing the checks. The checks are EXACT... with the same watermark, account, routing numbers.. etc. They write out the checks and the signature is provided for them from the scammer (probably photoshoped from the original checks)

When you deposit the check into your account.. your bank will check for funds.. it clears.. you send the items!

3-10 days later... They realize it was a counterfeit check, and they take the funds back out of your account. Your account is now negative, you have insufficient funds fees... You are helpless as everything starts bouncing, and you have NO LENS!

yeah.. it's a scam. it's amazing how they find your ad. They must be scanning the listings all day. I've got a few emails myself. Do only person to person transaction and do it in cash/paypal.