I just recently started looking at vehicles on craigslist and I've come across sevearl ads that are 'too good to be true.' Example: 2004 Jeep Rubicon 58,000 miles $2,800 bucks. 2006 Camry 96,000 miles $2,700 bucks. Both owners are recently divorced and want to innitiate the transaction through the buyers protection program on eBay. They quit replying to my emails when I request to drive to them, test drive the car, verify their ownership and title, and hand then cash money.

How many scams are there like this? Any others I need to be aware about?

 

Usually any ad that says they will ship the vehicle is a scam.

Any vehicles for sale in Nigeria are usually a scam.

Any vehicles for sale by Princes, Kings, Princesses, or Queens are usually scams.

Any time the ad just seems weird, or if there is a bunch of jibberish at the bottom of the ad, that's a good indicator it's a scam

 

After speaking to a cop friend of mine, I have lost all trust in Craigslist. He told me stories about several of these kind of things, and they get reports all the time about craigslist scams. Basically, Craigslist is a free-for-all. Although the things that people are doing are illegal, it cannot be policed very easily.

Any website that does not require you to verify your identity is not a site I would consider using to buy stuff off of.

 

One of my co-workers was looking at a 'too good to be true' car on Craigslist.

The seller said she had just gotten a divorce and had left the area with the car, so she would have to get the car shipped back to his address at a cost of $600+-

He asked her why she had driven the car across country if she was just going to sell it. If she was going to sell it, why not advertise where she was instead of where she had been? If she was going to ship the car to him for inspection before he bought it like he was asking her to do, why not ship it to a friend who could watch over it until it was sold?

The seller had no good answers for any of those questions.

IMO, they were just trying to find out his home address and his work schedule so they could rob his house when he was not there. Or maybe they were eventually going to try to soak him for half or all of the $600 fee to transport the fake car.

Basically, they are appealing to your greed and that you might be willing to take a risk to get an $8,000 car for $3,000.

 

Another scam (that a friends girlfriend just fell for) was through Yahoo Autos. The scammer posed as a soldier on an army base in texas, she said she was selling her jeep for around $3200. Well my friends girlfriend contacted her and began talking, she said she wanted to run the whole transaction through yahoo autos so it was legit. Right before they were going to do the deal, the scammer claimed they were being shipped out to Iraq, and needed to sell the vehicle quick. They offered her a discount if she just sent the money through western union to make the transaction quicker. Well she fell for it, and before she knew it she was out $3200.

Never ever ever send money through western union/money gram or any other wire transfer. If you want to buy a vehicle off craigslist, make sure you meet in a neutral place, and bring a friend. Don't ever have a car shipped.

 

Yep. One of these ads was a guy claiming to be in the military away 'in a mission' haha.
I'll never buy a car without first shaking the owners hand, driving it, verifying ownership, and handing them a personal check. It's a shame what some people will do.

It's all Obama's fault.

 

Yeah, those things are all over. I'm lucky in that I live in the desert. When I was looking for a cheap-o car for my ex a couple of years ago I could always tell if it was a scam by the amount of trees and grass in the picture.

 

Don't even know how people still fall for this ****.

If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

Unless you can go test drive the car or see the merchandise, and meet the owner and exchange ownership like a regular transaction, why the heck would you do it?

 

Agreed!! If people fall for this then they are the fools, Its simple, call, see, drive, touch, shake hands, pay leave, if any of thesee items are not there RUN away...

 

Craig s list is great for finding deals but its buyer beware.

 

I have bought things off of there before. Just have to look at what the ad says. I only buy local anyway.

 

Craig's List is a good thing as it gives people a chance to advertise for free. Too bad it opens up too many people to fraud. Buyer beware. Use good sense.

The problem with it is all Bush's fault though!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!

 

I couldn't help it, timing was perfect.