7 replies to this topic

[Steve Heard]

I recently sold a house for a client of mine. 

 

Last weekend he advertised some stuff for free on Craigslist; an old couch, a gardening/potting table, an elliptical machine, computer monitor and a couple of plastic patio chairs.

 

Someone came and picked it all up.

 

We closed on the house Monday, and the seller has moved out of state.

 

I got a call from the buyer's agent today informing me that the stuff was in their driveway when they arrived today. 

 

So, apparently, the guy that picked up all the free stuff changed his mind and brought it all back.

 

Is that weird or what?  

[camay2327]

Steve, did they move in too???  haha

 

That really is weird...

[knittychick]

I have a Craigslist question. I haven’t sold anything on Craigslist for a few years. Yesterday I posted my sofa and I’m getting text responses from several different states. Their wording of their texts is identical – they want to buy my sofa, sight unseen, for full price. They will mail me a cashier’s check and have a moving van pick it up. All I need to do is give them my name and address. When I didn’t respond one texter said he would pay me MORE than the asking price for the inconvenience of having to deal with scheduling the pick-up.

 

Of course I ignore the texts, but I’m wondering what’s in it for them. I assume the cashier’s check is bogus and the arrangements to pick up the item will never happen, so how do they make money off the scam? 

[Steve Heard]

I have a Craigslist question. I haven’t sold anything on Craigslist for a few years. Yesterday I posted my sofa and I’m getting text responses from several different states. Their wording of their texts is identical – they want to buy my sofa, sight unseen, for full price. They will mail me a cashier’s check and have a moving van pick it up. All I need to do is give them my name and address. When I didn’t respond one texter said he would pay me MORE than the asking price for the inconvenience of having to deal with scheduling the pick-up.

 

Of course I ignore the texts, but I’m wondering what’s in it for them. I assume the cashier’s check is bogus and the arrangements to pick up the item will never happen, so how do they make money off the scam? 

 

My guess is that they would make the check enough to cover the items and the moving truck, and would ask you to cash the check and pay the movers. 

[ducky]

 

My guess is that they would make the check enough to cover the items and the moving truck, and would ask you to cash the check and pay the movers. 

 

That's what they do.  It's a pretty common Craigslist scam.  Another version is they "accidentally" send you a cashier's check for too much money; for example,  $2,200 instead of $220.  But it's okay.  They trust you to deposit the cashier's check into your account and wire them the difference, and you can even keep an extra $100 for your trouble.  Of course the cashier's check isn't worth the paper it's written on and you are out whatever you wired to the scammers.

If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

[knittychick]

So the check must be good enough to fool the bank and the scammer is hoping that I withdraw the money immediately, before the bank contacts me in a few days to say the check didn’t clear. Of course, by then if I followed their plan it’s too late for me – I’ve already withdrawn the money and wired it to them.  

 

It makes me sad to think there are still people that are that naïve.  Those who fall for the scam are probably the ones who can least afford to lose the money.

[ducky]

So the check must be good enough to fool the bank and the scammer is hoping that I withdraw the money immediately, before the bank contacts me in a few days to say the check didn’t clear. Of course, by then if I followed their plan it’s too late for me – I’ve already withdrawn the money and wired it to them.  

 

It makes me sad to think there are still people that are that naïve.  Those who fall for the scam are probably the ones who can least afford to lose the money.

 

Yeah, like the calls from Microsoft Office Windows in broken English saying they are going to help you with a virus on your computer, or the IRS calls threatening to arrest you unless you pay them, it is sad to think the reason they are still trying these things is because they are still finding victims.  A lot are from overseas and the likelihood of them getting caught is pretty much nil.  

[Steve Heard]

Years ago my then 15 year old daughter was looking for work. She reported to me that she found a guy on Craigslist who was going to pay her to do a one-time cleaning his grandmother's apartment, while he was out of the country on business. 

 

I don't remember the numbers, but I think he was going to pay her $500, but was sending her a check for $3500, and asked that she take $3000 and give it to the landlord to cover the rent. 

 

So, she wanted me to cash the check and bring her there.

 

I had to set her straight on what was going on. At first she didn't believe me, but I asked her; why would he pay you $500 to clean an apartment instead of calling a professional, who would do it for $100 to $150? Whey would he trust you, who he doesn't know, with a $3500 check, trusting that you will do the right thing, rather than send it to the landlord, who he does know?

 

She was disappointed, because she had already mentally spent that money.  

 

Then she let me know that the guy had our address and was sending the check.

 

It did come, was written on a bank I believe, in Indiana. I called the bank, and they verified it was fraud but weren't interested in pursuing it. They said it happens all the time and there was nothing they could do about it.  

 

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but believe the guy emailed and asked if she'd received the check, and she wrote back that her dad told her it was a scam and tore it up. He never replied.