How to Avoid Scammers on Craigslist
As long as you keep your wits about you, Craigslist can be a great way to get items for less than they would normally cost. You can use the site to shop for almost anything, from clothing and shoes to surfboards and even cars. Unfortunately, the site is not completely safe; you may encounter scammers as you attempt to do business there. Most of these scams are fairly easy to detect once you know what you are looking for.
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Instructions
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Buy items from people who live nearby. This allows you to meet in person and make the exchange. This way, you do not have to send money and hope the person in question sends your item.
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Ask plenty of questions, especially if a deal seems too good to be true. Make sure you ask enough questions to satisfy any suspicions you might have; a genuine seller --- or buyer --- should be happy to cooperate.
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Refuse to make any deals that involve you accepting a mailed cashier's check or money order. These items can be fake. One scam involves the scammer sending you money by cashier's check and then you wiring a portion of the money back. The cashier's check later turns out to be phony.
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Do not respond to any emails that appear to come from Craigslist, but request personal information such as your credit card number, Social Security number or Craigslist password. Craigslist does not send emails unprompted. Some of these scam emails may appear to be relatively innocent and may simply ask you to follow a link to sign into your Craigslist account.
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Examine any item you wish to purchase carefully before making the payment. A scammer may try to sell you an item that is broken or does not work properly. In extreme cases, someone may even try to rent you a house or apartment that is not available and for which he is not the landlord.
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References
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