Big Craigslist scam called the Nigerian scam! BEWARE! (email, camera, Word)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Last week we got scammed on Craigslist for nearly $2,400. We are professional photographers and had 2 cameras that we were interested in selling and were contacted by someone saying they wanted to buy the cameras for their son in Nigeria and asked to have it shipped there and they would even pay extra for shipping- they asked to pay us via paypal. They even provided a fake document (it looked official) that showed us Paypal had the money in the account and simply needed the tracking number to release the funds to us. After shipping the camera's via United States Post (at their suggestion) we came home to put the tracking number in and our first clue that things were amiss was there was no place to put a tracking number. So we call Paypal and they say, "Oh no, where did you ship the stuff to because there is a Nigerian scam that is going on that is similar to this". We about fell out of our chairs- our package had shipped to Nigeria! After that we googled Nigerian scam and hundreds of entries pop up. Earmarks of this scam is that the emails read like foreigners are responding to your posting, they offer to pay more then what your asking and they want it shipped out of the country or not necessarily to their own homes. They have even found a way to forge money orders, cashiers check, paypal documents on & on....even when your bank cashes the check and the forgery gets caught eventually- you are out the money and not your bank. So now you have no money- lost your product and paid for crazy high shipping (in our case $110). Please be careful everybody- this extends beyond Craigslist and they can even burn you on houses, services etc. Google "Nigerian scams" for yourself. Only deal with locals and ask for cash only and meet people at a neutral location or be sure and try to have someone with you. After we had already shipped those cameras we continue to receive several offers a day from Cuba, California etc.... It has totally freaked us out and also shows you that it is not just limited to being shipped to just Nigeria. It seems that other dishonest people are on the band wagon too- willing to rip you off. But, Nigeria still remains the largest part of the scam. We tried to contact the local news stations here in S.A. about this story and none of them contacted us back. But, I worry for other people and wouldn't want this to happen to anyone else. It was just so heartbreaking for us.
So beware and be careful and lets try to hang on to all of our hard earned money. With the economy being so bad I have heard that more and more scams of this sort will be creeping up!
I'm really sorry that this happened to you, but the reason that you didn't get calls back from the news stations is because this is not news. It has been widely known for years and Craigslist even gives you the following warning when you list an item for sale.
AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY -- IGNORE DISTANT BUYERS (SCAMMERS):
Most cashier's check or money orders offered to craigslist sellers are COUNTERFEIT -- cashing them can lead to financial ruin
Requests that you wire money abroad via Western Union or moneygram for any reason are SCAMS
mmmh, any time you hear the word Nigeria, RUN. These are seriously old scams, though. I would've thought they'd be out of business by now, but I guess good old P.T. knew what he was talking about..
BTW, if anything sounds out of the ordinary or just slightly strange on craigslist, RUN. I will only sell to and buy things from people here in SA and we meet in a public area or they come to my house when I'm here.
oh yeah --- these scammers will go for anything --- i had a huge futon sofa sleeper, solid wood, heavy on craigslist for my parents --- and i got an email saying they would pay more for the item plus extra shipping if i could arrange to send it out of state or the country or something like that ---
Sorry that you got taken. It's a shame that these scammers continue to operate. I had a few "offers" like this when I was selling my car. Thanks for passing on your experience - hopefully someone will notice it and be saved from a scam like this in the future!!
OK, so now I feel foolish! You all get to feel so superior!
Well, clearly now I feel like a dumb-dumb. But, the truth is it wasn't actually me that fell for the scam, but my poor DH. I didn't even know a buyer had turned up for the cameras until I heard him grumbling at the computer while trying to put the tracking number in to Paypal. It was all said and done by the time I came on the scene. But, regardless- what raised a red flag for me as he was telling me the story was that the buyer was going to pay $100 over because of all the problematic shipping. To give you an idea- how naive (I like to think goodhearted) we are my DH told me he hadn't felt good about the over payment and had intended to even send the difference back. Poor thing. But, it was that very detail that made me freak out and think- scam. I am not exactly wet behind the ears (neither is DH)- but in all sincereity I had not heard of the Nigerian Scam. I decided to post our experience in the off chance that perhaps not everybody on this forum are as wordly and world weary as RD2007 & Scitats. I was just hoping to help someone sidestep getting burned if it would help. Nobody that we have told this to verbally this week had heard of the nigerian scam either. I have been on Craigslist a ton- as both a buyer and seller, but I have to admit I had never actually read those warnings. So many things have those dang warnings anymore that they just seem to benignly roll over me anymore. Think about all those warnings at the end of all those pharmacuetical commercials- it doesn't stop all those people from buying all those products and getting anal leakage etc...etc....
Last edited by CameraGirl; 03-05-2009 at 04:12 PM..
You mean I'm not going to get that $87,192 deposited into my account for doing them that favor of cashing a check for them? Better call the movers and cancel.
Sorry you got taken, and for so much. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
Well, clearly now I feel like a dumb-dumb. But, the truth is it wasn't actually me that fell for the scam, but my poor DH. I didn't even know a buyer had turned up for the cameras until I heard him grumbling at the computer while trying to put the tracking number in to Paypal. It was all said and done by the time I came on the scene. But, regardless- what raised a redflag for me as he was telling me the story was that the buyer was going to pay $100 over because of all the problematic shipping. To give you an idea- how naive (I like to think goodhearted) we are my DH told me he hadn't felt good about the over payment and had intended to send the difference back even. Poor thing, but it was that very detail that made me freak out and think- scam. I am not exactly wet behind the ears (neither is DH)- but in all sincereity I had not heard of the Nigerian Scam. I decided to post our experience in the off chance that perhaps not everybody on this forum are as wordly and world weary as RD2007 & Scitats. I just wanted to help someone sidestep getting burned if it would help. I have been on Craigslist a ton- as both a buyer and seller, but I have to admit I had never actually read those warnings. I hate to admit it but so many things have those dang warnings anymore that they just seem to benignly roll over me anymore. Think about all those warnings at the end of all those pharmacuetical commercials- it doen't stop all those people from buying all those products and getting anal leakage etc...etc....
Dont worry, Im sure there are people out there who read your thread without ever hearing of such scams and are now much more informed because of it.
Im sorry they got your monies. Such a horrible feeling to have it cheated away from you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
! After that we googled Nigerian scam and hundreds of entries pop up. Earmarks of this scam is that the emails read like foreigners are responding to your posting, they offer to pay more then what your asking and they want it shipped out of the country or not necessarily to their own homes. They have even found a way to forge money orders, cashiers check, paypal documents on & on....even when your bank cashes the check and the forgery gets caught eventually- you are out the money and not your bank. So now you have no money- lost your product and paid for crazy high shipping (in our case $110). Please be careful everybody- this extends beyond Craigslist and they can even burn you on houses, services etc. Google "Nigerian scams" for yourself. Only deal with locals and ask for cash only and meet people at a neutral location or be sure and try to have someone with you. After we had already shipped those cameras we continue to receive several offers a day from Cuba, California etc.... It has totally freaked us out and also shows you that it is not just limited to being shipped to just Nigeria. It seems that other dishonest people are on the band wagon too- willing to rip you off. But, Nigeria still remains the largest part of the scam. We tried to contact the local news stations here in S.A. about this story and none of them contacted us back. But, I worry for other people and wouldn't want this to happen to anyone else. It was just so heartbreaking for us
.
OK, so now I feel foolish! You all get to feel so superior!
) we are my DH told me he hadn't felt good about the over payment and had intended to even send the difference back
.
