One way they work is they want send you a bank check for the amount of the purchase plus the fee they have to pay the pick-up agent. They say just cash the check at your local bank and give the difference to their guy when he shows up to get the merchandise. Every body is happy, you get your price for whatever you are selling, the buyer gets the stuff you don’t want anymore and the agent gets paid for his services.
What really happens is that you cash the check at your local bank, give the difference to the agent, who is really part of the scam, he leaves with the cash and the stuff. Then 3-4 days later you get a call from the bank that the check did not clear and you have to pay back the cash you took out, plus overdraft fees. You just paid someone a bunch of money to come take your stuff away.
Ignore them.
Have them overnight you a money order...
Only accept Paypal from Ebay accounts. You can check their reputation. However, you can still get ripped off.
I get one of these messages every time I post something on Craigslist. Just ignore them. Jeez.
The check they see you will bounce. You can ask them to wire money but they won’t.
If you were gullible enough to yo wire them money they can pick it up at any western union terminal in the us.
Because of this and other spamming issues at Craig’s list , I always start my ad by asking to respond to the ad with a phone # to call or text. And emphasizing I don’t respond to email addresses. It’s done away with the spam and scams.
Wait till whatever they send you clears and then some. If they come for the goods, give them it. If not don’t use Craigslist again.
If you want to take the time to make things difficult for them, have them overnight you a check. The check will be fraudulent, but you can contact the actual bank and business being defrauded. This will burn that one checking account they have taken the time to get information for. It will also cost them the overnight fees.
This may seem small, but if everyone did it, they would quit using this scam. Let other people know that is a common scam, and there are many different versions of it. Also, do not be misled that you can deposit the check and when it clears everything is okay. It is not. Once the fraud is detected, the bank will reverse charges and take the money from your account even if this leaves you with a negative balance.
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I heard of someone who lost an $11,000 piano that way. Didn’t use Ebay. They came and got it, no payment, no record of sale, gone.
Watch out for Paypal - I keep getting emails from “them” saying my account is about to be closed unless I contact them right away - I never had a Paypal account - there are groups out there using that title as a scam.....
I had one of these a few years ago. Wanted to buy a camper trailer I had advertised. They texted they would pay an extra $900 on top of the $3600 to ship it to them in Ohio but they were in Alaska at this time. I said sure but money never showed up in my Paypal account. I got a forged Paypal email saying money was received but would not show in my account for 48 hrs because some weird reason (don’t remember reason) but PP guaranteed I would receive $ in 48 hrs. Then the texts started coming saying I needed to get it sent today as they needed it now, it was middle of winter btw..ha ha yea right. So I looked up the phone number and got address, sent the guy a text saying he had better make tracks the FBI was on their way to his house and I listed the half dozen crimes he was guilty of. Never heard from him again LOL.
I thought it was strange they would try and scam such a big item as a camper trailer. Had the same scam before that with gold emerald ring I was selling, that made more sense as it is simple to package and mail.
Call your County District Attorney’s office and report what you believe to be a scam. They may already have info about the very same people.
And .. to be on the safe side, start making a few demands of your own. If the DA says they have nothing, then maybe you can find out from them how to reach a DA’s office in Georgia.
Next .. demand CASH - sent by certified mail. Some banks will handle these transactions. Do not accept a check, and certainly, do not allow them to take the furniture without receiving payment in cash FIRST.
Let me guess. This person wants you to remove the ad, and will be sending you a certified check by UPS or FEDEX. They also want to send a shipper, and you are to pay the shipping with part of the money from the check, and send any remaining back to the buyer?