Would you fall for this scam?

[Basil]

I recently placed a Craigslist ad to sell my Sears Kenmore Dryer. Due to our Washer finally giving up the ghost and me not wanting to mess with it, we decided it was time to invest in a new set and take advantage of the sales this weekend.

I got an email (relayed via craigslist mail relay) that said: "I've seen your ad. I want to pick it up. why are you selling it? don't reply from cl mail. my mail address is <their email>"

So, since they didn't want me to reply via Craigslist relay, I used the "hide my email" feature on my Apple Mail (it generates a random email address that you c an use to communicate back and forth - their replies get forwarded to your real inbox). This allows me to reply without revealing my real email address.

Anyway, I replied with my reasons for selling and told them I'd throw in the non-working washer for nothing extra if they wanted it, otherwise it was going to the transfer station.

A little while later I get a reply (but the person's name has changed, even though they were replying to my email to them). Here is what they said:

Thanks for returning my message. I'm currently not in town for now, so I won't be able to meet with you due to my work frame and also we are very busy at this time preparing for our daughter's wedding but I'm okay with the price and condition as shown on the advert. I'll proceed in issuing a cashier's check to you and when you receive the payment and it clears your bank, I will make arrangements for the pick up. I will also add an additional $100 to hold it down for me. So get back to me with the details below to mail the check out to you asap.......

Name to be on the payment ...........
Address to mail the check to ........
City, state and Zip code ............
Last Asking price...................
Phone number to text you on .......

If this doesn't scream scam to you, you haven't been paying attention! I'm not a fan of Vox, but they do have a good article on this "Cashiers Check" scam that is, unfortunately, very common on CL: > Why cashier’s check scams are so popular online <

This was my reply to this scammer: "I'm very sorry but I will only sell this unit in person with cash due to the high incidence of cashier's check scams on Craigs List. Sorry about that. "

I have since added a note to my ad that reads:
"NOTICE TO SCAMMERS! I will only sell this in-person with cash only! I will NOT even consider a check - not even a cashiers check - its a common scam so don't waste your time or mine."

If I don't sell my dryer I will probably call friends to see if any of them personally know of someone who could use a good, working dryer - for free. Otherwise it will go to the transfer station (dump)

 

[Gliderman8]

 

[PAUL161]

I had the same thing happen a couple of weeks ago from Craigslist putting up a batwing mower for sale. Almost identical response, it naturally was a scam! I did sell it to a fellow who called and said he'd like to look at it, he came over and pulled the cash out of his pocket and bought it. Asked if he could leave it here for a couple of weeks so he has time to pick it up on his gooseneck trailer, which I agreed to. Not in my way.

 

[Basil]

I had the same thing happen a couple of weeks ago from Craigslist putting up a batwing mower for sale. Almost identical response, it naturally was a scam! I did sell it to a fellow who called and said he'd like to look at it, he came over and pulled the cash out of his pocket and bought it. Asked if he could leave it here for a couple of weeks so he has time to pick it up on his gooseneck trailer, which I agreed to. Not in my way. View attachment 78497

From the article: "he people who design these scams are professionals, and they are experts at coming up with stories that catch people off guard or garner their sympathies. For example, Mary Dean created a narrative about how her mother was sick and then that she died. I believed her, so I made every effort to be understanding of her increasingly odd behavior."

In the case of my scammer, they said they were out of town and prepping for daughter's wedding. Uh huh.

 

[NutmegCT]

Soon as I see "Don't use CL email" I delete the message.

If the guy uses CL email to say he doesn't use CL email ... hmmm

 

[Basil]

Soon as I see "Don't use CL email" I delete the message.

That's definitely a red flag. That's what, when I replied, I used Apple's "Hide my email" feature which allows me to reply with a random, throw-away email address.