How close did we come to getting scammed (Craig: house, seller)

[azcater]

I've also heard that sometimes they are casing your house too.. I always meet at a public place now.

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by ChrisFromChicago

From now on, I only accept credit cards . . i have that. . whatever its called somewhere

Please don't let your wife answer the door alone for a CL ad. If we have to move I will put items for sale in garage and have my wife reference I am inside even if I am not.

[Cyborgt800]

They are counterfeiting tens now too... many fellow cabbies have taken them in.

Veags is a laundering hotspot.

The reason people might do the craigslist launder is because they turn a fake $100 into $65 in this case and there are no cameras to see them....so it's worth their time.

[Idlewile]

Originally Posted by Colorado xxxxx

Please don't let your wife answer the door alone for a CL ad. If we have to move I will put items for sale in garage and have my wife reference I am inside even if I am not.

This. We sell on CL a lot and if it's somthing that is light enough to be moved to the garage (not let them into the house) we always show it there. NEVER do I allow someone to come over, inside, when it's just me and that's even after we've appropriately vetted them.

If it's big, and they must come in, then we are always both home to show it.

Also, if something is priced right, you should always get more than one or two inquires, especially if it's a baby item. Then you cross-reference the email address and name with Linked In and Facebook to ensure the person is legit and work first with the buyer you are most comfortable with.

[Timmyy]

I put my condo up on Craigslist and just last week I received a very suspicious email. The guy wanted to pay $10k in cash as a down payment and the rest in cash when he was in town. He then said he was a marine that was deployed over seas and would be in town in a week to close the deal. His email was riddled with bad grammar. I emailed back that if he was serious he could contact my realtor. I never heard back from him. I instantly pulled the ad down. I will not be using Craigslist ever again.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

I put my condo up on Craigslist and just last week I received a very suspicious email. The guy wanted to pay $10k in cash as a down payment and the rest in cash when he was in town. He then said he was a marine that was deployed over seas and would be in town in a week to close the deal. His email was riddled with bad grammar. I emailed back that if he was serious he could contact my realtor. I never heard back from him. I instantly pulled the ad down. I will not be using Craigslist ever again.

Here is the exact email I received.

Sorry that I'm just getting back to you.I still loved this property
as I said in the previous email though I'll still like you to send
more pics(if available)because I'm a Marine and I'm on service abroard
so I'll not be able to come for inspection now.Meanwhile I'll like us
to close the price at $47,000?If accepted,I'll prove my seriousness by
sending you a down payment of 10%.Once you have the down payment,I
will send a cleaner to get the house cleaned and fumigated for me.I
will be in town next week and I will come down there with the rest of
the payment(in cash) so that we can be able to complete the paperworks
for me to be able to move in.
Hope to read from you asap..

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

I'll prove my seriousness by sending you a down payment of 10%.

The scam will be around this.

[Timmyy]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

The scam will be around this.

That was the exact red flag I saw.

[Prodigal Native]

Not to get too far off topic and turn this into a "me too" thread, but we had a similar issue with an item we were selling via classified ad which was also posted on the newspaper's website (so no Craigslist connection). It was a fairly common scam where they will send me the money, I just need to cash the cashier's check/money order and use the excess to pay the delivery driver they will send to pickup the item.

The twist was they didn't call me directly, they used the Relay service for the deaf!

[Jester76]

well now they know where you live and have a small child. get ready for more scams from these folks. may want to contact the local authorities