How Do I Know If A Craigslist Sale Is A Scam?

1. Yan Says

   DON’T EVER believe any such advertising. Craigslist tells warns about this sort of scam. Read the full advice on their website (http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams) or read it here:
   HOW TO RECOGNIZE A VEHICLE SCAM ATTEMPT ON CRAIGSLIST:
   * Shipping a vehicle to you is suggested by seller
   * eBay Motors or another intermediary is specified by seller
   * Payment by Western Union or a money wire is requested
   * Price is unusually low (fraction of blue book value)
   If you see these tell-tale signs, flag ad as “prohibited” and avoid
   Offers to ship a vehicle are virtually 100% fraudulent
   eBay has no involvment in craigslist for sale ads, and any eBay or similar emails or web pages you receive are fake
   Never use Western Union or wire transfer to pay for goods – only a scammer will ask for this, and any funds sent will be lost
   Do not buy vehicles sight-unseen, regardless of low price. The vehicle does not exist, and any money you send will be lost.
   Stories about divorcees or departing servicemen needing to sell quickly at a low price are generally fraudulent
   If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

2. Never Says

   And ad that mentions they are not local or paypal or google checkout IS AN OBVIOUS SCAM ATTEMPT.
   Its both common sense and craigslist specifically warns people about it.
   How to recognize a vehicle scam attempt on CL:
   •Shipping a vehicle to you is suggested by seller
   •eBay Motors or another intermediary is specified by seller
   •Payment by Western Union or a money wire is requested
   •Price is unusually low (fraction of blue book value)
   If you see these tell-tale signs, flag ad as “prohibited” and avoid
   Offers to ship a vehicle are virtually 100% fraudulent
   eBay has no involvment in craigslist for sale ads, and any eBay or similar emails or web pages you receive are fake
   Never use Western Union or wire transfer to pay for goods – only a scammer will ask for this, and any funds sent will be lost
   Do not buy vehicles sight-unseen, regardless of low price. The vehicle does not exist, and any money you send will be lost.
   Stories about divorcees or departing servicemen needing to sell quickly at a low price are generally fraudulent
   If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

3. Kittysue Says

   You can tell they are not legit for two reasons
   1 – Paypal offers NO protection on vehicle sales. Read their User Agreement – vehicles are specifically excluded from protection
   “13.3 Ineligible Items. PayPal Purchase Protection only applies to PayPal payments for certain tangible, physical goods. Payments for the following are not eligible for reimbursement under PayPal Purchase Protection:
   Intangible items, including Digital Goods
   Services
   Real estate, including residential property
   Businesses
   Vehicles, including motor vehicles, motorcycles, caravans, aircraft and boats…”https://cms.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/?cmd=_…
   2 – Google Checkout is NOT for person to person transactions. It is only for online retailers registered as a Google merchant http://www.google.com/wallet/how-it-work…
   So if the seller is not a dealer who has an online site conducting sales and they do not have a Google Checkout button on their payment page, then you cannot pay with Google Checkout
   Craigslist has a warning on the top of every single vehicle listing saying “OFFERS TO SHIP VEHICLES ARE 100% FRAUDULENT”
   These are all scams to steal thousands of dollars from you
   NEVER buy any car that you cannot
   - see in person
   - test drive
   - have a mechanic check out
   - verify IN PERSON that the seller’s license is the same name as on the title
   If you can’t do all four, you are either sending money for a car that does not exist. You are buying a lemon with no way to get your money back as all sales on Craigslist are considered on an as-is basis. Or you are buying a stolen car which you won’t discover until you go to register it and the car is confiscated from you and returned to the owner
   Craigslist is a godsend for car thieves – they steal cars in one city then list them for sale for cheap in another city for a quick sale. If you can’t verify in person that the seller’s license is the same name as on the title, don’t buy it. Don’t trust email – anyone using photoshop can make a fake ID

4. Phr3ak Says

   Always meet with the people, NEVER send money.
   My brother and I bought a car off craigslist. I bought a 96 Dodge Neon, ran great! A month later it shuts down and i have my 2 year old son in the car. It was after dark and even the hazard siglans wernt working. I got it fixed for free from a friend. Would have cost a lot if it wernt for them. I drove it from Colorado to Nevada and it just drank oil and gas like it was water to a man in the desert. My brother bought a car. Drove it, ran great! A day later he hits the highway and the RPMs are running really high! Turns out the transmission was pretty much gone and needed to be rebuild or replaced running 1200$ after paying 1500$ for the car.
   Go tot a USED car dealership… At least you can go back to them and complain and get it fixed and not get screwed.

5. Juan Says

   Yeah please dont send money out! Only if its local and they have a number and are willing to meet. But if your gonna meet up with someone dont go at late hours or alone

6. lcroad_2 Says

   Sounds like a scam. Ask for an address and tell them you rather pick it up and see what they say

7. doug b Says

   just by local . dont send money to anyone .check the local lots and private sales near your place

8. Jay45 Says

   It’s a SCAM!!!!!

9. Dan Says

   That sounds foolproof! What could possibly go wrong?

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