Craigslist Personals Spam
How to Tell if a Craigslist Reply Is Legitimate or Spam
i Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News/Getty Images Craigslist offers users access to buy and sell online through free classified ads. When you access the website, it’s important to protect your personal email from unscrupulous users who may spam you by offering fraudulent payments for your item. Craigslist uses a two-way email relay system meant to purposefully stop spam and scams. Even so, computer hackers and unscrupulous people can still spam you through Craigslist’s email system. Craigslist SpamUnwanted commercial emails — spam — often includes bogus commercial offers that waste your time and steal your money. To stay protected on Craigslist, choose anonymity by clicking on the “Use Craigslist Mail Relay” button when you insert your email address in the appropriate field when posting an advertisement. Make certain that you add “cash only” in your advertisement. At the bottom of the ad posting, make certain the “OK for Others to Contact You About Other Services, Products or Commercial Interests” is not selected. Otherwise, you are asking that advertising emails be sent to you. Email RelayCraigslist protects both sellers and buyers on its website by encoding your personal email with one issued by Craigslist. For instance, a reply from a potential buyer through Craigslist would appear with a series of letters and numbers before the words “” As an example, you might receive a reply to your ad that looks like this: “” But just because the person used Craigslist’s internal email system to respond to your ad, the user still might be attempting to scam you. Too Good to Be TrueBring your common sense to bear when utilizing any online classified program. Bottom line, if something in an email sounds too good to be true, pay attention to your instincts — as you are more than likely right. Craigslist spammers and scammers try to draw you into their net by making you believe you have just received an incredible offer. Craigslist advises users to avoid scams and fraud by not accepting personal checks, money transfers via online wire services, cashier’s checks or money orders, as these can all be faked. It also recommends avoiding deals that involve shipping or escrow services. One main rule when using Craigslist is to keep your transactions local where you can meet the person in a public place — and have someone with you when you do. The Legitimacy of the OfferLegitimate offers usually come from someone in your area. Their email address will come from Craigslist itself as indicated previously and may include specific questions on the item. Someone honestly interested in your offering will want to know more details, ask if you are open to haggling or ask if the product has been sold yet. Illegitimate offers usually come from someone out of the area and ignore your request for “cash only” by suggesting another means to pay for the item. Phishers and ScammersEven with these protections in place, dishonest people still use the Craigslist system to spam people. Craigslist management constantly fights hackers who harvest emails from Craigslist’s system or use malware to send spam to unwary users. To avoid problems with spammers, the FTC advises online buyers and sellers to select one email for online shopping and another for friends and personal use. Report any suspicious emails from the site to Craigslist via its contact form on the site. The U. S. Department of Justice also provides resources for reporting spam online (see Resources). References Writer Bio As a native Californian, artist, journalist and published author, Laurie Brenner began writing professionally in 1975. She has written for newspapers, magazines, online publications and sites. Brenner graduated from San Diego’s Coleman College.
New to Craigslist? Here are 5 red flags to avoid – Arizona …
Question:I’m new to selling things on Craigslist and would like to know what to watch out for as it relates to Since its inception in the mid-’90s, Craigslist has been disrupting the traditional “classified ad” model all over the world which used to be the dominion of global popularity generates hundreds of millions of page views a month, which is what attracts so many owing how scammers respond to ads is helpful to both those posting the ad and for legitimate buyers to avoid looking like a scammer with their Flag #1: Vague postingMany of the scams start with a generic inquiry asking if the item is still available or if you are the original owner. The reason for this is to quickly test to see if the seller is ‘s generally no mention of the item you’re selling or any questions specific to the you respond, you’ll generally get a more detailed response that I’ll discuss may also claim not to check their Craigslist messages and ask that you contact them directly via a separate email Flag #2: Out of townIf you respond to the vague inquiry, you’ll generally get another response with a detailed story that generally refers to the buyer not being able to come to you but with a strong interest in the ‘s even more obvious when they don’t ask any questions or mention the actual item in the Flag #3: No negotiationsJust about everyone posting an item for sale on Craigslist knows that buyers are typically going to try to negotiate the fact, if you were to use Craigslist postings as a guide for what something is worth, you’ll probably be overestimating its ammers want you to get excited about a buyer that’s willing to pay your full asking price for the Flag #4: Offering extra moneyThis one has been around forever, and most people have caught on, but they continue to do it because it works in a small number of ‘ll offer to send a cashier’s check with an extra $50 to cover the cost for you to ship the item to them, or worse, ask you for your banking information so they can “directly deposit” the amount in your Flag #5: Strange words or grammarBad grammar is always a red flag on any internet communication platform as it typically indicates someone is from a foreign country. Remember, Craigslist is a local ad platform, so having someone from a foreign country responding isn’t you see strange words like “advert” instead of advertisement, it’s almost always a tip-off of a scammer. Make sure you thoroughly read through any inquiries and pay close attention to the actual amming is a confidence gameThe success of the scammer depends on building trust with their victims first. This is why you will typically get some form of a simple vague response soon after you post your a more detailed review of what to watch out for, visit Craigslist’s resources at Colburn is founder and CEO of Data Doctors Computer Services, Ask any tech question at or on Twitter @TheDataDoc.
3 Common Craigslist Scams To Avoid – Hiya blog
In this day and age, it’s a rarity to find someone paying full price or settling for the first offer they find. Gone are the days where we would hit up our local mall, or visit a brick and mortar business. But if and when we do, it’s only to compare prices or offers on the internet, more specifically on Craigslist!
For most of us, we’re able to say that snatching or offering a deal on Craigslist is worth the work, but for others they may ask how safe is Craigslist? Craigslist can be as safe as you make it to be. How do you do that you ask? Here’s a few red flags you should watch out for while surfing the interwebs:
1) Hunting for Phone NumbersThe internet is a free-for-all of information, which can also include your personal information. Scammers are getting pretty sneaky and are collecting personal phone numbers through Craigslist Ads. Case in point, when you’re placing an ad or responding to an ad, avoid using your personal phone number to communicate with buyers or sellers. Otherwise you’re asking to be bombarded by a number of unwanted spam and scam calls.
2) Rackin’ Up Unknown ChargesDon’t believe everything you hear. Scammers are now responding to ads but tricking sellers into thinking they are busy at work and can’t talk until later. Instead of leaving you with a contact number, they request you enter your phone number into a website that “stores information” for them. Don’t fall for it! Aside from never hearing from the “interested buyer” ever again, you’ll start seeing unknown charges per month on your phone or credit card bills. Unfortunately, the only way out of this vicious cycle is to cancel your card.
Similar to this, is the call back number they give you that appears to be an answering service. Innocent as it may sound, the number is actually a pay-per call number, which won’t cost you an arm and a leg, but can still charge you up to $25-$30 per call before you even realize what you’re calling.
3) Too Good to be TrueIf it sounds, looks, or feels like it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Craigslist has been a source for jobs for quite some time now, and scammers are taking advantage of the mass amounts of people who rely on the service to find their ideal job. The most obvious red flag for scams like these is an easy job that compensates really well. For those who unfortunately fall for this, they can become victims of fake background check services, credit report sites stealing personal information, reimbursement when signing-up for “free” offers, fee-based training, or false focus group and survey sites.
So the next time you’re planning on posting an ad, accepting a job offer, or finding a great deal on Craigslist, protect your personal information and do your due diligence to understand if you’re dealing with a genuine person or someone who just wants to add you to their list of scam victims.
Frequently Asked Questions about craigslist personals spam
How can you tell a Craigslist scammer?
How to Spot a Scam on CraigslistAvoid deals that seem too good to be true.Look out for ads that display a sense of urgency.Watch for deals where the seller asks for money upfront to secure the item.Be smart about how you pay.If an ad offers an item for sale that doesn’t match the image, it’s likely a scam.More items…
How do you know if a Craigslist response is real?
Knowing how scammers respond to ads is helpful to both those posting the ad and for legitimate buyers to avoid looking like a scammer with their inquiries.Red Flag #1: Vague posting. … Red Flag #2: Out of town. … Red Flag #3: No negotiations. … Red Flag #4: Offering extra money. … Red Flag #5: Strange words or grammar.More items…•Jan 25, 2021
Should I give out my phone number on Craigslist?
Scammers are getting pretty sneaky and are collecting personal phone numbers through Craigslist Ads. Case in point, when you’re placing an ad or responding to an ad, avoid using your personal phone number to communicate with buyers or sellers.
