Has Any One Got a Request like This from "Craigs List"

Updated on August 10, 2007
M.S. asks from Chicago, IL
21 answers

i posted my car on craigs list.

i got a few responses and two have followed up with the same/similer eamils.

that they want to buy the car and will send a person to pick up the car. But b/4 that he would send me a money order for 5k more then what i am asking for the car and its for me to take my portion and the 5k extra is for me to give to his shipper??? then he goes on to ask for my address and name to "send" the money order?????????

It just sounds to funny to me...and i have asked both to call me.......how can anyone buy something like a car and not come to look at it or talk to the person that is selling it??????
any other suggestion on where i can post my jeep for sale???

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So What Happened?

thanks for all your responses......
i had emailed them both to call me (To a prepaid phone) and just let them know that i didn't get there responses........And low and behold haven't heard from them since.........

It sounded very stupid from the 1st email i got from them.........who buys a care with out talking to the seller.......even if your from out of town..............

Thanks again.......Just shows how much we should all be aware of...........

Featured Answers

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C.K.

answers from Chicago on

Oh...don't touch it...I've heard of these type of scams. Why don't you try Carmax? See what they'll give you. At least it's safe. Do you belong to any Moms groups...NPN or a meetup group where you might be able to post it. Like the others autotrader is good too. I found my car on there but it was through a dealer in the end.

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

That sounds pretty fishy! I would NOT do it. The money order could be fake. Seriously it sounds like something that I have seen on 20/20, an episode on fraud. I have not had experience with it but it sounds a little weird.

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A.B.

answers from Chicago on

craigs list is very good, but there are scammers out there...I would totally stay away from this deal!!

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J.C.

answers from Chicago on

That's very creepy. Don't provide them with any of your personal info. I've heard that Carmax is pretty reliable and I know of people that have had good luck with cars.com (buying not selling).

Anyhow, what kind of Jeep do you have. I think my brother is looking for a car for his 16 yr old son that will soon have his license. I also have another 21 yr old nephew that has been searching for a car. He loves jeeps but I think his friends may be talking him into a sportier car. I too have been looking for a good reliable used car for my daughter and me but unfortunately don't have the $$ right now. Could I maybe get more info on your Jeep. I am not a creepy person and I would just want to know basic info on the car =)
I can't believe the kind of people that are out there.

Good luck on whatever route you take with this!

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S.

answers from Chicago on

M.,

This is definitely a scam. I sell a lot on ebay and have a website business and I get these all the time. Never take an offer that says they will send you a money order for more then the item and have you send them money back or send someone else to handle the transaction or use the money to pay for shipping. The money orders are fake and by the time your bank figures this out, you've lost you car. When you post ads anywhere on the internet, you will, unfortunately, get these demented people trying to steal/scam from you and unsuspecting people fall for it all the time. Try Auto Trader.com. There legitimate but you will still get this type of scammers so BEWARE. Hope this helps.

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M.E.

answers from Chicago on

I agree with everyone else ... beware! We sold our car recently to Carmax. While the dealer offer $2,700 as a trade it, Carmax gave us $5,000. Good luck!

N.M.

answers from Chicago on

THAT IS A TOTAL SCAM, saw it on oprah, heard about it, DO NOT RESPOND, what you can do tho is try to find how to email the moderator of your local craigslist (if there is such a person) and tell them about this. C-list also has info on the "phishers" and "spammers" and "scammers", and this is definitely one of them. I swear i get so aggravated that anyone even tries to do this, and anyone who does fall for it deserves it for not doing any research. Or i guess they are just too trusting, that's not so bad, but it does leave them open to this sort of thing. ANYWay, you will get great results w/ AutoTrader, it does cost a little to post your car, but we got such good results w/ them, sold our toyota celica within 2 weeks :) I don't know of any free sites that will give you the same results. :) good luck hon.

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L.M.

answers from Chicago on

Hello M.,

A few years ago I sold a car on cars.com. It's scary doing this type of thing especially when people want to come see it and then test drive it. You of course can't let them go alone, so you have to go along. One ride was a little nerve racking for me. An older man came with his wife and drove like a maniac. It's uneasy giving people your address as well. If you can, when you find the right interest, meet them somewhere (I.e. gas station) if you can have someone else with you...even better. The car I sold sold for $15k. Not small change...of course they were nervous with me taking their money and running, but I was nervous giving them my car and title and money being bad. So, what we did was:

*put together a bill of sale (you can download them from the web)
*I asked for a cashier's check, but was not going to sign over the title until it cleared
*they were still nervous and were able to give me cash...even better

It's a trust thing. If you do not feel right...do not do it.

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S.C.

answers from Chicago on

Hi

I had a similar response for a computer that I posted on craigslist.I responded by saying that I accept cash only.Never heard from that person again.
www.cars.com is a good place to list your car.I have sold my two cars that way.There is a $30.00 charge for listing.

Goodluck...........

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C.W.

answers from Chicago on

sounds like a scam and i bet when you get the money order that it is not real i have seen this happen to alot of people becareful. and good luck

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M.

answers from Chicago on

This is a scam. Everytime I post anything on Craigs List or in The Chicago Reader I receive emails like this and a few that are exactly the same. They will say they live far away and need to have the product shipped and they will reimburse and always ask for your personal info, ie. your address or contact info. Do not respond to them with any information.

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N.D.

answers from Chicago on

THis is a scam. I just read about this in Consumer Reports and DO NOT RESPOND to this person. He will take your money and run. Next time you get a message like that, don't even respond to it. Delete it ASAP.

Other types of scams are when a person who says he's calling from your credit card company or bank. THis person calls you, sound very officious and real, saying someone has charged a lot of money to your card and they want to correct the fraud. They then verify your credit card (they already have the number), and then they say they need to verify the THREE DIGITS ON THE BACK OF YOUR CREDIT CARD. NEVER NEVER NEVER give this out. The thieves need the three digits in order to use your card. The next thing you know, you will get a charge on your card for a huge purchase.

No bank or credit card company should EVER have to 'verify' your account numbers. They should have it on their file.

If someone calls from your bank or credit card company, say you will call them back. Then look up the number from an independent source, and call the company back yourself.

Other places to sell your car: another mom posted a similar question on 8/8/7 and got many responses.

Other scams I've read about is the "nigerian" scam, where you get an email asking to wire some money over so that 'sick' person can come to USA.

It's good this incident made you suspicious. GOod luck!

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K.

answers from Chicago on

Sounds fishy to me too. You have no obligation to sell to any particular buyer when on craigslist. I suggest you nix this one. The scam warnings all mention to DEAL LOCALLY in order to avoid scams.

I just bought a car off craigslist last week. I went up, checked out the car, called her back later that day with a counter offer which she accepted. I picked up the car and paid in *CASH* the next day. IMHO, this is how it should be done. (Or cashiers check if it's too much to buy in cash, I guess).

MEET THE BUYER IN PERSON. If you can't, drop them. I think craigslist is a great place to buy/sell cars, btw. You can also post in cars.com if you want.

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E.B.

answers from Chicago on

I agree - posting your car on a site like autotrader.com is much more legitimate. Our car sold in about a week when we posted it. It's much easier to deal with!

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A.

answers from Chicago on

thats a scam!!! be very careful... there are a lot of such scams on craigslist and people will warn you(on craigslist) to be wary. dont bother communicating with people like that. if someone wants to buy something from you... they will come and see it - get cash or a check!!

good luck.
Aarti

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J.D.

answers from Chicago on

M.,
This sounds "fishy" to me, and I would not get involved with either of these people. They may be trying to scam you or worse. Trust your gut - this is not the one.
Good Luck, and make sure to do all business in public and preferably not alone.
Jean

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C.M.

answers from Chicago on

Hi M.,

It's a scam...happens all the time. I think craigslist actually has a discalimer as to how to recognize scams. Everytime we have sold something on craiglsit we have gotten similar emails. But, I still think craigslist is a good tool so don't be afraid to use it. Just remember, if something sounds a little wierd, trust your gut and ignore the email. Good luck!

C.

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V.

answers from Chicago on

Do not take their offer; as one of the previous moms responded this is a SCAM where you end up cashing a fake money order. If you do that you will be responsible for paying back the money you cashed ... good thing that you asked before taking any action :o)
Good Luck!

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J.

answers from Chicago on

Yup I got the same email from someone about an 8 in 1 I posted. I simply told him that I listed it on craigslist because I didn't want to bother with the shipping if I wanted to ship it I would have done it on Ebay instead.

Stay away from him it's a scam they are just like those crazy ones from those other countries that tell you they need you to cash a check from them and they will give you X amount of money if you help them transfer it out of their country then next thing you know ALL your money is gone.

Good luck with the selling I have become addicted to Craigslist and just with selling some toys and outside stuff I have already made $700 in the last 6 weeks :)

J.

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J.A.

answers from Chicago on

This sounds a lot like a scam that's been on the news, etc. lately. I think what they do is send you a fake money order, have you deposit it, and hope that you immediately take out the extra $5K to send to them. Days later, the bank discovers the money order is fake, and you are out the $5K you sent to the "buyer", plus, potentially, your car!

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B.S.

answers from Chicago on

try http://www.autotrader.com/
I sold my car through here a few years ago and it was a very legit, clean, no-hassle deal. your car will be advertised on-line and in their print publication. my car sold within a month. good luck!

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