Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Craigslist Ripoffs

I am selling my Nikon D70S on Craigslist, asking $475 for the camera and a Sigma lens. Almost immediately I got two people offering more than I was asking if I would ship it overseas:

Here is the first,

I actually need this shipped to my niece "Ilori" abroad I would have picked it up but i do normally have a mad shift at work because i am seriously busy at work during the season. I will pay $600 CAD including the shipping charges to the Destination.... Kindly get back with your PayPal Email address for the payment so i can pay you via my PayPal account and you do the shipping on my behalf....to make the whole transaction easier for us if you dont have Paypal account you can log onto www.paypal.com and get your account in less than few minutes as this is the best option for me.......
Kindly get back ASAP,,,,


And,

I'll like to buy your item and pay you with cash through my PayPal account.. Currently I'm out of the State and won't be available for pick up. moreover, I'm buying this item for my company agent located oversea as a gift, i`ll add the sum of $150.00 to the amount to cover the shipping expenses to him through (USPS) Global Express mail International 8-10 days business. i want you to send to me your PayPal account id, so that immediate payment can be done, and if you are new to PayPal, you can easily log on to
http://www.paypal.com/us and set up an account with them with either your Bank account Information or your Credit/Debit Card details and its simple and easier, just in few secs; you get your account activated. PayPal is very secure and reliable.. anticipate a favorable response from you.

So what happens if I bite at these generous offers and send him my Paypal account information? In a few days I get an email from Paypal telling me the money has been deposited into my account. I send the camera overseas and then try to use the money held in my Paypal account only to find out it is not there. The email I got from Paypal is a fake and there never was any money deposited. I am out the camera and about $50 shipping costs.

A variation on this scam is where they offer to mail me a bank draft for more than I am asking. I get the bank draft and deposit it. The money goes into my account so I send the camera. A week or so later the bank tells me the bank draft was counterfeit and they take the money back from my account.

Always remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A good indicator is that they do not ask any information about the item and it is usually being purchased for someone else, usually overseas. They also typically offer more than you are asking if you would be so kind as to ship it for them.

Be careful, it's dangerous out there!

1 comment:

  1. Nice post. You used one of my favorite phrases "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" - if people would only heed that they would stay out of SO MUCH trouble!

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