Announcement: Careful when buying anything online

[Sam]

Here's one for ya...when we were selling a house a few years ago, someone posted a very cleverly worded ad on Craigslist renting the house we had for sale. They said they were very particular about who they would rent to and wanted someone to take good care of the house, etc. They also asked for a $1000 security deposit and used our names! A friend of a friend saw the ad and word got back to us and I had to contact Craigslist. A short time later they did the same ad again. I can't imagine how many of these bogus ads there must be on Craigslist.

There are thieves around every corner and you can't be too careful.

 

[DakotaDocMartin]

There are thieves around every corner and you can't be too careful.

I think Craig's List is a haven for all sorts of criminal activity. Several of us on the Chevy SSR forum (ssrfanatic.com) noticed ads selling SSR's using photos of various member's vehicles that had been snagged from the forum. One ad in particular had photos of at least two different vehicles. The scammer didn't realize there were silver running boards in some photos and yellow in others.

It happens on eBay too. I knew a guy that thought he bought a Harley and sent a Western Union money transfer for it. The auction ended and the seller claimed the buyer backed out of the deal. So, he offered it to the next highest bidder. The Harley was supposedly in New Jersey and the seller was on vacation in Florida. He sent the money to Florida and never got the Harley.

Lessons: Never do transactions outside of eBay. NEVER send payment by Western Union (or by interbank wire transfer). PayPal is owned by eBay and is one of the safest methods of sending and receiving payments on the Internet. The seller never has your credit card or banking information. If something goes wrong, you have them to help you get your money back. Sending a postal money order, personal check, or even worse... giving the seller your credit card number are the higher risk methods.

 

[Sam]

Just recently a local Sheriff busted drug dealers selling heroin on Craigslist. Yes, on Craigslist. A deputy met them in a parking lot and made a buy, then they were arrested. The ad title said, "take a ride on H train d@pe - $100". The description said, "Take a ride on H train, dog food, d@pe serious inquiries only!" How the hell they thought they could get away with THAT is beyond me.

 

[Southern Custom]

The H Train deal is a laugh riot. And I learned the new name on the street for Heroin the next time I need to run pick some up. Dog Food. Reminds me of the hit man who was advertising his services on the web. Is there a "Darwin Award" for criminals?
Layne

 

[Robert Morales]

As the old saying goes, "IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS" and there's a SCAM artist behind it.

 

[dlilazteca]

sticky?

Saludos,

Carlos