How to Avoid Craigslist Scams

Craigslist is a great website for many different reasons. Still, with all of the great features that Craigslist has, you have to be careful not to get scammed by dishonest people.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Read through the ad carefully. If it's asking you to send money without meeting face-to-face, don't do it.

2. Don't send personal information when someone asks for it. Even job offers will be too sketchy to send your resume. Send an email first and then if you feel comfortable with the answer, send your resume.

3. Don't click on the links in most ads. They will, most likely, send you to a website asking for money.

4. Check the headlines of each post. If a job ad is asking a question, you will probably be asked for money in the end.

5. Avoid duplications. If an ad is being posted more then once in the same day or even over a couple days, it probably isn't legitimate.

6. Highlight the entire ad. If there are hidden words in the ad, it's a bad sign.

Tips & Warnings

• Flag any post that seems like a scam to you. Craigslist will check it out and take the proper action to stop it.

[jomalim]

on 1/18/2009 Read my experience on how we got tricked renting an apartment on Craigslist! Don't let this happen to u.

http://jomalim.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/warning-misleading-apartment-rental-ads-in-union-city-new-jersey-new-york/

[Alisiane]

on 10/17/2008 An important part of dealing on Craigslist is to set up an email address specifically for your dealings on the site. The site is where a lot of those loser Nigerian and other foreign scammers go to get email addresses, and once they have yours they will pass it on to their loser friends and inundate your inbox with their lame scams.