Latest CL scam

[Guest]

Got this and one like it today:

Hello,

Thanks for your prompt e-mail, it was just exactly what i wanted and can you assure me that i will not be disappointed buying this from you. I am really interested in purchasing your ad. Am a merchant marine and am offshore right now, I will appreciate if you can email me with more picture of it as i won't be able to see this in person. I would like you to answer this question about the item;

1. Are there any other issues with the item not mentioned on Craigslist?

I will be glad if you can tell other interested buyers that the item has been sold. I'm offering the exact price listed so please kindly withdraw the ad from Craigslist. I will be paying via PayPal. I can only pay through pay pal at the moment as i do not have access to my bank account online, but i have it attached to my pay pal account, and this is why i insisted on using PayPal to pay. If this is acceptable, advice soon and if you don't have an account, you can easily create an account fast and easy at www.paypal.com. I will need you to provide the following information to facilitate the Payment

1.Your PayPal Email Address.
2.Your address for pick up.

I will be responsible for moving, I will have my mover who handle my shipping from anywhere in the world come over for the pickup after i have made the payment.

Thank you for your time



#2

Good to hear back from you. I'm okay with the price and the condition.
Presently, I am out of town with my UNICEF TEAM to raise funds for the
Children Living with Malaria and i won't be able to come for the
inspection due to the nature of my work. Moreso, I would have loved to
call but our satellite server has been down in recent days which
restricts our calls. I will be paying you through PayPal as it is the
only Medium at which i can send Payment at the Moment.
I would appreciate if you email me with more pictures (if available) too
since i won't be be able to see this in person. And if you dont have a
paypal account, It's pretty easy to set up a PayPal account at
www.paypal.com . it's just a few minutes away from signing up. it's
safe and secure for both Parties and i have been using PayPal to buy
and sell for years now without problems. Pls get back to me with your
PayPal email so i can proceed with the payment and contact the Pick up
Agent who will come for the Pick up of the item.
I will need these following details so i can proceed with the payment right away

1:Your PayPal e-Mail Address
2: Home Address


As soon as you get back to me with your PayPal email, I'll proceed
with full Payment. I look forward to reading from you soon.

Regards

Shawn


Dray

 

[Boink]

Yep... these are conventional scams, and Craigslist has an entire page of samples. One thing they say right up front is that "<span style="text-decoration: underline">ALL </span>offers to ship cars are fraudulent!" I've seen ads with palm-trees in the background claiming to offer a car from the northeast (and "I'm about to be shipped out and will have to nearly give this car away"). Just further evidence to buy local.

 

[drooartz]

Yep, I get the "I'm a petroleum engineer working offshore and want this item for my son" scam every time I post something on Craigslist. The PayPal link they provide would send you to a phishing site.

Ah, the joys of the modern computing age.

 

[Boink]

Yep, I get the "I'm a petroleum engineer working offshore and want this item for my son" scam every time I post something on Craigslist. The PayPal link they provide would send you to a phishing site. Ah, the joys of the modern computing age.

Is it any wonder why some people have taken to posting that they don't want email and will only accept phone-calls. I guess I prefer the arm-chair distance of email though. About 7 years ago I put a CL ad up for a 36" Toshiba TV... a real monster that probably weighed 300 pounds. I think I put it up there for $150 or something (not sure). Anyway, a guy from overseas wanted to buy it and have me mail it to him (which would have surely cost $500 or so). It was laughable. Of course, the giveaway is the usual poor English. I guess this sort of thing is epidemic on CL. Too bad really.