No matter what stage of moving out on your own you’re at, you’re probably using Craigslist: finding a job, finding an apartment, finding furniture for your apartment, selling your junk to pay for food… all can be done with the awesome power of the ‘list! Not to alarm you or anything, but there are SCAMMERS on Craigslist, and they want your money! Or your stuff (for free)! Or your identity!
Not everyone on Craigslist is a scammer — in fact, most people aren’t. You can continue to use the ‘list for all of your classified needs, safely, if you just pay attention to these simple tips:
- An offer that’s too good to be true… is. Look, if someone had the awesomest job ever that you can do from home and earn $75,000 per year… why would they be posting it on Craigslist? That’s not to say legitimate jobs aren’t posted on Craigslist, but awesome, well-paying, AND totally easy jobs aren’t. If a job is really that good and pays that well, they wouldn’t need to put up 10 ads a day about it.
- Don’t pay up front for anything. Yes, you’re searching Craigslist to do some sort of legitimate transaction, but don’t fork over money up front. There are several scams that rely on you giving over your money and then getting nothing for it. For example, you shouldn’t have to pay for a credit check before you even see an apartment. And for a job listing, you shouldn’t have to pay anything at all.
- Beware strange forms of payment. Can you mail this package to my son in Argentina and I’ll wire you the money? No. Can I pay you via Western Union more than I owe you, and you give me half of the extra money back? What?!? No! Can I pay you buy Canadian check (er, cheque)? Only if we’re in Canada! (Actually, you probably shouldn’t take a check at all, or pay with one, unless you’re dealing with an apartment security deposit. For everything else deal in cash, if at all possible.)
- Meet in a neutral place for small transactions. Don’t invite someone over to your house to buy an iPod from them. If they’re picking up a couch, that’s one thing, but for stuff you can carry easily, meet someplace neutral, in public, and bonus points if you can find somewhere with security cameras. Take a friend with you, especially if you have someone who is kinda tall and menacing. When I sold my iPod, I took a male friend and met the buyer in a mall food court. Oh… and meet during daylight, please!
- Keep an eye out for pictures that don’t make any sense. Fellow personal finance blogger MapGirl recently got scammed on Craigslist, and she noticed this dead giveaway for a scam: “There was one ad that shot a kitchen view in two directions, but the cabinets weren’t the same color in both pictures. (Laminate white vs wood)”
- Avoid super-vague listings. Job listings that tell you absolutely nothing about the job? No thanks. I think it’s great that you’re looking for “energetic self-starters!” and all, but I need to actually know something about the job/apartment/item before I’m going to contact you.
- Make sure there’s some form of contact information. Yes, a legitimate listing might use just the anonymized email address that Craigslist offers, but most will give some other form of contact information. Look for a phone number, real email address, or link to a (legitimate) website.
- Familiarize yourself with Craigslist’s Scam Tips and Personal Safety Tips. And report any scams you come across, before anyone else gets scammed. The details of suspected scams should be emailed to abuse@craigslist.org and if you’re sure a listing is a scam, the Craigslist Scam Tips page has information you need to contact the Federal Trade Commission (or the Canadian PhoneBusters hotline).
Remember: the majority of people on Craigslist are normal people just trying to complete a transaction. But there are a few scammers and they can be, at times, unfortunately clever. Keep a weather eye on the listings and you’ll be fine!
This article is a part of a series of posts on moving out on your own.
Wow, these are great tips to know when selling and buying things on Craig’s list. I would have never thought to meet somewhere like a mall food court!
Hey there, thanks for the link. 🙂
Despite what happened, I still love Craigslist. I just found a different rental from it and we signed the lease over the weekend. So it’s still useful, but you have to have a little bit of common sense about it.
Definitely. The boyfriend and I also used Craigslist to find apartments a few weeks ago, and did end up signing a lease because of it. I’m glad to hear your search ended well, too!
This will help with creating successful posts on CL. The more legit your looks the more legit offers it will get.
Craigslist is a great service that connects job seekers with hiring companies. With a separate employment section just for marketing, advertising, and public relations jobs, you are likely to find many great job postings. Unfortunately, you are also likely to run into scams.
Thanks for the great tips Stephanie…This will surely help lots of people to be aware of this scams in Craigslist.org.
great tip Stephanie I do posting at CL for my CPA network works this will surely help me for the future:)
Craigslist scams had gotten out of control for a while. I think when they started charging people to post ads in the job sections that helped a lot. The amount of “junk” listed in that section has greatly reduced, but sadly some still exists.
My boyfriend looks for jobs on the ‘list all the time since he’s currently unemployed. All of these tips are great to look out for! He’s had lots of scammers contact him. It is usually easy to pick out the scammer though, by such a short listing of the job available (when job hunting). Or there’s always at-home mailer businesses looking for idiots to send them money for a deposit also.
The best way to avoid scammers on Craigslist is to know what to look for. In terms of buying used products online, such as clothes, toys, movies, and books, you will find wired payments. This is usually a clear sign of a scam. Craigslist is designed to connect local buyers and sellers. Buyers typically pickup their purchases and make a cash payment. Be cautious of sellers who are dead set against this.
I just want to say that if you can earn $75,000 a month from home then why would anyone ever consider the idea of holding a job? Some of the world’s best internet entrepreneurs max out at $20k a month, but some guy putting up flyers can show you how to earn $75k? Ugh does annoy me so much!
Always meet people in person, and in public places. I’ve heard some pretty scary stories about people who’ve been mugged by people they contacted over Craigslist. Also, make sure any electronics you buy work before you complete the transaction. Absolutely essential for laptops.
Great advice, Stephanie. I’ve somehow managed to never use CraigsList before (a combination of general unease about giving out information online as well as too many bad stories with regards to CraigsList in particular). Still, it sounds like plenty of good precautions, and I thank you for sharing.
Thanks Stephanie,I am very new at Craigslist and I am looking for something interesting at there, but most of the time I am getting fake replies, this post will certainly help me for the future.
Thanks and Regards
this is a great post!! my aunt almost got scammed using craiglist a few weeks back, she posted to find a job and this people contacted her, offered to pay her in advance for the services in returned they where asking her to send them back part of the money they were going to send her, I told her the same thing you said ” if it sounds to good to be true..” she took the information and the “check” they send her to the authorities and now there is and investigation on the case.
is pretty sad that this scum are taking advantage of people like that, they usually target older people, immigrants and such because they think they are easy targets and won’t get prosecuted.
thanks for the post !!! keep informing people of this treat.
Great post! In fact, you inspired me to go out and visit the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website on moving scams at http://www.ProtectYourMove.gov.
Here are some of the tips they recommend for avoiding shady or “rogue” movers:
* The mover doesn’t offer or agree to an on-site inspection of your household goods and gives an estimate over the phone or Internet–sight-unseen. These estimates often sound too good-to-be-true. They usually are.
* The moving company demands cash or a large deposit before the move.
* The mover doesn’t provide you with a copy of “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move,” a booklet movers are required by Federal regulations to supply to their customers in the planning stages of interstate moves.
* The company’s Web site has no local address and no information about licensing or insurance.
* The mover claims all goods are covered by their insurance.
* When you call the mover, the telephone is answered with a generic “Movers” or “Moving company,” rather than the company’s name.
* Offices and warehouse are in poor condition or nonexistent.
* On moving day, a rental truck arrives rather than a company-owned and marked fleet truck.
Anyhow, that’s the official list the Department of Transportation uses. I hope it’s helpful! 🙂
I recently moved from New York to Fort Lauderdale and I found a great company by the name of Packing Service Inc or PackingServiceInc.com they came to my house on the time planned help packed all my belongings and also they were friendly and very professional, when speaking on the phone with the rep from the company they provided me with the important information i needed to prepare for my move.
I also found some helpful information on move company scams at http://www.movingscam.info
I trying to buy an Xmods remote control car from a person from Ohio, but I live in California. His (or her) ad expired and I sent that person my email about the ad. And him or her told me that they will still send me the RC. I wanted to know if this person might or might not be a scammer.
I have advertised apartments on Craigslist for almost 10 years and have never had a problem. Interestingly, I also live in San Francisco and often see Craig Newmark lounging at Cafe Reverie in Cole Valley in the morning. He always has plenty of time each day to linger over the New York Times, literally relishing each page. I find this to be totally ironic, since his service is part of what’s killing newspapers!
I agree! Be very careful of scammers. It’s very difficult to know, since scammers are getting better and better and they can really get around without giving us any bit of a hint. When moving out, it is best to contact a reputable professional moving company. Most professional movers also offer to store your belongings in their security vaults. You are sure you are in safe hands with them.
There are a handful of companies that aren’t licensed to provide moving service in Los Angeles and especially on Craigslist. Always ask for the DOT number and a copy of the moving company’s insurance policy before hiring them. If a mover is injured on your property, you may be liable.
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