Is everyone a scammer?

Teuthida

Teuthida

Well-known
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Joined
Aug 13, 2011
Messages
622
Listed a fuji x100 on Craigslist for $850, as I've sworn off the hassle of EBay.

Get an initial inquiry about the camera - " Is it still available?"

Respond yes.

Then get this:

Hi,
**Is it still in good working condition?I won't be able to pick it up
or make the transaction in person due to my working schedules and
classes.I am getting this for my finance *as a Birthday gift,i will be
paying *$1000 and you will be shipping to her .I really want to get
this for her now and as a surprise gift.I will be willing to make the
payment using PayPal,I have a verified account with PayPal.So get back
to me with your paypal email address,so that i can make the payment
right away..Hope to read from you soonest.


Do they really think we're that stupid? I assume some folks fall for this or it wouldn't be a viable enterprise.

Who are these people anyway?
 
Teuthida said:
I'm tempted to tell him to send me the money and see what happens. Keep him working.
Click to expand...

They will file a PayPal claim regardless of whether you send your item or not. In both cases, you get a big black mark on your PayPal reputation. Also, definitely not worth the headache, whether intentionally playing him or unknowingly falling for his scam.
 
bugmenot said:
They will file a PayPal claim regardless of whether you send your item or not. In both cases, you get a big black mark on your PayPal reputation. Also, definitely not worth the headache, whether intentionally playing him or unknowingly falling for his scam.
Click to expand...

I'm sure tou're right. Not worth it,
 
I've purchased items remotely a few times from Craigslist ads via Paypal. Some have been remote purchases, others were from buyers who lived hours out of town and thought shipping would be simpler given the travel distance.

All have been simple transactions - paying normally via paypal to the address listed in the account, item shipped with tracking, etc.

Some people are comfortable with it, some aren't. Thats fine. The only part of OPs post that seem suspicious are the fact that the item is shipped to a different address than the one linked to the Paypal account.
 
I'll bet if you check the scammer's email he didn't even mention a "camera", probably wrote "your item".
 
Brian Legge said:
Some people are comfortable with it, some aren't. Thats fine. The only part of OPs post that seem suspicious are the fact that the item is shipped to a different address than the one linked to the Paypal account.
Click to expand...

The buyer was also offering to send quite a bit more money than the seller's asking price. Another red flag.
 
Teuthida said:
Listed a fuji x100 on Craigslist for $850, as I've sworn off the hassle of EBay.

Get an initial inquiry about the camera - " Is it still available?"

Respond yes.

Then get this:

Hi,
**Is it still in good working condition?I won't be able to pick it up
or make the transaction in person due to my working schedules and
classes.I am getting this for my finance *as a Birthday gift,i will be
paying *$1000 and you will be shipping to her .I really want to get
this for her now and as a surprise gift.I will be willing to make the
payment using PayPal,I have a verified account with PayPal.So get back
to me with your paypal email address,so that i can make the payment
right away..Hope to read from you soonest.


Do they really think we're that stupid? I assume some folks fall for this or it wouldn't be a viable enterprise.

Who are these people anyway?
Click to expand...

I will just ignore this person.
Don't waste your time on him.
 
I've met some real characters on craigslist.
Now I only place ads there for items I want to give away for free.
Even that can be a real PITA.
The last time one potential taker expected me to deliver the item! :bang:

Have you considered placing a Rangefinder Forum Classified ad?
From my experience the modest cost is well worth the grief it saves.

Chris
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
The buyer was also offering to send quite a bit more money than the seller's asking price. Another red flag.
Click to expand...

Ah, right, I missed that part.

I agree that this looks like a scam. I just take issue with the suggestion elsewhere in the comments suggesting anyone asking about PayPal is a scammer.

It is of course up to the seller to determine if they want to deal with shipping and all. I'm not trying to convince anyone what to do themselves.
 
There was a website a while back that a guy new he was getting scammed, so he sent him a laptop box with a brick in it, kept the guy going for a while, pretty funny, I think it was posted here at some point..
 
Brian Legge said:
I agree that this looks like a scam. I just take issue with the suggestion elsewhere in the comments suggesting anyone asking about PayPal is a scammer.
Click to expand...

The scammer sends you a fake paypal email that states the money has been paid but they (paypal) won't release the funds till you ship and forward the tracking number.

Paypal doesn't work that way...but you'd be surprised how many fall for it.
 
And you thought ebay was a hassle. :) Even local sales over CL can be a pain in the ass...even if the buyers/sellers are not scammers.
 
Tryed to buy a SUV on craigslist, got almost the same reply except for auto in place of camera in reply. I did have fun with him for about a week:^)
 
The title is a bit sensational isn't it? Just because someone tried to scam you does not mean everyone is a scammer.

Until there is a way to ban scammers from using computers, I'm afraid that it's part of the Craigslist overhead.
 
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