CL too good to be true?

Well, here's proof positive...its a scam. I was just cruising CL...and looky what popped up for $15k, local phone #. Dunno why it got flagged 3 hours after being posted

 

craigslist is a waste of time i prefer facebook marketplace less scams but more dummy's.

 

I actually joined Facebook just for the marketplace. It's say that burn Facebook marketplace and cl both have their issues. Less scams, but more dummy's is right. Once you weed out the scams on CL, there's really no difference.

 

Never used fb marketplace. But I can see it being a better place to do business simply due to the fact that it's on the largest open forum in the world. Negative experiences would become known immediately

 

Yes, there's that, but there's so many listers that don't have any rep. So it's really the same, IME.

 

How are these scam listings used for gain to the scammer and/or dangerous to you?
I am not a big computer user (other than a few forums) and will not have a smart phone so I know I am naive on these matters.

 

I'd like to know this too. Only thing I can think is usually the scam ads ask you to call instead of using the anonymous email through the CL server, so they get your phone#, still don't see how that's a big deal cuz you can always block them if they won't leave you alone.

 

I think they are waiting for the 1 idiot that will give them cash without seeing the item being sold. It seems pretty improbable. I think they'd be more likely to get some lead rather than some green.

 

Yeah something like that. I called about a truck one time that ended up being a scam.
So the story went...that it belonged to this widows husband, he was killed in active duty, and he had just spent 5 billion dollars on it for aftermarket goodies 6 months before, the truck was actually in Texas (rust free, right) but once paid for (through Ebay...which was supposed to be the "guaranteed" safe part the deal)(but turns out Ebay says they never get involved in non Ebay deals) then it would be shipped to me by the US military once she told them to...she said they will pay to move their stuff up to "x" times per year when they change assignments (or the widow moves "back home" in this case...she supposedly was from Cleveland)
This was the first time I dealt with this, but it didn't take to long to figure out it was a bogus deal...it was really funny when she got offended when I called her a scammer

 

Of the one's I see it seems to be a John Deere smaller tractor with loader and backhoe with a Gmail email in the picture. Once in a while it will be a skid loader. Just guessing for the one or two tards that will send (give) them the money. Blows my mind when someone will be one the news after getting taken. "USE YOUR BRAINS PEOPLE."

 

Yep, have run across a couple like that. Another clue was could only communicate by text. Said I had cash & could meet that day. Well the item actually wasn't local etc. etc. Fine, I'll drive to see it, give me address & time to meet. We'll ship as soon as it's paid she says, hahaha yeah right. I'll pay as soon as I see it. I offered to send a personal check for 1% of the price if she could provide me with a clear title for the item. She finally said I was too difficult to deal with & should learn to trust people more. That was a classic.

 

Too difficult to deal with and that you should learn to trust people more?

How about if you told her that the only thing you'd trust if you gave her the $$ first is that you'd never see the item or your $$.

 

Yep, LOL I may have been born in the dark, but it wasn't last night.