How to Answer Personal Ads on Craigslist

Answer ads on Craigslist with some degree of caution. I've compiled these tips with respect to answering personal ads on www.craigslist.org based on experiences of close friends.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Be leery of ads that utilize portfolio-type photos of people who look like professional models at work. Instead, answer ads that utilize realistic, not posed, pictures of people. Model-type photos are often copied and pasted to lure people to that ad. The person posting the ad may reveal their 'true' identity later or send you spam for certain services.
2. Be cautious in giving out any personal information (phone or address) until you've established trust with the person you are corresponding with. If you can set up a separate e-mail address just for responding to ads on Craigslist in case you attract an e-mail stalker.
3. Ask for a recent photo. Sometimes, people respond with an out-dated photo or one in which its hard for you to see them clearly (i.e. wearing a hat, dark glasses, long coat, or they are standing in the dark). Ask yourself does this look like the kind of person that I want to meet?
4. Never ever meet someone (in public of course) without seeing a good, clear photo first. Oftimes, how they describe themselves and reality are two totally different truths.