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How to Spot a Scam

Monday, July 7, 2008

Scams Twarted Due to This Site

I want to thank everyone who as taken the time to submit their scam experiences on Craigslist. I have received so many emails from people who were about to get scammed, but luckily found this site and reversed course. This would not have been possible without you! Proof again that our message is growing and you are making a positive impact in the lives of people you will never meet. Thank you again for looking out for your fellow man and woman!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another scammer who I came across recently when I posted items for sale in SF was tonycoll05@gmail.com or Anthony Collier. Below is the text of his email to me. I sent an email to craigslist (this email from Anthony being the response to my very first posting of something for sale) and never got a response. Don't they have any way of monitoring these?

Text below:

I appreciate your response to my enquiry. Am interested in buying it from you. I would love to come and check it myself but I just got married and am presently on an honeymoon trip to Hawaii with my wife. I would love a surprise change of furniture in our home on our return. Pls do withdraw , the advert from Web as i dont mind adding $50 for you to do that, so i can be rest assured that the item is held for me. I should believe it is in excellent condition as stated. I will be making the payment via a Certified Check, which my secretary will mail across to you. I'll be picking the item from you with the aid of my mover. My Mover will be coming to pick it from you once the Certified Check has been cashed. Pls I will need both your full name and physical address along with your phone number to issue out the payment.
I await your response.

Thank You,
Tony.

How is your day going? I want you to understand that the transaction is on as my secretary as mailed the check payment already and you will recieve it very soon. There was a slight error which i believe we can handle with care and honesty. Instead of the actual amount, $1045 for the item, she made out the check for $4045. She claimed that was what i requested but she didn't get that straight. Am sure this happened because am not around as am still on my honeymoon, I think I might fire her when I get back to have made such a silly mistake, but am still thinking because she has been a very good employee.
Once you have the check delivered to you via UPS, do have it cashed at your bank and deduct the money for my item plus $50 for taking the ad down. The excess funds should please be sent to my mover via Western Union whose information I would supply you as soon as you notify me that you have recieved payment via email , this funds will be used in offsetting the cost of the shipment he as undertaken for me recently and also will be used to come for the pickup of my item at your location.
**Please email at once to let me know that I can trust you to have the excess funds expedited to my mover upon the receipt of delivery of payment**
I hope to read back from you very urgently.
Do have a nice day as I count on your honesty and trustworthiness.

My Warmest Regards,
Tony.

BY THE WAY - his secretary never could have sent the check as I had never provided my last name or address.

Any suggestions for thwarting this criminals in the future?

AW

Anonymous said...

Another Scammer to add to the growing list is Paul Ashbaugh (mytime006@gmail.com) or mytime0000@gmail.com below is the text of his email.

Hi
Thanks for the respond, I'm cool with your final price .. let me know if you will accept payment with Check as this is the only way i can make the payment because i am located in Columbia, S.C .. I don't mind offering you an extra $50 for holding the item for me.
I would have loved to come take a look at it though but i will not be able to do so due to the distance and my work Schedule but i'll really appreciate a picture from you if you have that. You may reply with your name and contact address also your phone number where you will like to receive the payment. And concerning the shipment i will handle all the shipping expenses myself. I shall look forward to hearing from you soon.
Here are some of the details I will need for final assurance of the payment to you.
(1) Full Name
(2) Mailing address, no p.o.box please
(3) your direct telephone number
Hear from you soon . God Bless
Thanks.
Regards

Paul

Anonymous said...

I posted a child's loft bed for sale on craigslist and immediately got a reply from a kayward01@gmail.com asking if the bed was still available and in good condition. I replied with very detailed information about the bed. The response I got was almost word for word as the response from the first comment - this guy is STILL in Hawaii on his honeymoon - three months later! LOL
Honestly though the only thing that made me think twice about it was the fact that 1. He didn't care about seeing the bed himself 2. adding the extra $50 if I'd take the ad down and 3. it just sounded fishy that he'd want to surprise his new wife with a child's loft bed LOL

Anyway - just adding my own story. I didn't find your site until after I'd replied telling him the bed was already taken and he sounded like a scammer. But the info you have here confirmed my suspicions.
Thanks

Anonymous said...

Thanks! Posted a Bike w/Electric Trailer. It's an original design and wouldn't want it to be lost to a scam. Saw Paul Ashbaugh on your site and now know better than to ship!

Anonymous said...

Here's another name to add: max smith (maxsmith555@gmail.com). Glad that I found this site - won't be sending my name/address, or cashing any check.

Anonymous said...

Nov. 2008
Received scam response from "Paul Ashbaugh":

1. Hello,
Is your Item still available for sale?

...answered yes...

2. Thanks for the respond, I'm cool with your final price .. let me know if you will accept payment with Money Order as this is the only way i can make the payment because i am located in Metairie, L. A .. I don't mind offering you an extra $30 for holding the item for me.
I would have loved to come take a look at it though but i will not be able to do so due to the distance and my work Schedule but i'll really appreciate a picture from you if you have that. You may reply with your name and contact address also your phone number where you will like to receive the payment. And concerning the shipment i will handle all the shipping expenses myself. I shall look forward to hearing from you soon.
Here are some of the details I will need for final assurance of the payment to you.
(1) Full Name
(2) Mailing address, no p.o.box please
(3) your direct telephone number
Hear from you soon . God Bless
Thanks. Regards Paul

Thanks for this site!!!

Anonymous said...

Here's some more to add to the list who sent mails almost identical to ones posted here:

Galvin Green (galgreen100@gmail.com)

ibrahim smith (ibrasmitho1@live.com)

Anonymous said...

We just recieved one of these. The original message was from Bob Draper. It says:
"Hello,
I am Bob Draper,my wife and i just got married,i work with Environmental Protection Agency in Canada and we are coming for our honeymoon in the states,kindly check if we can spend three nights at your place,(Dec 10 to DEC 13) .We dont have any pets neither we dont smoke or drink.Pls get back to me with the cost and availability.

Bob".

We sent rates, and some correspondence. Then he writes:

"Hello Am glad to inform you that the payment has been mailed to you and will get to you soon. However,there is a mistake on the check, our traveling expenses was included in the check for our booking. This was suppose to come in a different check that was supposed to go to our Logistic Agent and not in the one for our booking.But since it has been sent, just deduct the full cost of our booking and send the remainder to our Logistic Agent using Western Union money transfer so that she can make all necessary things we need to do with it pending the time of our arrival. I hope you understand this and we can be able to depend on you.We can't wait to be there. My regards to all the members of your family."

Similar to the others in this thread, but a different twist.



Bob Draper

Anonymous said...

same deal as the first

alexwilliams333@gmail.com

honeymooning in Hawaii

Anonymous said...

Bob Draper just got married again ... we received the same email as the one listed. Be careful.

Anonymous said...

kayward01@gmail.com emailed me with the same story. Sounded fishy to me, so I looked up the email address and found this site. Thanks!

Alison said...

Same thing - had a table for sale and got a reply from kayward01@gmail.com that which was pretty much identical to the other posts. Guy is on his honeymoon and wants to pay me 50 dollars more than I'd asked. Jerk. I replied, "nice scam, loser".

Anonymous said...

I just recieved this from galvin Green regarding an ad i have on craigslist. i told him to get lost.
David

Hello
I appreciate your response to my inquiry. Am interested in buying
it from you. I would love to come and check it myself but I just got
married and am presently on my honeymoon trip to Hawaii with my wife.
Pls do withdraw ,with immediate effect, the advert from Web as i
dont mind adding $50 for you to do that, so i can be rest assured that
the item is held for me. I should believe it is in good condition as
stated. I will be making the payment via a Certified Check, which my
secretary will mail across to you. I'll be picking the item from you
with the aid of my mover. My Mover will be coming to pick it from you
once the Certified Check has been cashed.
Pls I will need both your full name and physical address to issue
out the payment.

Anonymous said...

Just received the same from GALVIN GREEN (galgreentree526@gmail.com)..."I appreciate your response to my enquiry. Am interested in buying it from you. I would love to come and check it myself but I just got married and am presently on an honeymoon trip to Hawaii with my wife...." Same spelling and grammatical oddities. Still on honeymoon with wife ...

Anonymous said...

I saw a Craigslist ad offering a 2007 BMW X5 for only $15,500 - sounded very fishy but I inquired out of curiosity. Here was the reply I received the next day:

RE: 2007 BMW X5 4.8i - $15,500‏
From: clara wilson (clarawilson11@gmail.com)
Sent: October 2, 2009 6:14:10 PM
Hi,

My 2007 BMW X5 4.8i is in great shape,no engine problems,damages or hidden defects. Hasn't been involved in any accident. It was always garaged and never kept outside. I`m a single mother with 2 children because i divorced with my husband and after the divorce i own this car,i don`t need it and that`s why i`m selling it so cheap. The car has a clear title, no liens. The car has an automatic transmission and 40,500 KM's. The total price is $15,500 CAD including shipping and handling. The sale will be through eBay protection program for our safety and the payment will be sent via Bank transfer directly to eBay. I have recently moved from Canada to Washington(US) after divorce and i took the car with me, that is why i am sending it from here. The car is still registered in Canada and it's certified so you won't have to pay any custom taxes.
I just need your full name and address so i can open a case. You must know that eBay will contact you without any obligation to buy it or fees.

Have a nice day!
Clara Wilson