Craigslist Scams

Just curious, but what would you have given in advice, when everything appeared to be in order?

 

There's a website to run the vin and see if it's stolen. I do that with any prospective cars I look at.

 

I'd tell him that if it's too good to be true then it's probably not. AND I tell him to at LEAST run the vehicle numbers through the local police office and notify them of the transaction taking place. Also, If I was going to save that kind of money I'd hire a cop for a few hours and have him show up plain clothes at the sale to review the transaction.

 

Any chance of giving out that link?

 

Sure!! Here's a couple of them.

https://www.nicb.org/theft_and_fraud_awareness/vincheck

http://www.dmv.org/vehicle-history/vin-fraud.php

 

I currently have a few things for sale on CL. Most interactions I've had have been with stand up people. No real issues. I price stuff that's reasonable for both parties and try to make it a get it gone price. Still have people wanting to cut the price in half. I'm selling some french doors now for $185. Had an offer of $100. Granted they came with the house but not installed so I figured what the hell, they need to go. I agreed but said I will not deliver for that price. She says can I pick them up Monday. Sure, I get home around 6pm. No response for 2 days. Monday comes around and I email her back asking if she's coming to get the doors. Her response "can't come at night". It doesn't get dark now till 9pm?!?! Just ignored her after that. Got another seller in Charlotte that needs them for a house she's flipping. Agrees to pay a $50 delivery charge (and she didn't negotiate the asking price). I think she's legit as she's texted, called, I've talked to her contractor, and she's asked for numerous pictures. I certainly want to make sure she wants them before driving 1.5 hours.

Or the guitar and amp I have for sale on FB for $275. This girls wants to buy the guitar for $150. I agree and she wants me to hold it for 2 days "while she's waiting on her settlement". I never agree to that I just say "I'll do what I can". 1 week later still no word.

 

Are you going to get full payment before delivery, or are you going to take the chance of getting paid at delivery?

$50 for a 3-hour round trip is very generous.

 

I think $50 for a 3 hour trip is a minimum, if it is out of your way. That includes loading it.
Good luck @klavender1

 

I'm taking a chance. I agreed to the $50 to get these sold. I didn't pay anything for them so no real money lost. Besides the girl wants to go to the outlet stores while we're there (yay me ).

 

so its costing you a couple of hundred to sell them? haha

 

Net out, to zero. After you get the $$ from the sale it all goes to the outlet stores. All and all though it is probably a good deal not spending money you earned...

 

Haha! Homie don't play that! She's got a job.



But you're probably right.

 

we play dumb sometimes, but we all pay... "honey I don't have any money left and im hungry! feed me!" *$60 later* "what about dessert?" lol

 

I have tons of CL stories, all pretty much the same as listed though. No-show buyers, low ballers, price negotiators, scammers, etc.. But, my best one is when I got the scammer to spend money.


Guy listed some items on CL. They're items I collect, so I message him. He does a half-assed job of explaining everything. We agree on price, and then it gets good. He says he will only ship the items, since his wife went to meet someone for a sale and he made obscene comments to her. (The items would need a box about the size of a recliner.) At this point I pretty much know it's a scam, but I keep going just to see what crap he comes up with. I saw that's fine, and ask about payment. He says money order only, no paypal, and shipping is included in price if I don't negotiate. I state that's fine with me. He then informs me he is out of town for family emergency, but he brought all the items with him. "What luck" I say. So I would need to send the money order to Tennessee, which is about 5 states away. I said I would send money order after I received the tracking info. He goes off calling me a scammer, giving me sob stories, etc etc.. I figure that's the end of it, but he texts me the next day asking if I'm still interested. I say yes, but I'm holding firm at money order after tracking info. So he goes silent for a bit, then comes back with a tracking number. I check the tracking number online, and sure enough it's real. What's better is that whatever it is, he overnighted it to me. If he really overnighted the items he supposedly had, it probably would of cost about what his asking price is just to ship.

So then he asks for payment. So I figured I'd send him on a wild goose chase. Told him to go to western union and I'd send the money to that location. He messaged me, stating he was at western union, awaiting payment. I informed him that my western union was closed, but some Walmarts have their own money order program. All he has to do is go to a certified Walmart, and they'll have the money order waiting at their counter. He bought it, didn't even question a thing, (which made me question if they actually did have a program like that, haha.) So I look at the map of the city he is in and find the walmart furthest away from the Western Union he is currently at. (About 45 miles through the big city) He seems a little perturbed, but willing since he is about to get $500 for "free". So about an hour and a half to two hours later he messages me, and says he doesn't see that money order counter. I told him to ask customer service. He says they don't have that program there, and asks if I'm scamming him. I inform him I am indeed BS'ing, and that his attempt at a CL scam was a joke, and to enjoy the scenic ride back home.

Next day I check the mail. Was one of those USPS overnight envelops with a piece of paper inside saying "sorry".

 

I like when scammers get scammed. Good job!

 

These are my favorite. Right up there with the computer engineers that are able to brick scammers' computers.

 

I have always believed in this thing called GP, or General Principal. I don't know how common its application is anymore, maybe it has died out with the me generation... who knows, maybe it's cultural since I am a dyed in the wool ass hole from NorCal? anyway, if you don't know what GP is, google it.

My last car, of many, while living in Japan was a beautiful 1997 Mitsubishi Legnum VR4. I was finally clearing and bound for real life back in the states, but I needed to sell my car before departing. So I put the car up on the bulletin board at the local post office for about 2mo. $4500 firm. The car was super clean and had a laundry list of mods on it. It just had it's 2yr inspection cleared and all fees paid, so well worth $6k or more.. but I needed to move it.

I found myself at 2wks till I fly home. I had a bunch of tire kickers from the local Navy base come over and check it out, but nobody was a solid bite. My commander at the time runs into me at the HQ building and asks how the sale is going, I tell him, not so good, but it is what it is. A day later I get word back that he was saying behind my back "I'll just wait for [Corprin's] orders to be cut, then offer him $1000, and he'll take it."

I run into him again that afternoon and ask him if he said what I was told, to which he responded "yeah, the longer I wait the less that car is worth to you... hahahaha."

I looked at him and straight face said, "Sir, I will take that car out to my favorite roads and flog the shit out of her, bounce her off a few walls, and limp or tow it to the junk yard without an undented panel or unbroken window, pay my $60 for junking, and be on my way home. I'll get my $4500 out of the car, be it in cash or the pure enjoyment of destroying her."

His response was something like "why would you do that and waste the $1000 I'll give you"

I replied... "GP sir, GP."

Car sold for $4500 three days later to some Navy Cat from the CAW who didn't argue the price.



During the process of my wonderful time over there I picked up a 2002 Ducati Monster 900ie, one of 14 made in blue that year, none were sent to the US. Wound up buying a salvaged frame from the US and swapped over the bike as a rebuild. Bike came home with me and was now the only one like it in the US... pretty good place to be. Rode here and got fed up with drivers and the roads in MN... they were nothing like Japan. One day on my way home I just got so fed up with the expansion joints in the pavement and was almost killed twice, so I decided in a fit to sell her off. Honestly, there was nowhere to ride that was worthy of my time... either straight roads with dumb cagers, or twisties clogged by slow ass HDs or people afraid of curves... sigh.

Put it on CL for about week and get some early 20s dudes to show up. One guy was looking over the bike for his friend who wanted to buy it. Buyer had no MC endorsement, and friend was a straight squid. The looked it over, I started it up, and the friend is all in a tiff about the rattles from the bike. "what is wrong with this, it sounds broken." My response was something about a dry clutch and open basket, and ducati, and you're an idiot in so many words. Well... things got dumber...

The next question is, you guessed it, "can I take it for a test ride?" I just blinked a few times, thinking, "now, I KNOW I put in there that test rides were not an option" so I responded "I will be happy to allow that but it's going to play out like this.... You are going to give me a $7200 deposit, and I am going to sign the title, but not date it, and hand it over to you. You can then take the bike for a test ride. If you don't like it, you can bring it back in the same condition you took it in, and I will hand you the cash when you give me the title. If you damage the bike, lay it down, or even fart on it, you might as well just keep on riding home."

Kid agrees and he rides off on the bike, not to sure footed, but what ever, I had the cash. About 10min later the friend pulls back in the driveway, no damage at all saying to his buddy "that's a lot of bike, you sure you want it?" Kid had a hard on now, so he gears up (puts on gloves), and starts heading away on his new Ducati. He makes it down my driveway and 50yrds to the stop sign and almost dumps the bike. when he turns onto the main road, he wraps the throttle, hits powerband, and I hear the tell tale sound of my beloved Monster dumping the rider on the ground, then crunching to a stop on the hard pavement. I just grabbed my cash and walked into the house.

I am sure that bike is in some junkyard now, or crushed. I now have a Minichamps replica to remind me of my prechild freedoms!

 

Nice!

 

QUICK, SOMEONE GO BUY THIS.

https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/6181753653.html

 

All kidding aside, if you want something to turn into a real travel wagon these are an awesome base to build on. Rip the bed and build a camper for it or modify one of these nice trailers that are out there to drop on and you are set.