Craigslist "Overpayment" Scam

[cjtoombs]

I posted a machine on Craigslist last night, and a woman (maybe, maybe not, but the name was Elizabeth) contacted me right away to ask if it was still available. I replied that it was (it had only been posted minutes earlier). She said the price I had was fine for her and that she would send me the money on Paypal and asked for my Paypal email and my name. My Spidey sense was already going off, first a woman wants to buy a metal shaper, she agrees to the price of the shaper based on only the pictures (it's CL, I presume people mostly buy stuff on there within driving range and someone would want to look at it before they bought) and she asked for my name. You don't need a name to send money on Paypal, only the email address. I gave my name (not full) and email address, she came back and said she was going to send an extra 520 dollars for me to pay the movers when they got here. At this point I am sure it is a scam, so I did a bit of searching. I sent back an email for her to just send the asking price, she would need to take care of the movers herself and that if she needed it delivered, I would do it for a fee. Haven't heard back. Apparently, they get your email address and name and send you a fake Paypal email that the money has been deposited (that's why they need your name). Then they send someone to pick it up and you give them the 520, the stuff you are selling and you are left without your item and short the money you gave the movers. If something sounds too good to be true, it's easy enough to check this stuff out with a Google search. Don't get burned.

 

[wawoodman]

That scam has been going on forever.

You did the right thing.

 

[rgray]

My son still has a check written from G.E capital. Very legit looking for $6000.00 for a car he was selling for $3000.00 on craigslist.
Obviously the old scam is not working as well now days so their trying for lesser sums.
I told him to frame it and hang it on the wall....got it all shut down before he lost anything.

 

[cjtoombs]

Glad he didn't lose anything, but if it didn't work on some people, they wouldn't still be doing it. Speaking of which, I haven't heard from the plethora of Nigerian princes I used to. The royal family there must be thinning down.

 

[ACHiPo]

Glad he didn't lose anything, but if it didn't work on some people, they wouldn't still be doing it. Speaking of which, I haven't heard from the plethora of Nigerian princes I used to. The royal family there must be thinning down.

Funny you should mention that, because in the past few months the number of obvious scam emails I've received have gone way up. Granted, not Nigerian princes, but similar "unclaimed inheritance", etc.

 

[dlane]

Welcome to the new world

 

[Ulma Doctor]

i once had an email scammer try to get me ...
he send an email telling me that i won the Australian Lottery by proxy.
he said that i have 160,000,000 AUD in a secured account, just waiting for me to claim it ,
ALL he wanted was 750 USD to fill out the required forms !!!! ( i wonder if the forms were in Strine???)
i assured him, in a return email , that i would give him 200,000 AUD, just to handle the whole transaction for me because,
I'm a Australian MILLIONARE now and had to plan for my new estate.
i also went as far as to offer the scammer a lifetime job as my financial consultant, if he'd handle the small task.

I'm still waiting for the return email....

 

[mcostello]

Same scam to Me several times with different names each time. Some one was going to drive from Floridia to nowhere Central Ohio for a lathe.

 

[JPigg55]

I'd love to be able to set these type people up and have the cops standing by to haul they off to prison where they belong.
With our wonderful justice system, they don't want to be "Bothered" unless it's over $10,000 (as if the scumbags don't know this).
So I just tell them "That's fine with me, but your payment will clear before I release the item and I won't pay shippers, that's up to them" just in case it's legitimate.
Never hear from them again if it's a scam.

 

[chips&more]

How come this is happening? Does crime pay??? Why are there so many scammers? And those annoying phone calls with nothing to say to but crap. 95% of my land line calls are from people full of crap. And now my cell phone is getting them!