Craigslist: how does this happen

[nicet4]

Originally Posted by blazejen

omg maf, that's frigging hillarious!

The hobby is "baiting" and I've been doing it for seven years.

419eater

As I said most of the scammers originate out of London, Amsterdam and Lagos, Nigeria.

My personal best was setting up a meeting with a member of a team working out of Amsterdam and Lagos. The team member in Lagos set up the meeting at a sidewalk cafe which happened to have a web cam. I was supposed to deliver $50,000 USD in cash. To say the scammers got all frothy is an understatement.

Of course I didn't show up but I had his partners description, what he was wearing and where he sat.

After waiting an hour and a half his partner gave up and left.

I emailed the Lagos partner screaming I met with "Michael" but when I returned from the using the restroom "Michael" was gone along with my briefcase with $50,000 USD in cash.

Michael claimed we never met but I was able to give full description including exactly where we sat and what he was wearing.

I left them a very unhappy couple.

But the best ever happened three years ago when a fellow baiter talked two scammers into going into Darfur to pick up a pile of money from an orphanage help fund.

We know they got there (we could follow their travels using read@notify) but they disappeared forever...... heard some about the scammers being in a Darfur prison which can not be a good place..... spooky.

[maf763]

You're my hero, nicet4 - that's some good work.

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by blazejen

Gosh TVSG - last month you disagreed that Craigslist was a lousy place to post your resume...









And to think all this time I thought I just didn't have good resume posting skills. Now you go and admit it's a bad place to post your resume.

--------------
Nah seriously, though, I posted services there because I thought it would be possible to get at least 2-5 valid responses. Not yet! Just transparent spam. They are... amusingly written, though.

I don't recommend you post our entire resume just pieces of it. That's how my resume was noticed because it didn't look like all the other ones

[FBJ]

Originally Posted by STT Resident

TVSG is a befuddlement and a contradiction even to himself but, like those scam letters, good for a chuckle!!

An Employed Befuddlement with Job Interviewing Skills-lol Just received another job offer today which means I'm 3 for 3 in May on Job Interviews

[RMD3819]

A few weeks ago my daughter put an ad on Craigslist for a roommate. She was desperate.

The only reasonable response was from a woman from Dublin. She had the same name and was the same age as my daughter. What a coincidence! My kid did not know if it was Dublin Ireland or Georgia. No other contact information except email.

Then another email:

She wasn't in the US right now, she was in Dubai buying textiles. She absolutely wanted the room since she was moving to the US and was desperate to secure housing. The money is on its way.

For you geographically challenged, Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates outside of Saudi Arabia. Why would someone in the textile business be so desperate to move to South Florida? Not exactly the epicenter of the textile world.

I told my kid this was a scam and do not cash any checks no matter what. She cut off all communication. Nothing ever arrived.

...and she never found a roommate and is now back at home.

[nicet4]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

A few weeks ago my daughter put an ad on Craigslist for a roommate. She was desperate.

The only reasonable response was from a woman from Dublin. She had the same name and was the same age as my daughter. What a coincidence! My kid did not know if it was Dublin Ireland or Georgia. No other contact information except email.

Then another email:

She wasn't in the US right now, she was in Dubai buying textiles. She absolutely wanted the room since she was moving to the US and was desperate to secure housing. The money is on its way.

For you geographically challenged, Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates outside of Saudi Arabia. Why would someone in the textile business be so desperate to move to South Florida? Not exactly the epicenter of the textile world.

I told my kid this was a scam and do not cash any checks no matter what. She cut off all communication. Nothing ever arrived.

...and she never found a roommate and is now back at home.

110% guarantee the check would be counterfeit but a very good counterfeit it would be.

The "woman" writing the email was probably writing from an internet cafe in Lagos, Nigeria.

The check to hold the room would have come from either the Netherlands or London and you can be sure "the accountant" made a mistake and cut the check for several thousand above the cost of the room. They usually keep these checks between $6,000 and $8,000. Would your daughter please cash the check, keep the deposit and first months rent in cash then wire the remainder western union?

A week after cashing the check your daughter would have found herself responsible under federal law to repay the entire bad check balance. Life sucks but when it sounds to good to be true.....

Now I would have taken the check only to end up being robbed in a bar room brawl.