How to Complain on Craigslist

Some scammers use Craigslist to collect personal information.

Anyone can buy or sell almost anything on Craigslist, and given this relative freedom of commercial expression, it is inevitable that inappropriate ads will occasionally make an appearance. You can report a post to Craigslist administrators if the post is a scam, is harassing in nature or advertises an illegal product or service. There are two methods for complaining about a Craigslist ad: you can "flag" the ad as inappropriate and you can send an abuse report message to the administrators.

Instructions

1. Open your Web browser and navigate to the offending Craigslist post.

2. Click the link under the "please flag with care" heading that corresponds to the nature of your complaint. You can specify that the post is miscategorized, the post advertises an illegal or prohibited service or the post is spam.

3. Open a new tab and paste the following URL to the address bar: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/cgi-bin/emailForm.cgi.

4. Click the radio button next to "report spam or scam" or "harassment/flagging," depending on the nature of your complaint.

5. Type your name and email address in the appropriate fields. Select your location from the drop-down menu.

6. Describe the nature of your complaint in the "describe the issue" field. Include the post's PostingID number for reference.

7. Click "Send Email Message" to send your complaint to Craigslist administrators.

References

• Craigslist: FAQ
• Craigslist: Flags
• Craigslist: Contact Us