Features I feel this is one of those scammers

I listed my 1952 Ford on Des Moines Iowa Craigslist in the for sale section but I was asking for interesting trades, not money just to see what would turn up for funzies.

Tonight I get this text from a person wanting to know if it was still for sale, I texted back, yes.

So this person texts back that he wants to come over and buy it if I have some report on it. I see it's a L.A. California number so I text back asking where they are located. They text back, not with a location but this is what they said:
Can you please get a report on it
http://www.tiny.ccwggb7x
then send it over to me I have to be absolutely sure it's clean.

So I texted back:
Sorry, sounds phishy too me. What do you have to trade and how are you going to get it here from California.

So they text me back:
This is my email [email protected] once I readthat,id like to come over and buy it sometime over the week,

I did a little research on the URL and found that it's a URL shorting service and there is no way to discover what is behind that URL.

I feel this person is a scammer, It just doesn't sound right to me.

Have any of you dealt with something like this?

 

Lots of scammers search craigslist for contact info. Be very careful, if it seems fishy forget it.

 

I feel if they're not answering your questions directly. That they are most likely scammers

 

YEP!

 

they probably charge you for the report and then sell your e-mail address.

 

I put in my craigslist ads that I will only respond to phone calls, no texts or emails. If I get a text then I know it's a scam. there is an option to not accept emails.

If someone is serious, they will call on the phone. Scammers mostly won't. But even so, you need to be careful...

 

Email starts with Susan so ask her to send you some naked photos of herself and see what they come back with!

I get confused when someone posts an ad with trades only. I never know what they value their car at so makes it hard to offer something up. I'm always tempted to be a smartass and offer up an old lawn mower, a broken torque wrench, my pet iguana, a velvet Elvis painting and a bag of cookies.

Anyway, just saying in case you haven't gotten much response on your ad.

 

scam - do not respond again

 

That makes sense, I was wondering how that would work. If you have a smartphone and you type that URL in I'll bet that will put a charge on your cell phone bill, heck, it could even be one of those small reoccurring charges that people that don't scrutinize their phone bill every month will miss.

Then to add insult to injury they sell your email address.

 

Too much drama already, forget about it. Wait for another buyer.

 

its a scam when they don't ask the most basic of questions on what you are selling. cost; condition; drivable; drive train; color etc.

 

You never know someone might be looking for just that stuff so it never hurts to ask, the worst they can do is say no and the best is you gain all kinds of bragging rights. I traded an old lawn mower, a broken torque wrench, my pet iguana, a velvet Elvis painting and a bag of cookies for _____.

 

Trust your instincts

 

I get alot of strange texts and emails from my ads. I've found if the person doesn't start off asking about the thing for sale it's a scam. I've had people wanting my John boat and lived in New Mexico also Nevada. I live in Wisconsin that's a l9ng hall for a thousand dollar boat.

So just move on I would call it a scam.

 

Total scam. Texts don't always mean a scam though. I bought my 49 entirely through text. Never talked to the guy on the phone and drove almost 3 hours to get it.

 

Scam.

 

If you have to ask, yeah, it's a scam.

 

Yeah, sure. Like getting a CarFax report on a 1952 car? You bet!

 

I have my OT 86 Corvette on CL right now, got a similar email Sunday wanting me to get a vin report. They even put a link in the email, supposedly to a cheap vin reporting site. I just deleted it, if they want a vin report they need to come look at it first then we can go in the house and do a carfax if they want it. No telling what kind of trojan horse or malware was in their "link".

I have bought a few vehicles off of CL that started with a email, then we got a phone number and talked. Can't blame folks for not wanting to put their number out there, especially cell phone numbers. Scammers love to clone phone numbers, I recently got a call here at home the caller ID said it was coming from my number! As soon as I got a human, the foreign bastage got an earful of choice words about him and camels and sheep if you know what I mean!

 

I get this all the time
Is it still for sale all the time

I say sure, it is still for sale.
I,ll send a map to the house, if you still want to look at it.
You will be able to recognize the house, if my son is here the Police car in the driveway is his.
He may even take you for a ride around down town Daytona Beach.

 

Here's how the scam works...

 

When they are obviously scammers, like the ones asking for money from you, so they can then send you the money plus a little extra for your time, I tell them I am a fraud detective with the local PD.....it's always the last I hear of them...

 

That was interesting, Thanks!

 

I just got the same reply from a OT ad I have on CL.

 

Yup. Happened to my bro too. He tried to get the person to understand that you can't get a carfax for a '51 Ford, but they just kept insisting they'd buy it as soon as he got it. He finally got pissed & told them they were stupid. We didn't know it was a scam though. Good info.

 

Thanks choffman41, all that correspondence for a commission off of a $10 sale. I guess it adds up if you do it enough, frigin dirt bags.
What really pisses me off is the scammers that prey on senior citizens.

 

I only deal with local Craigslist people who actually call on the phone so i can get an idea of their persona. I assume all emailers are scammers and use a fake email address for those. And no texts.

 

Texted me again at 4:25 AM

is that doable ?

Fortunately it didn't wake me up.

 

I don't put mu number on Craigslist EVER. The best way of dealing with it, in my experience, is to deal through the CL email relay and demand THEIR number first, in the ad, before you will respond. Most scammers don't want you calling them and won't bother with the ad.

The ones that do are easy to get rid of and they don't have your number, email address, name, physical address, or a way to get any of that info.

 

I look at selling things like this, three kinds of people will be interested in your item:
There will be people that know about what you are selling and will ask the appropriate questions in an appropriate way.
There will be people that know nothing about what you are selling but actually do want it. They will ask a ton of the wrong questions, but will actually ask questions and will cooperate with you.
Then there are the scammers that will seem quick to buy your item with no real questions and will try to control the transaction.
Oh yeah, then there are always the flood of bottom feeders the just want to know what the lowest price you will take is.
I always try to do all my transactions in person and prefer cash but a Postal Money Order is the only other method I take. I've even had a guy in Canada send me a US postal money order. I actually felt bad for the guy because the shipping charge was 3 times the price of the item itself, but he wanted it.