You should better to find another customer.

LOL hilarious thread. My uncle-in-law sells a lot of stuff through Craigslist, and while he is of course not an idiot and hasn't ever fallen for a scam, he has taken the time to play with a couple scammers just for fun, and has accumulated a nice collection of fake checks. He showed them to me once, some of them are really bad, but a couple were actually pretty well done. It's all pretty hilarious as long as you're not dumb.

I have one hilarious conversation counterscamming a scammer. I was selling one of my PDAs/phones and this guy/girl wants to paypal me and so call hold the funds until they receive a tracking number. Just read below, the scammer must be pissing in his/her pants. And this guy seems like he is in the US.

1. Initial email from him:
Thanks for the reply.. i will like to know the present condition of the item, also i will pay through paypal and I will add $60 for the shipping fee to Georgia... so kindly get back to me with your paypal acct email so i may make the payment right away....

Thanks

2. My reply:
Ok since you are persistent and I haven't got any other offers, please pay me at dxxxx@gmail.com. Since I have to ship the item, please add $60 as you mentioned for a total of $210. Let me know your shipping address.

3. His reply:
The payment has been made and i believe you have gotten the payment confirmation from paypal in your account email.. so kindly go and send the item asap through the USPS, FEDEX or UPS next day delivery asap in the morning. Also send me the tracking number after the shipment has been made... so i may also forward it to paypal for verification..

I have also added the shipping cost.

here is my shipping address below

Carolyn Johnson

3314 Covington Dr, apt 14c,
Decatur , Ga, 30023.


I'm looking forward in dealing with u more.

Thanks

4. He sends me a fake paypal email saying funds are pending tracking number.
5. I reply:
I think I can save you $60 and get your cousin the phone by Monday. My uncle is traveling to Atlanta tomorrow and he said he will drop by your home to give the item. I already gave my phone to him, and he will come around 9am tomorrow morning. If thats not a good time, let me know and I'll tell him.
So can you tell paypal to release the funds immediately as the item is already in transit. I can give you his flight number if you want to confirm. Oh yeah, so change the paypal amount back to $150. I guess if you really want to, your cousin can tip him when he delivers it. Hope you are satisfied. Thank you for your business.

6. His reply:
No way.. i dont need it that way.. we must follow the way paypal says and i dont need u to save me any $60 okay.. get tracking number tomorrow ..Thanks

7. My reply:
Well you can tell your cousin to give cash so we dont have to go through paypal. That way you also avoid paypal fees. I normally hate ebay/paypal thats why I sell on craigslist.

8. His reply:
No way.. i sent u the payment already and its off my account so i need it shipped the way paypal says.. let me know now

9. My reply:
I'm sure you can retract the payment. Just see the account options on your paypal account. Unfortunately, I already gave it to my uncle and his flight leaves tonight. I thought your cousin would want to see the phone too before paying. And don't worry about transaction security and safety, my uncle works for the atlanta police department.He may come with some of his friends/partners so dont worry. Look forward to hearing from you and my uncle tomorrow about a successful transaction. I will defintely want to do more business with you.I am also selling several other products, and my uncle can drop them off as he goes back and forth once a week. I also have an xbox 360, ps3, and a universal harmony 1000 remote.

Let me know if you want to buy anything else, my uncle can get it to you by next Monday.
Thank you for your time.

10. Waiting to hear from him.

youre just wasting your own time. its not the scammers address. figure it out.

Funny thread. Even funnier that this is the first hit when Googling "Craigslist Paypal"

For what it's worth, I've offered more $ than a listed price on Craigslist for event tickets that I felt were priced lower than their market price. Usually the day of the event, which means lots of people constantly refreshing Craigslist for tickets.

Idea being that when they check their email and see 5+ emails of people wanting to buy the tickets, they agree to sell to me because I offered them $10 more. Has worked nearly every time.


But yeah, Craigslist+Paypal = Scam.

Another one time poster here.

So I was reading two of my offers for my iPhone and I knew things sounded fishy. After reading all this, I'm certain.

My plan is to go along with it, but instead of shipping the iPhone, I'd ship a small box of self crafted human waste. In other words, I wanna mail him a box of **** with a tooth pick flag that says "**** you". Better yet, maybe I should craft it into the shape of an iPhone?...

How could I do this while masking the smell/protecting the USPS shippers from disease and bacteria? And I wonder if this sort of thing is. Illegal?

3314 Covington Dr, apt 14c,
Decatur , Ga, 30023.


I live about 3 minutes from this addy...

I had a craigslist scam attempt and wanted to have fun with it.

The conversation starts at the bottom and builds.

Enjoy...

Hi Martin,

I received your paypal payment confirmation yesterday. Thank You. I will ship your items asap.

This is a really good news, I wanted to let you know the $600 is on its way to your shipper. On the way to the Western Union to send the $600 to your shipper, I stopped by Tootsies, a nice corner bar near Western Union, that was featuring, for 1 night only, Double Nichols, a fancy dancer with 55-DDD"S, .I am a big fan of Dancing with the Stars on TV and enjoy all that fancy dancing, and I did not want to miss the opportunity to see some fancy dancing. She sounded pretty, so I thought I would see her and that I could quickly stopped in. I might learn a new dance step.

Anyway, I only stopped in for a quick drink, but they were running a personal dance special, BOGO, Buy One, Get one Free. Well, hoping to learn a new dance, and not wanting to miss a bargain, I decided to only get one dance (+ my one free one). While I was enjoying the dance, the female dancer asked me what I was up to. I told her that I had sold an item on craigslist and that I was on my way to Western Union with $650 to send to a shipper. She was very impressed that I would help a stranger and I was a nice and interesting guy and she bought me a beer and a shot of vodka. it was real good and she was a good dancer too.

Anyway, she invited me to the VIP room and she said they had transfers from the Soviet Union, who were shippers, which are better than the Western Union, and that she could transfer my $650 for me and save me a trip to the store down the road. I wanted to save time , so we went off to the VIP room.

The VIP room was very dark and it was filled with very tall, beautiful women, you would like it. When you get back in from sea, you may want to check it out. The women were very kind to me. The dancer who brought me to the VIP explained to the others that I needed a $600 Western Union, but she wanted to show me how much better the Soviet Union was so she bought me here. They all agreed with her, they believed Soviet Unions were better and opened up a bottle of Champaign, and we all drank some. It was very good and they were all dancing and removing their clothes. It was getting very warm, so to cool down, they girls removed all their clothes so they would not sweat while they were dancing. I told them that I did not mind..

Anyway, after a few dances and bottles of Champaign, they wanted to transfer the $600 for you, as it was getting late. I gave them your money, the address, and I thanked them, and finished my Champaign. After the music stopped, these real big guys asked me to leave. I said I needed a receipt from the shippers and would not leave until I got a receipt.

One big guy told me that they were strippers, not shippers, and that they do not give receipts. I explained my situation, about you being out to sea, going to Western Union, seeing the sign for Double Nichols, BOGO, Vodka, Soviet Union, and Champaign and the VIP room - And It was all just an honest misunderstanding and I did not want to disappoint you by not getting a receipt. Next thing I know, I was dizzy and woke up in the parking lot.

Long story short, you shipper should be getting a transfer from the Soviet Union very soon. It is better than Western Union and, Like I explained, I could not get a receipt, but I trust them very much. Please let me know when your shipper will be picking up the item you bought so I can pack it very well.

Thanks, C



In a message dated 11/21/2010 10:13:19 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, andersonm289876@gmail.com writes:
Thank Am Ok with the price $2,500.00 i will make the payment in to your paypal accountas soon as i here back from you. there is a little problem with the shipping agent, I am currently on sea and i am buying the it for my dad as i explained earlier on and i tried to book pick up with my pick up agent, but they asked me to pay first before they can make the booking, and they only accept western union money transfer for payments and they dont accept paypal or bank transfer and I tried to send the money online but i couldnt, i'm tired now, i dont know what to do.. I am on sea and there is no way i can find a western union agent to make the transfer to my pick up agent. I will like to know if, its ok for me to include my pick up agent's fees in the payments I'm about to send to you through paypal, my pick up agent charged $500 plus insurance and all 'o that, after i have made the payments you will help me forward the $500 to my pick up agent through western union money transfer, this I would have done myself and not bother you but, for the fact that I am
currently on sea, it will be difficult for me and i will like the whole transaction to be done as soon as possible and i can be the next owner. I only seeking your consent before going ahead with the payments. I will so much happy to hearing back from you soonest and i can go on with the payment without any delay.
Please email me as soon as posible
Thank you

Martin
Pay my email address at paypal the amount in the subject line and you can have the dining set.
Thanks,C

In a message dated 11/19/2010 4:04:18 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, andersonm289876@gmail.com writes:
Hello My name Is Martin, i will love to make an instant purchase have seen the picture and am okey with it the price , please do withdraw the advert from the site.I don't mind adding an extra 50 dollars for you to take the advert down from the site so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item , I really appreciate it, i am an oceanographer and, i am on sea at the moment, i am buying the it for my dad , i want to make it a surprise for him,he wont know anything about it until its delivered to him, i can only pay through paypal as i dont have access to my bank account online as i dont have internet banking,but i have my bank account attached to my paypal account and this is why i insisted on paying you through paypal also paypal is the best way to do business online if you dont have one you can check online wwww.paypal.com to set up account. Kindly get back to me with your paypal details and your last asking price so, we can proceed with the payment and after the payment has been credited to your account.i will get a mover to come down and pick... I will be looking forward hearing back from you.. Greetings

Martin
On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 1:26 PM wrote:
Hi Martin-
Yes it is availavle.

you can call me at until 10 pm when you wish to look at it. Its a Beautiful Set.
C

In a message dated 11/18/2010 12:14:14 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, maanderson12345@gmail.com writes:
** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html


--
Hello ,
I saw your advertised and i am interested in having it.please let me
know if is still available?i will more than appreciate your reply

Martin

That's what I got when I was looking for a house:

Hello Dear,
Thanks for the email. My wife and I own the house and also want you to know that it was due to my transfer to West Africa that makes us to leave the house and also want to give it out for rent and looking for a responsible person and Godfearing person who can take very good care of the house in my absence.we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean all the time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own.

So for now, We are in West Africa and will be staying here for the next 3 years in our new house and also with the document of the house for rent, we try tolook for another Agent that we can give this documents before we left but could not find, and we as well do not want our house to be used any how in our absence that is why we took it along with us We came over to Africa for a missionary work, so i hope you will promise us that you will take very good care of the house. So get back to me if you know you could take care of our house or perhaps experience you have in renting home.Hope you are okay with the price of $600 per month and the security Deposit is $400..Get back to me for the rental application...You can go and view.


Here is the Address below: 18 N Waterford Dr, Schaumburg IL


Pets Allowed.



After I replied with pictures request I got this:


Hello,
Thanks for your prompt reply which makes me feel a bit relaxed, i believe in God and what He will do for is people...in the book of 1 John 4:18 which says: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear ... "He is loving and caring and he will care for you and your families Amen.

I am obviousely concerned about your plight, honestly i am willing to rent my property for you and please stick to your word ...We will be staying for three years and we might decide on moving to our new home in Ohio upon arrival.


Here are the Questionnaire i need to know from you before renting out the property to your family.
Rental Information.....
Full Name
Full Address & Phone Number
Date of Birth?

Are you married?
How many people will be living in the house?
Do you have a pet?

Do you have a car?
Occupation?
What is your monthly income?

Reference Contact Name and Address if Any?
Why are you moving?
When do you intend to pay the deposit?
When do you intend Moving in?
Any Police problem?

Thanks and remain blessed..
Kelly.




Remain blessed... Can you believe this? I went to see the place and it was a house for sale with the real estate agent's number on the window. I called this number and a lady told me that it is not for rent but for sale. She was really surprised when I told her about the "Missionary Owner" )))

They hack ur pp number/account I get these all day since I have iPads for sale.

Reply ▼
*Delete More ▼
*
Mon
jay
Show details
Did he go spear fishing?

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 27, 2011, at 11:22 PM, "Brown Daniel" <bbd2020@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello,
> I live in Sharpsburg,MD.and want to buy the(iPad)for my son as a
> Birthday gift .Please get back to me with your Paypal invoice for
> payment.
> I will pay you $680 for both the cost price & shipping,My son traveled
> to west Africa,Nigeria to stay with his mother for some time.so It
> will be shipped to him direct after payment as am out of town at the
> moment.
>*
>*
> Thanks
> Daniel
>*
> On 3/28/11, jay *wrote:
>> 600
>>*
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>*
>> On Mar 27, 2011, at 10:36 PM, "Brown Daniel" <bbd2020@gmail.com> wrote:
>>*
>>> ** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
>>> ** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
>>> ** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
>>> ** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html
>>>*
>>> Hello,
>>> Please give me your firm price on it.
>>>*
>>> Thanks
>>>*
>>>*
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> this message was remailed to you via: sale-mqvjc-2290374370@craigslist.org
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>>*

When day when I'm rich I will implement the solution to this.

Why not become rich by implementing a solution to this?

Need a backer lol

Grunch, just saying I've read about this scam before, it's quite elaborate. But it's a scam.

DON'T DO IT! Very suspicious. They probably will send the payment, you will ship it, then they will cancel the payment before it;s actually in your bank which takes a few days i think. I'm not positive but if you are really interested ask a professional before you go through with it. Don't be greedy!

Lol Here is my most recent experience with this on Craigs List.. This sale is for a Washer and Dryer..

Email 1 From Sara Miles (sarmiles1@hotmail.com)

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

--
HI
Is it still available ?

Email 2 after my reply saying it was:

Hi,
Thanks for the mail..i can read and understand the condition of this Merchandise and i want to pay you for this merchandise using PayPal
Don't worry about the pick up,my shipping agent will be coming to pick it
up.....more so,send me your
PayPal details(PayPal email) so i can pay in.
Note:i will offer you $850.00 USD for the item.

Thanks

Regards

My final response:

I’m sorry, but since I am a experienced professional Fraud Investigator, let me offer you a few tips..

First, you should really make sure your grammar does not give you away as a piece of **** scammer.

Second, only a piece of **** scammer would offer more then the asking price for an item they have never seen.

Third, try to be a bit more original in your scam, you might as well have copy and pasted the wording of your email from any one of hundreds of scam alert websites.

Now if you are indeed legit, and are not a piece of **** scammer, feel free to contact me again, and please accept my apologies. However be aware, I will only accept CASH. You are responsible for the pick-up of the item.

Regards and better luck next time.

They are not even creative.. Pretty sad.. But I figure that they are probably successful 1 out of 10 times.

I always wondered who the people behind these scams were. CL is loaded with scammers. Besides the pay-pal scam how do these scammers make money by posting fake personal ads and fake job postings?

This isn't even suspicious, it is 100% fraud.

Not 99.999%, but 100%.

I'm just sad you didn't google this for or check BB4L.

The scam is this:
1. Buyer offers to pay more than purchase price
2. Buyer requests item to be shipped to a friend/relative/associate in a different location (not the Buyer's address)

Then there are variations, but points 1 & 2 are part of the most common types of frauds.

Do not try and somehow 'win' this battle. Stop responding, stop returning phone calls. Stop all interactions.

I'm curious as to why law enforcement doesn't just respond to a couple of these requests, and ship over a GPS tracking device and follow the item?

Because that would mean police would be doing "real" police work instead of hiding in blind spots to give traffic tickets. Im wondering what % people on craigslist are NOT scammers? My general rule of thumb is never ship to anyone other than the person who is paying. Anyone who offers more than your asking price is immediately a scammer. If im buying something from someone (i buy alot of jewelry) i bring my pitbull with me

One thing I've not noticed in these posts is that no one has posed the question "do they not have this item where you live"?
I scam and hassle scammers as a hobby and for fun. I would advise you all to visit and join this forum. http://www.419eater.com/
A lot of good work and some extremely funny goings on. We do this also to help people like this threads original poster. I promise you will not regret checking this site out.
Anything that has to do with shipping your merchandise to a foreign country is just idiotic (ESPECIALLY AFRICA OR TO ANYONE THAT USES THE CONTINENTS NAME OR A COUNTRY LOCATED THERE!!!). Also NEVER write a potential scammer back with ideas on how to make their scams better (i.e. using better grammar!!). Words used in British spellings like the word responce as opposed to response.
Check out the P P P Powerbook scam at this site (also about scamming a scammer).
www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/
Absolutely hilarious and true!! Also if you've been hooked, or nearly hooked tell your friends, blog, tell your FaceBook friends. Educate yourselves and others so maybe these people will simply starve to death. Nigeria (gun running capitol of the world), Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Benin, etc.etc. are always (not 99.999999% of the time, but !00% of the time are SCAMS!).
Write them back from a throwaway address that's very similar to yours and tell them to wire the money through Western Union or Money Gram or there's no deal (getting ready to do this momentarily) . That will put an end to all but the most persistent. Trust me...they understand what you are saying, there is no miscommunication. Open the mails full headers. Copy them, and paste them in the field here: http://www.ip-adress.com/trace_email/
If the first one resolves to Mountain View, CA. it's Craigslist, gmail or yahoo. Whip off an email to their address (i.e. scumbag@gmail.com /their mail of choice/ and then see where it resolves to when they write you back). Waste as much of there time as you can. Tell them you've shipped the items and give them a fake tracking number (you can find these at 419EATERS, money transfers numbers as well). The authorities hear (at all levels), have no interest in pursuing your case if you're ripped off. They don't even want the evidence. A few yrs back someone sent me a few thousand in nicely forged Travelers Checks. I called Amer. Exp. verified they were fake and the FBI didn't even want the evidence!!
Educate yourselves, your parents, or grandparents. These people don't care who they hurt. I've sent scammers into war zones to go after what they thought were large sums of money and I don't lose a moments sleep over it, nor should you. They are the scum.
Good luck and happy hunting to the brave souls that join the fight. Would you like it if your Grandma lost everything?

THAT BEWARE OF HACKED ACCOUNTS AT THE TOP IS CALL A MAN-IN-THE-MIDDLE-ATTACK

Lol I've been reading your site for a while. Did you find this site from this thread or have you been on 2+2 for a while?

Wendy Wilcox lives on apparently..