Update. Craigslist has a page devoted to avoiding scams and fraud. Good information!
Original post continues below.
I’m trying to sell a few items by Craigslist. I received the following e-mail this morning:
Hello
Thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant purchase,so pls do withdraw the advert from Craigslist,i don’t mind adding an extra $50 dolls for you to take the advert down from criagslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item. I will also like you to know that i will be paying via check,and it will be over night payment due to the distance .You don’t need to bother your self with the shipment ok,i will take care of that.So i will need you to provide me with the following information
to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address be it residential or postal address
3.Your phone number.
Once again ,I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for
shipping
i will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check
Have a nice day
Being the helpful guy I am, I suggested he send the check to his mover who could deposit it and bring cash to me. He’d save $50! ;-)
Wanna bet I don’t hear from this guy again?
56 responses to “Craigslist Scam E-mail”
Hello,
Thank for the prompt response to my mail,as the item is still
available I will instruct my secretary to process a draft to cover
the cost of my purchase as am completely satisfied with the advert.I
will need the details of whom & where to mail the draft.It will be
delivered by the United Parcel Service within 2-3 days.Please note
‘United Parcel Service’ do not deliver to P.O.Box addresses.
1.Name to be on the check
2.Home address
3.Mobile #
Kindly delete the posting as am totally committed to buying from you
to save me cost,my mover will be coming over for the pick up right
only after the payment as been delivered and i want you to understand
that,i love to call but am a deaf and only uses a hearing-in paired
phone the relay so please send me an email you leave a message on my
voice mail 9518927142 it will be delivered as an email to me as well,thank you.
Regards,
Bill Wright [bllwright6@gmail.com]
Man, you can’t trust anyone nowadays.
What about SELLER BEWARE?
Same here, on a motorcycle we are listing. Paul Ashbaugh with the gmail address of mytime0000@gmail.com wrote:
Hi
Thanks for the respond, I’m cool with your final price .. let me know if you will accept payment with Check as this is the only way i can make the payment because i am located in Columbia, S.C .. I don’t mind offering you an extra $50 for holding the item for me.
I would have loved to come take a look at it though but i will not be able to do so due to the distance and my work Schedule but i’ll really appreciate a picture from you if you have that. You may reply with your name and contact address also your phone number where you will like to receive the payment. And concerning the shipment i will handle all the shipping expenses myself. I shall look forward to hearing from you soon.
Here are some of the details I will need for final assurance of the payment to you.
(1) Full Name
(2) Mailing address, no p.o.box please
(3) your direct telephone number
Hear from you soon . God Bless
Thanks.
Regards
Paul
—–Inline Attachment Follows—–
Hello,
How are you doing? I want you to understand that the deal is on as my secretary has posted the payment already.
She included the mover’s money with your cheque. So, instead of the actual amount of $950, she made out the check for $3,800. This was due to accumulated unpaid
transactions undertaken by the mover in the past weeks and he said he can’t come and pick this up if I don’t pay him all together.
So once you have the cheque, please cash it and deduct the money for your goods plus $50 for your run around expenses.The excess fund should please be sent to my mover via western union so that he can come for the pick up immediately.
**Please email at once to let me know that I can trust to have the excess funds sent to
my mover**.
Thanks and I’m waiting to hear from you as soon as possible.
This is where I’m stopping. If he sends the check I should??
Albert, don’t you dare send this scammer any money. His check is bad and will bounce. You’ll be out what you’re selling and the “excess” money you refunded.
If this was on the up and up, the mover could deposit the check in his account and withdraw sufficient cash to pay you. Everyone wins: you get your cash, they get what you’re selling, and the buyer doesn’t have to worry about “run around expenses” caused by his confused secretary.
Oh, that’s right. You’re not supposed to win. You’re supposed to get screwed, and you will, if you do business with this person.
chrismarcus11@gmail.com sent me the same messager as everyone else’s.
Now I assume there really is no mover, and that the scam consists of me sending him the difference, which he will cash in some other country, like Nigeria.
If there is a mover, I would be glad to call the police and have them greet the mover if he/she is willing to show up. Does anyone know? Is there a mover or not?
Thats kinda sucky if they incorporated a mover into this scam too, where they take your item, and then a couple of grand as well.
Got a scammer email today.
Please share it @ your blog.
From chris marcus Mon Aug 25 12:15:59 2008
Return-Path:
Authentication-Results: mta223.mail.re3.yahoo.com from=gmail.com; domainkeys=pass (ok)
Received: from 209.85.217.29 (EHLO mail-gx0-f29.google.com) (209.85.217.29) Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:16:15 -0700
—–Inline Attachment Follows—–
Hello,
Thanks for the prompt response and i will like you to withdraw the advert from Craigslist,i dont mind adding an extra $20dolls for you to take the advert down from criagslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.I dont have time to come take a look. I will be paying via cashier’s check.
However,shipping and other expenses involved would be our responsibility..So i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address be it residential or postal address
3.Your phonenumber.
i will have my mover come over as soon as you have the check
Have a great day .
Chris
Hello,
This is to notify you that your payment has been issued out and you will have it tomorrow,but there was a slight error i guess we can handle with care which do occur, instead of the actual amount for the item,my secretary made out the check for $2000 she claim that was what i requested but she didn’t get that straight.
So once you have the check please cash it at your bank and deduct the money for your goods plus $20 for taking down the advert.
The excess fund should please be sent to my mover via western union money transfer,this fund will be use in offsetting the cost of the shipment he as undertaken for me recently.
My movers information to send the excess funds will be provided as soon as you have the payment cashed.
Thanks for understanding
I BELIEVE I CAN TRUST YOU IN TAKING CARE OF THIS
Have a great day
Chris
Thank you everyone for posting this, I was close to accepting this and something told me to check out his phone number. When I did, your blog popped up. This guy corrosponds as well:
HI,I am still interested on the ps3 game.as long as the ps3 game is in good condition i will pay the amount of the money.i will love it shipped to my daughter through USPS POSTAL SERVICE.This is a little suprise i want to make to her.she works with States Embassy(America Embassy)in Nigeria. You can reach me on the phone no below +447045718969.I have only two ways i can pay in the money and that is paypal or Merchant Express Money order.The shipping charge i will have that included.After payment is confirmed you can then ship it.Hope i can trust you.Hope to hear from you.
From: ME
To: dicky2k@live.com
Subject: Re: Playstation 3 PS3 40 GB with 2 controllers and GTA IV – $375 (Zimmerman, MN)
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2008 10:29:40 -0500
$375
From: dick ryang
Sent: Saturday, September 06, 2008 10:10 PM
To: sale-830753483@craigslist.org
Subject: Playstation 3 PS3 40 GB with 2 controllers and GTA IV – $375 (Zimmerman, MN)
** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY — AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: https://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
Hi,
kindly get back to me with your firm price.
Thanks and have a nice day.
yes! thank you indeed! just got this from george.cartney1@gmail.com:
“Hello,
Thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant purchase,so please,i would like you to withdraw the advert from Craigslist, i dont mind adding an extra $50.00 for you to take the advert down from craigslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item. I will also like you to know that i will be paying via check,and it will be over night payment due to the distance. You dont need to bother yourself with the shipment ok, i will do take care of that. So i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.Your full name,Your mailing address be it residential or postal address and Your phone number.
Once again, I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for shipping…i will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check. Thanks
Cartney.”
He’s still at it I received a similar response, to an ad I posted on Saturday, this morning – 9/8/08.
Here’s a new sping from: marcus.philips1@hotmail.com
Hello
Thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant purchase,so please do withdraw the advert from craigslist,i don’t mind adding an extra $50 for you to take the advert down from the web site so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.I would have loved to come take a look my self but my son is going for kidney transplant in few days and i have to do all the
running around as my wife is so scared,i am sure you understand. I will also like you to know that i will be paying via a check,and it will be over night payment due to the distance .You don’t need to bother your self with the shipment ,i will take care
of that.So i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address be it residential or postal address
3.Your phone #.
**Once again ,I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for
shipping i will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check**
Have a nice day
I got one of these the other day…stupidly, I already gave them my address and other info (as this is pertinent info for someone who’d have to come to my home to buy something), I didn’t realize the scam element until they asked me to send the (enormous) difference in their overpayment to their “daughter.” My question is, what do I do if and when I get this check? I told them the deal was off after the daughter email, but it sounds like it’s been sent already. Do I just ignore it, or send it back to them, or what? I really just want to wash my hands of this whole thing.
EMM, if you get a check, call the cops or the district attorney’s office and ask them what they’d like you to do. Or go to the bank the check is drawn on and show it to them. They might have a fraud department that would be interested in pursuing it.
One more example of a scam:
Jacqueline schroeder to me
show details 6:30 PM (45 minutes ago)
Reply
Thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant purchase,so please do withdraw the advert from Craigslist. I don’t mind adding an extra $50 dollars for you to take the advert down from criagslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.
I will also like you to know that i will be paying via check,and it will be an over night payment due to the distance .You don’t need to bother your self with the shipment ok,I will take care of that. So I will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1.Your full name.
2.Your contact address.
3.Your phone number.
**Once again ,I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for shipping.
I will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check**
Do Have a nice day,
My Warmest Regard
Boy, they are coming out of the !&@$!@&^!#@! woodwork.
Here is another scammer with the same pitch:
Jim T .Edward to me
show details Sep 4 (5 days ago)
Reply
Hello… I really appreciate your response to my mail.I want you to
consider it sold, pls do withdraw the advert from craigslist to avoid
disturbance.I want you to know that i will be paying via bank
certified check .I will need you to provide me with the
following.information to facilitate the mailing of the check .
1…..Full name to write on the check
2…..Full Physical address to post the check
3…..Home & Cell Phone to contact you
**I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for
shipping i will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the
check** Thanks
I cannot believe I fell into the obvious trap, as this was my first time dealing with sales online. I am worried as I have also sent my personal information to the spammer, what can happen now? I will turn in the check to the police or the institution that the IC3 recommends.
Here is the email which is almost identical to all the other ones!
Hello,
Thanks for the prompt response and i will like you to withdraw the advert from Craigslist,i don’t mind adding an extra $20dolls for you to take the advert down from craigslist so that i can be rest assured that am in hand of the item.I don’t have time to come take a look. I will be paying via cashier’s check,and it will be over night payment .You don’t need to bother your self with the shipment Ok,i will take care of that.So i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check.
1.Your full name
2.Your mailing address be it residential or postal address
3.Your phone number.
i will have my mover come over as soon as you have the check
Have a great day
Hello,
This is to notify you that your payment has been issued out and you will have it tomorrow,but there was a slight error i guess we can handle with care which do occur, instead of the actual amount for the item,my secretary made out the check for $1000 she claim that was what i requested but she didn’t get that straight.
So once you have the check please cash it at your bank and deduct the money for your goods plus $20 for taking down the advert.
The excess fund should please be sent to my mover via western union money transfer,this fund will be use in offsetting the cost of the shipment he as undertaken for me recently.
My movers information to send the excess funds will be provided as soon as you have the payment cashed.
Thanks for understanding
I BELIEVE I CAN TRUST YOU IN TAKING CARE OF THIS
Chris
Two people email me today. benparson333@gmail.com and searsfurniturelimited005@gmail.com. I already noticed that it was scam, because of the font they used. They usually used a grey font. Because before I had an email from jacquelineschroeder800@gmail.com and she said that she was going to send me a check and wanted my name and address. And she told me that she will have her movers pick the item. Seems odd for me so I email her back and told her that I dont negotiate through email. I told her if she really interested in purchasing the item she needs to call me or stop by herself otherwise I will not be selling the item.
I got the same thing TWICE. One from Paul Ashbaugh, and another from “Sharon Walter”. My father is a retired police officer and he thinks it sounds like a way of money laundering.
Thank you so much for this great information! Because of you, it saved me from losing out on several thousand dollars from selling a car. But like some other people–I am worried because I
–was an idiot and gave out my address before I saw the posts and
–am worried that there is actually a mover!
Is there a mover? I don’t want someone showing up! What should I do now as I wait to see if he sends me anything? Any advice please.
I was scammed 2 weeks ago off of craigslist. “Paul Ashbaugh” . took me for $1496.00 2 money orders that were fake but, looked real. The email stated they will pay for shipping and the $250.00 I had for rims and tires. They were out of state but, said they would pay for the shipping. I thought great, but, he emailed and said he sent the wrong amount for me and sent another person my amount for another deal and got them crossed. He asked if could I run it through my bank and send him the remainder which was $1100.00 for overpayment.I then sent the money back quickley and 10 days later it came back as fraud money orders through my bank. I will contact the police, news and FBI and not because of me so much but, because of the thousands of other people these “evil souled disciples of satan” lives they have ruined. I have traced his IP Address to 69.65.110.165 of Defender Technologies which hides the crimminals IP Addresses and only a court order might release the rest of the info.
thanks for this post, chris marcus is the third person to try and scam me for my item i’m selling. the first guy was Jerry Collins, who did send me a check and i sent it onto the cops.
there should be some kind of site that has all the names of people, these are the ones i got so far:
Jerry Collins
sydney hall
chris marcus
Edward gorandi
and just got an email from a robert micheal, who i believe is a scam being that its a gmail address and he didn’t spell michael the right way.
just thought everyone whose reading this can look out for those names
I received the same response to an item I am selling on Craigslist. I did a search on the email he sent me and I ended up on this page. Here is the email that I received from the potential buyer.
Hello
Thanks for the prompt response and i will love to make an instant purchase,so
please do withdraw the advert from craigslist,i don’t mind adding an extra $50
for you to take the advert down from the web site so that i can be rest
assured that am in hand of the item.I would have loved to come take a look my
self but my son is going for kidney transplant in few days and i have to do all the running around as my wife is so scared,i am sure you understand. I will also like you to know that i will be paying via a check,and it will be over night payment due to the distance .You don’t need to bother your self with the shipment ,i will take care of that.So i will need you to provide me with the following information to facilitate the mailing of the check .Your full name
2.Your mailing address be it residential or postal address
3.Your phone #.
**Once again ,I will like you to know that you will not be responsible for
shipping i will have my mover come over as soon as you have cashed the check**
Have a nice day
Reginald.
After finding this site I’m am not going to be selling him my item!!
If anyone gets contacted by STEVEWALTER111@GMAIL.COM do not get scammed.