CL scams

[zippyphil]

I have found ads on CL like this one

https://tallahassee.craigslist.org/rvs/5018547540.html

scam? sounds TOO cheap.

[westernrvparkow]

1492 wrote:
Looks like a scam. A search found the Class C was originally sold on EBAY back in Aug 08, 2014 for $13,975 here at 2000 Fleetwood Tioga 22 C. Another website www.racing-vehicles.com has the original EBAY listing with all photos.





Photo from Craigslist listing.





Photo from original EBAY listing.

Amazing, they parked an identical rig in an identical spot, with identical trees at the exact same time of the day, so they cast identical shadows. What an amazing coincidence, since we all know that nothing on Craig's List could be a scam.

[Islandman]

That is the official monetary exchange rate with Nigeria money probably

[dan-nickie]

For those of you that still think it 'might not' be a scam.
Nobody, and I mean nobody lists anything legitimate for sale on CL for $2168.

2175, 2150 maybe even 2200 but never, ever 2168.

Knowing this simple fact should keep you out of trouble.

[Naio]

DrewE wrote:

Naio wrote:

rexlion wrote:
If a CL ad has a super low price, I look at the contact info. Scammers will have an out of state area code or will have only the anonymous email contact. A genuine local seller will usually list their local phone number.

Gosh, I sell a fair amount of stuff on CL, but I would never list my phone number or email, for safety reasons!

what safety concerns do you have with people getting your email or telephone—I mean, it could lead to annoyance or even harassment, but unsafeness?

I had a stranger call me up once and compliment me on my house. He had run my phone number through a free online search service which gave him my address, and then google mapped it.

He was harmless, as far as I could tell, and just clueless about how this would seem. But it showed me that anyone can do the same.

For email, it's only spam that concerns me.

[wbwood]

DrewE wrote:

Naio wrote:

rexlion wrote:
If a CL ad has a super low price, I look at the contact info. Scammers will have an out of state area code or will have only the anonymous email contact. A genuine local seller will usually list their local phone number.

Gosh, I sell a fair amount of stuff on CL, but I would never list my phone number or email, for safety reasons!

I'm amazed you manage to sell things without giving buyers some way to contact you. (I guess you use the CL anonymous email or something similar?) Anyhow, what safety concerns do you have with people getting your email or telephone—I mean, it could lead to annoyance or even harassment, but unsafeness?

Reminds me of one ad I saw when I was shopping for my motorhome. It was a local one, that had been on CL for quite some time, and included only an email—that apparently they never checked or responded to.

An out of state area code doesn't necessarily mean the person isn't local, these days. Number portability and especially cell phones mean that any number could actually be anywhere. A better (but far from certain) way of finding local sellers is to see if there's a state license plate visible in the pictures. Most scammers seem to have no plate or edit the image to remove it. (That doesn't work for old RVs that have been sitting for awhile, of course, but I didn't care to buy any that wasn't in basic operable condition and couldn't be road tested.)

I sell a fair share of things on CL myself. I also do not list a phone number or email. They can email me via the anonymous CL one on the ad. Once voice contact needs to made (them buying it or coming to look at it), then i will give a phone number. I don't give it out online in the open like that because bots will harvest it and use it...

[DrewE]

Naio wrote:

rexlion wrote:
If a CL ad has a super low price, I look at the contact info. Scammers will have an out of state area code or will have only the anonymous email contact. A genuine local seller will usually list their local phone number.

Gosh, I sell a fair amount of stuff on CL, but I would never list my phone number or email, for safety reasons!

I'm amazed you manage to sell things without giving buyers some way to contact you. (I guess you use the CL anonymous email or something similar?) Anyhow, what safety concerns do you have with people getting your email or telephone—I mean, it could lead to annoyance or even harassment, but unsafeness?

Reminds me of one ad I saw when I was shopping for my motorhome. It was a local one, that had been on CL for quite some time, and included only an email—that apparently they never checked or responded to.

An out of state area code doesn't necessarily mean the person isn't local, these days. Number portability and especially cell phones mean that any number could actually be anywhere. A better (but far from certain) way of finding local sellers is to see if there's a state license plate visible in the pictures. Most scammers seem to have no plate or edit the image to remove it. (That doesn't work for old RVs that have been sitting for awhile, of course, but I didn't care to buy any that wasn't in basic operable condition and couldn't be road tested.)

[Naio]

RoyF wrote:
Will someone explain how this scam works? If I were buying a used RV, I would (a) give it a test drive, (b) have a mechanic check it over. If the seller balked then that would kill the deal for me. Because of the cheap price, I would try to find out whether the RV had been stolen.

Dunno about the one in the OP, but the one I saw worked like this:

Local phone number. Said it was her son's and she was selling it because he had died suddenly and having it around was too sad. After a few emails to arrange to see, turns out RV is 3000 miles away. But she will ship it to me for free for my inspection, 30 days, full refund if I don't like it. Then it turns out this is through (fake) ebay... at this point I google some unique phrasing from her email plus the word 'scam'.

[coolmom42]

Robin1953 wrote:
Just for giggles I sent an email asking about location and I want to look at it...LOL

Now they are going to tell you they will ship it with a $500 deposit. 😉

[RoyF]

Will someone explain how this scam works? If I were buying a used RV, I would (a) give it a test drive, (b) have a mechanic check it over. If the seller balked then that would kill the deal for me. Because of the cheap price, I would try to find out whether the RV had been stolen.

[Naio]

rexlion wrote:
If a CL ad has a super low price, I look at the contact info. Scammers will have an out of state area code or will have only the anonymous email contact. A genuine local seller will usually list their local phone number.

Gosh, I sell a fair amount of stuff on CL, but I would never list my phone number or email, for safety reasons!

[rexlion]

If a CL ad has a super low price, I look at the contact info. Scammers will have an out of state area code or will have only the anonymous email contact. A genuine local seller will usually list their local phone number.

And if I do write to one of these, my first question is "where can I come to see this?" Scammers will always ignore this or make up some reason why you can't see it locally.

[MobileBasset]

Post error - wrong thread

[zippyphil]

Robin1953 I did the same.

[Naio]

Yeah, i got sucked into one of those. Advertised on CL in a west coast town, then email says actual location is in Vermont, in an Ebay storage lot, fake emails from Ebay to prove it... when I started asking questions they stopped replying.

[Robin1953]

Just for giggles I sent an email asking about location and I want to look at it...LOL