http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LsramaJXdU
In this week’s video, Kevan discusses how to sell on Craigslist and the dangers you need to avoid. There are fake buyers on Craigslist that try to exploit Craiglist and PayPal to get your money. Kevan walks us through the process of how these cons could go down and the red flags to watch out for such as buyers who say they’re stuck in Nigeria or ones that request private information such as your address and PayPal email. He also alerts us that some fake buyers even send you fake PayPal emails that say you’ve been paid. Kevan wraps things up with safety tips to keep in mind while using Craigslist to buy and sell used possessions.
It may be old fashioned, but it’s still effective.
Hardly anyone would argue the fact that most people are always looking to make some quick cash these days. Before the days of the Internet, getting rid of your old possessions often entailed putting up signs all around your neighborhood to promote a yard sale. Oh how times have changed. Now we turn to sites like Craigslist.
All anyone really needs these days are a computer and some type of digital camera to upload pictures. With a few clicks of a mouse and finger taps on a keyboard, you can post whatever you want to sell and even have a buyer or two within hours. However, sometimes these potential buyers are a bit too eager and expedient. Why is this a bad thing?
Because some of them are out to get you.
Whereas before, defrauders would usually pose as sellers trying to con people into paying for fake or non-existent items, the ruse has now spread to the opposite end of the spectrum. After posting something for sale on Craigslist, you may very well encounter someone who is posing as a possible buyer.
Yes, they do take it this far.
The individual will douse you with an elaborate story of how much they’re interested, why they can’t meet you in person and how they’d love to pay you immediately without even seeing the item but need some pieces of information that are rather private such as your full name, address and PayPal email. Some even construct fake PayPal payment confirmation emails!
To keep you safe from these bad seeds, here’s the list of tips mentioned in this week’s video:
Tip 1: Craigslist is meant for LOCAL sales
Be on high alert when a buyer or seller says that they can’t meet you in person. Buying and selling on Craigslist is meant to be done with local people in your area, not those who are supposedly stuck in Nigeria or on military leave.
Tip 2: Verify buyers on a third-party website like ebay
Be proactive and ask the buyer if they have an eBay account. Ebay has a great verification system that will give you a better idea of the kind of person you are dealing with.
Tip 3: Be wary of fake checks and money orders
Cash is not always better than PayPal. You have to be aware and careful of people who might try to use counterfeit bills when paying you.
Tip 4: Treat buyers like the strangers they are
Anyone you meet on Craigslist is a stranger so make sure you treat them that way. Do not give them any kind of private information. The only exception may be your phone number, which might be needed to coordinate the actual transaction. Pick a safe and public location to meet. Don’t ever agree to meet at your home or theirs. It also doesn’t hurt to bring a friend for added assurance.
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See Also
Don’t Get Scammed on Craigslist: 3 New Anti-Fraud Safety Tips
10 Tips to Avoid Being Scammed on Craigslist
How to Avoid Fake Jobs on Craigslist, LinkedIn, and Careerbuilder
[…] RESEARCH THE BUYER/SELLER. Use both Scambook and Google to search someone by their name, email, or business name. Make sure their identity is not an alias and that this person comes up clean. More tips for safely selling on Craiglist. […]
[…] RESEARCH THE BUYER/SELLER. Use both Scambook and Google to search someone by their name, email, or business name. Make sure their identity is not an alias and that this person comes up clean. More tips for safely selling on Craiglist. […]
Definitely don’t accept checks or money orders when selling on craigslist. Cash is always the best option. Even if you use Paypal, the buyer could dispute the transaction a week later and you will not have a tracking number or anything to give Paypal. They can get their money back through Paypal, plus you are out the item.
Great article. People need to take every precaution possible in order to ensure a safe transaction through Craigslist. A new website has recently launched (www.listverified.com) that allows Users to receive basic personal information about the other individual that they are dealing with prior to a face-to-face meeting. This process can be requested in return by the other party, thus creating a “Virtual Handshake” prior to completing the transaction. This allows both people to confirm the personal information that they have given each other already.
Information is power, so the more that you know about another person, the less likely you are to encounter a scam. The website also offers scam prevention tips and recent news articles to help keep communities safe.
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