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Craigslist Scam


JMight30185

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I had 80 dollars stolen from me by a military member who I was texting with and I had verified his identity online.  This was back in my stupid days and I sent him a money order for some Legos.  Never heard back from him after he gave me a bunch of BS excuses why he hadn't shipped such as his grandma died.

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I always push to meet at their house. You don't typically rip someone off who knows where you live.

 

I had a guy that somewhat pushed to meet at my house with stuff I was selling and I told him no way.  He ended up being a really nice guy that was genuinely interested in Lego as well as his kids, but I'm not showing somebody that I have tens of thousands of dollars worth of Lego in my basement.  On the flip side, we've sold stuff on Craigslist, and other sale sites through Facebook and such where it hasn't been a problem, but there also wasn't much money changing hands.  I have met folks at their homes, but I know I'm not a crazy stalker so I don't think too much of it.

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I have used it a few times already.  Both times I used PayPal to buy, since I asked for the person's personal cell phone number so I could text them back and forth.  Getting their phone number really makes it much more secure, because that can be traced back to them much more easily than an email address.  Anyway, get a cell phone number and I would say you're about 95% in the clear and safe.  If they don't have a cell phone number with texting, then I wouldn't even talk to them. 

Eh, the guy I dealt gave me his phone number......and it was based in Iowa.  That was a red flag to me.  The other problem was meeting up.  Getting a phone number is pointless if you can't even meet up and he wants you to pay first.

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I had 80 dollars stolen from me by a military member who I was texting with and I had verified his identity online.  This was back in my stupid days and I sent him a money order for some Legos.  Never heard back from him after he gave me a bunch of BS excuses why he hadn't shipped such as his grandma died.

Dang, that sucks.....and you thought you could trust him because he said he was a military member.  Lesson learned I guess.

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Dang, that sucks.....and you thought you could trust him because he said he was a military member.  Lesson learned I guess.

I remember buying for a military personal last year. They priced the lot very fairly and they offered free delivery. Very nice person. Makes you think. CL can be both good and bad depending where you are. I have had mostly good experiences with the occasional scam here and there.

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Dang, that sucks.....and you thought you could trust him because he said he was a military member.  Lesson learned I guess.

 

He was legit military, and rather large and ripped from my research so I didn't go after him.  I figure a guy willing to steal money is willing to do other things, but if the dollar amount was higher I would have pursued.

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I wouldn't even do that.  You just can't trust people nowadays.  Especially if you have kids, I wouldn't let anyone know where I live.  I'm glad it's been all good for you though.  Knock on wood........

 

Thanks for the advice.  It can be a risk though!  Most of the buyers of our items are moms and dads with kids in tow though so that "feels" safer.  Nothing is 100% safe though.  There was an article about a year ago that someone was meeting at our local mall to sell and iPad via craigslist and got pepper sprayed, so even public settings isn't perfect.

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I have used it a few times already.  Both times I used PayPal to buy, since I asked for the person's personal cell phone number so I could text them back and forth.  Getting their phone number really makes it much more secure, because that can be traced back to them much more easily than an email address.  Anyway, get a cell phone number and I would say you're about 95% in the clear and safe.  If they don't have a cell phone number with texting, then I wouldn't even talk to them. 

Phone numbers don't really mean much. Pay as you Go phones can easily be purchased. I suppose you could technically trace the location, but that isn't much to go off and is way too much trouble. I'd go for an address or some other type of confirmation.

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  • 4 months later...

Sorry to bump an old thread, but wanted to notify you guys about this one that I hadn't seen before:

 

Was selling a loose SSD on CL and got this:

From: craigslist reply a27a [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2014 5:04 AM
To: 
Subject: Lego UCS Super Star Destroyer 100% Complete 10221 Star Wars

 

will be back in town on monday after the thanksgiving holiday with my father,  will be able to come and make payment once am back . i need ur cell # - [email protected]

 

                                                         Sent from iPhone 6

 

Looked legit, but I should have checked his email online first. Turns out he is a known scammer and he replied with this:

 

From: Lisaztl Raul [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2014 9:06 AM
To: 
Subject: RE: Lego UCS Super Star Destroyer 100% Complete 10221 Star Wars

 

Thanks for the response, actually now I'm not in town for now, I came to visit my father so i wont be able to meet with you but am ok with the price as seen on the advert, I'll proceed in issuing a Check out to you and when you received the check , I will make arrangement for pick-up. So get back to me with below details asap.

 

Name:

Address:

City:

State:

Postal Code:

Cell Phone Number:

Agreed price to sell :

once this is provided the payment will be overnight to you and i will let you know when its mailed out. I need you to be honest with the

sale as I am a God fearing person.   Thanks God Bless You

 

He also flagged my post for removal so he must have a bunch of accounts. I reported him to US-CERT and the FBI since he seems to work in multiple areas. We used to joke on other forums that ending with "God Bless" was a sure sign of a scammer. The flagging thing was new for me though and ticks me off.

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