craigslist scams

[terri]

Hi,

there`s been a few threads on here about rental apt scams involving craigslist. I actually got one myself from an ad I posted, which brings me to wonder what other areas besides apts for rent are experiencing scams. Now, I know this site is supposed to be about realestate investing, but I thought that perhaps my fellow REIN members would be savvy to craigslist scams and I wanted your feedback.

I responded to an ad on craigslist for a pick up truck for sale. The price seemed well below blue book so I wondered if something was wrong with it and asked to set up an appointment to see the vehicle.

here`s the response that I got:

Hello,
You made the right choice!My 2002 Toyota Tacoma is in great shape,no engine problems,damages or hidden defects. It
was always garaged and never smoked in.I`m a single mother with 2 children and i have problems with money,that`s why i`m
selling it so cheap.The mileage is 94,608 and the price is 3999$.We will use eBay`s protection program for our safety.I
just need your full name and address so i can open a case.(with no further obligation or fees).Have a nice day!

This email response doesn`t seem to have the bad grammar like the apt rental scams, but the price is REALLY cheap if there is nothing wrong with it. Most 2002 tacomas are asking at least $13,000. So that is a huge red flag.....and... she did not respond to my request to view it, instead wanted my name and address to set up an ebay case. I`ve never bought anything on ebay before so I don`t know if this is normal. When I went to ebay I didn`t see the ad and the original craigslist ad was removed only hours after it was posted. I`m guessing this is a scam, similar to the one where the scammers pose as landlords and post pics of other people`s properties. Has anyone else seen or heard of scams using ebay accounts?

thanks,

Terri

 

[lanedry77]

Hi Terri,

SCAM!

*IF* the vehicle was listed as an auction on eBay, you`d be covered to a certain degree by them, but eBay doesn`t offer any specific `protection program`, and eBay and Craigslist are completely unrelated.

And the fact that the seller wants your full name and address without you seeing the vehicle is a HUGE flag. That`s how identity theft starts.


David.

 

[Rhill]

similar things are happening on kijiji sites across Canada where the seller says he recieves no money until the vehicle is in your hands and you have had 5 days to inspect it and the money will sit in an ebay escrow account.They send a false invoice using the background of an ebay motors invoice .They want a money transfer sent as down payment and the vehicles are about a third of their true value.I did a google search under fraud with the name and numerous cases came up.The name was John Fraley and asked for the wire transfer to Jamie Judd .Ask for the serial number to do a search on the vehicle.Hope this helps preventing someone from getting scammed.

 

[terri]

thanks for the feedback, I emailed that I was not interested. It seems odd to me that anyone would buy a vehicle without test driving it, but I guess no weirder that renting a home before stepping foot in it.

thanks, Terri

 

[Sandy Fransham]

I`ve had some problems with scamers taking my text and pictures for rental properties on both Craig`s list and Kijiji and reposting the ads with really low rents. The `landlords` are out of the country and asking for security deposits etc... It is frustrating since they use my ads and pics. I have started to look at these sites every couple of days to see if my ads are being `hijacked!`

 

[DanBarton]

This is important for people looking for money partners:

* AVOID * Posting any of your investment opportunities on Craigslist (for cash investors), due to all the apparent fraud that does take place through this site - your local securities commission actively investigates any postings of this nature if they cannot locate an OM on their database. So you have been warned. How do I know...?

Dan