Does Craigslist Need Better Regulation?

Posted by ttblogger on 02/22 at 10:04 AM Permalink
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You’re looking for new digs – and know just where to find the perfect place; you want to buy another car, and know just where to search for one. Perhaps you have a place you want to rent or a car Craigslistyou want to sell and you know just the place for advertising them – Craigslist! With their goal of keeping online classifieds local, simple and (for the most part) free, there’s no question about it; Craigslist has become quite an online phenomenon. Constantly one of the top 50 websites sites visited, this website, for one offering local ads, has attracted literally a worldwide following. However, along with this following Craigslist has attracted a very unsavory element of scammers as well. 

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    Posted by Eileen Bertie  on  02/22  at  05:44 PM

  1. I tried to sell my Lexus for three months on Craigs list, a ‘92 SC400.  First of all, I got repeatedly flagged by dealers who didn’t want the competition, then of course, the “Plase ship to New Zealand” guys, the emailed repeatedly by a guy who said he was 18 but could get affordable insurance coverage but “wanted to meet somewhere and let me drive with my buddies.”

    I was teaching a computer class at that time, and one night we were covering, how to search items on Craig’s list, and one of my newer class members, a mature woman was researching Lexus SC400’s on Craig’s list.  The next day, she came and bought my car, cash outright. 

    Listing a car on Craig’s list was very unproductive, due mostly to the times I had to repost as my listing was “flagged.”

    2. Posted by wildfire365  on  02/22  at  06:45 PM

  2. Ya thats true like they say if its to good to be true its not. I get a lot of E-Mails that say I have been left a lot of money from a dead relative I need to emial all of my information that is mentioned in the email which is my name address phone and so on. well you know all they get is my spam folder. I don’t have no relative over seas that left me a few million euros. You know how dumb is that.
    Wildfire

    3. Posted by Jeff  on  02/22  at  08:12 PM

  3. I think Craigslist is making some effort to stop the selling part of the scams by verifying location with a valid phone number. The buyers need to be addressed by possibly banning IP addresses from the trouble spots on the globe. I’ve got too many ‘offers’ to buy with a personal check for an amount more than the asking price and to wire the difference to them.

    We have to give a round of applause to Google’s translate for making the translation so bad that it is easy to spot the scammers.

    4. Posted by Dave mundt  on  02/22  at  10:03 PM

  4. Greetings and Salutations…
    Craigslist has tools for rating a posting on EVERY listing.  I have used these a number of times to get obvious scams zapped, and will continue to do so.
    While I have a small amount of sympathy for folks that get caught in these scams, it is VERY small...and mostly overridden by the fact that anyone with a lick of sense would realize that the old saying “if it looks too good to be true, it IS” should click in.  So...if you fall for one of these scams, I will say that I am sorry to hear it happened, but, the bottom line is that YOU screwed up, and YOU get to pay the price.
    I would suggest a better course of action would be for those of us who are wary to make it a habit to scan the local listings, engage the scammers, and zap their listings.  It only takes a moment to get rid of the listings, but, jerking these guys around can add amusement to an entire week.
    Regards
    Dave Mundt

    5. Posted by Miguel A  on  02/22  at  10:47 PM

  5. Hey guys very very good post i know a lot o ppl that have been scam trough craigslist so hope their put some more effort on the way of posting of osme like that (that’s why r the owners) ..

    I buy a bouch of items on craiglist and so far so good so im just glad that someone look at the “dark-side” of the mentioned site..

    Have a good One..

    6. Posted by jim h  on  02/22  at  10:53 PM

  6. i had a guy try to scam me on craigs list last year. i was selling an older mercedes benz and he was out of state. all contact was through e-mail even though he had my phone # and address.

    i played along with him for giggles, then i told him i wasn’t going to sell the car to him, i didn’t hear from him for a week or two, then he contacted me, said his secretary would overnight me a check, twice my asking price. i immediately took the check and all the e-mail correspondence to my local police department.

    i got a few more e-mails from the scammer, then it all stopped, of course, he never complained about the check he sent!

    7. Posted by jon t  on  02/22  at  10:53 PM

  7. wow you guys opened my eyes on something i was suspecting, i am currently looking for a new place to live and craigs list was reffered to me by a good freind, they had a warning about exactly what you just mentioned, i will be careful in my search and thank you for your continued pursuit of excellence by this very useful information, thanks jon t..

    8. Posted by Russ Locascio  on  02/23  at  04:49 AM

  8. This “tech tip” must have been posted by one of your people who got scammed on Craig’s List. It could be written about any other similar web site but Craig is easier because it’s open, not highly regulated. If you want to be protected, go back to your mother. Else, learn about scams and protect yourself. That’s how the big boys do it, girlie.

    9. Posted by Jason  on  02/23  at  05:25 AM

  9. I work in a business where people use cash a lot and have come across several individuals who have been paid with counterfeit bills.  Sellers on Craigslist should be aware of the money that they are receiving for payment of goods.  Check your money at the time of payment.  You can also study up on your money on the Secret Service’s website.  Go to the “know your money” section and review the material.  I hope this post will help a few people out there.

    10. Posted by Phill K  on  02/23  at  08:07 AM

  10. There is not a section of Craigslist that is not buried in this kind of rot. The jobs section is buried with spammers and email harvesters posting fake job postings. The personals are filled with fake listings that try to herd you to dating sites. It represents a systemic failure of the libertarian attitude of it’s owners. I plan on contacting my representatives in order to find a legislative remedy to all of the junk craigslist is buried in, as that appears to be the only thing they might pay attention to.

    11. Posted by Bette Guadalupe  on  02/23  at  10:19 AM

  11. Like the saying goes “If its to good to believe it usually is”..Plus they can’t spell, I find this to be true also.bad grammer usage..just watch the small stuff..

    12. Posted by Joe Danko  on  02/23  at  03:52 PM

  12. The scams outlined have nothing to do with Craigslist per se. Craigslist is just one more channel. I believe in the “Honest Man” theory: “You can’t cheat an honest man”. If it looks too good to be true, perhaps it is not.

    13. Posted by amaxx1  on  02/24  at  01:32 PM

  13. I am a bargain hunting Craigs Lister, I have had a couple of good experiences, where the item I was interested in, was shipped from an out of state seller, after I accepted the item I sent payment. I must say it is still interesting that there are folks who are trusting, if I was a scammer those persons might be as they say, out of luck. If you use CL, You must possess the ability to balance blind faith in mankind on one hand and a healthy dose of cynicism on the other, and as many know, that if a thing is to good to be true it usually is. I believe we will be seeing more scams coming down the pike in the future, there will be new users coming on line every day, cannon ball fodder for scammers and the scammers know it.

    14. Posted by Nigel Fisherman  on  09/06  at  03:59 AM

  14. There are lots of this. You can even put your sell your car through auction. Kind of easy as long as you monitor. And the bid is fast too.

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