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Craigslist is a great resource when buying or selling items and looking for odd jobs, but it is widely regarded as a site where anything goes, and postings are less than trustworthy. If you are going to use Craigslist, it’s essential that you’re aware of the potential risks and use strategies to make your Craigslist experience as safe as possible.
What Is Craigslist?
Craigslist is an online site primarily used as a platform for buying and selling items. It operates like an online marketplace, allowing you to find unique furniture, knickknacks, and more that might not otherwise be available at a store. It’s a great spot to find second-hand items that are likely more affordable than they would be in-store.
Craigslist is also a place where people can post jobs and other opportunities. It’s also even used as a platform where people can list houses for sale. Craigslist is available in 50 countries, so even if you travel or move abroad, you may still be able to use the site.
Is Craigslist Safe?
Over the years, Craigslist has gotten a reputation for being a bit sketchy and shady. The truth is that Craigslist, as a website, is as safe as any other resale platform, like Facebook Marketplace.
It is a completely legitimate site, and most of the postings you find on it are also completely legitimate. But, like any site that helps connect two people, there is always the potential for fraudsters and criminals to use the platform to their advantage.
Anyone can list anything on Craigslist, which is where the risk comes in. But as long as you use your best judgment and follow some basic safety practices, you’ll be able to take advantage of the best Craigslist has to offer without worrying too much about potential danger.
Common Scams on Craigslist
The majority of criminal activity on Craigslist falls under the scam category. If you can learn the warning signs of a few common scams, you will be much better equipped to detect unsafe activity on Craigslist before the scammer succeeds.
These are not the only Craigslist scams out there, but this is a good list to begin with.
Phishing Scams
Phishing scams refer to situations in which scammers pretend to be a real company or person and ask for personal information under that false identity. In this case, the scammer will pretend to be someone posting an ad on Craigslist for an item or job, or they will pretend to be someone responding to your Craigslist ad.
They will send you an email or text message that appears to come from a real Craigslist account and may include a link for you to click. If you click the link, malware may be automatically installed onto your device, which can lead to data mining, identity theft, and more.
If there’s no link, the scammer might prompt you to enter personal information like your credit card details, address, phone number, etc. If you send them any of this information, they can use it for identity theft, bank fraud, or they can sell it to someone else online.
These scams can be convincing because you may genuinely need to pay people online or give them a meeting point so they can drop the item off to you. The key is to use your best judgment and never click on any links sent to you by a stranger.
A Home or Apartment That’s Too Good To Be True
Because Craigslist is a platform on which people can market their homes or apartments, there can also be home and apartment scams. Usually, in these scams, the house will be listed for an unbelievably low price, and the attached pictures will make it seem like a dream home. The incredible abode and the low price should set warning bells off in your head.
The “landlord” who’s running the scam will be all too eager to please everyone and will start collecting deposits en masse. Of course after that, the landlord will disappear with everyone’s money, and no one will get the home.
The Middleman
In this scam, the owner of the house will pretend to be out of town, sick, or otherwise unable to meet with you to show you the property. They will propose you meet with their friend, associate, or other middleman to negotiate the deal. In all likelihood, the middleman is, in fact, the supposed owner of the house themselves.
If you don’t think you’re talking to the owner, it will seem less odd that they aren’t able to provide full details and forms to verify the sale. If you give your deposit to the middleman, they’ll disappear with your money before you can realize what actually happened.
This scam can also occur with houses and apartments across the country or overseas. You might be looking to move to a new place but don’t have the budget to visit beforehand to verify the place is real. People can use pictures of a real house or apartment from the Internet and pretend it’s for sale. Once you send a down payment, you’ll never hear from them again.
It’s best to only ever make deals with people who can prove they own the property or have the authority to rent it out to you. Never deal with a middleman and certainly never give anyone but a proven owner your money.
Fake Checks
Many people use online payment methods like Cash App, Zelle, or Venmo to pay. Even cash is more common than paying with a check these days. If someone does insist that they pay you with a check and then when you go to cash it in, it doesn’t go through, they have scammed you. Try asking people to pay with a more trustworthy money source before giving up your item.
The Accidental Overpayment
Another scam tactic is for people who are sending a month’s rent, deposit, car payment, or paying for an item outright to “accidentally” send too much money. They will pay with a fake check or false online transfer and then tell you they overpaid.
When you send back the difference, you’re actually just paying them outright with your own money since they never paid you to begin with.
The Safety Payment
If you are paying someone online — especially when it’s someone you can’t physically meet up with — they may offer a test payment to make sure your money goes through. This is also a strategy they might employ if you seem hesitant to pay them due to doubting the legitimacy of the deal.
Once you pay a smaller amount to the account of their choice, they will disappear with the money you’ve given them, and you’ll never get the promised car or item. They may also set up a false confirmation email to try to make you believe the payment went through a legitimate account, which may make you trust them enough to send the full payment after.
Fake Tickets
Craigslist is also sometimes used as a concert, sports, or event resale site. Prices may be lower and attractive to those looking to get the best deal for an upcoming event. Scammers can create fake tickets and charge hundreds or thousands of dollars for you to buy their tickets.
Then, at the event, you’ll discover they were fake all along. Even though the good deals can be tempting, it’s safest to only ever buy tickets on sanctioned resale sites.
The Nanny Job
This is a more complicated scam that targets the young and inexperienced. Scammers will pretend to be looking for a nanny and send an advanced payment to cover various expenses. They will then ask the nanny to pay for groceries, cover their rent, or some other similar payment that seems to be part of their job.
In this situation, the recipient of the payment would be involved in the scam, too. They could be a landlord, a friend the employer owes money to, or any believable entity to whom the money might be given. Once you send over the money, thinking the original check is covering it, everyone disappears, and the money comes out of your own account.
The best strategy is to never pay for anything before meeting the family you’re babysitting or nannying for. Also, make sure any money they send you hits your account before you start buying things or paying people on their behalf. And if you want to be extra cautious, tell them you’re not comfortable making payments for them.
Extra Shipping Money
A buyer might offer to pay extra to cover the cost of shipping your item to them. While this is a nice sentiment, if they pay you with a check or wire transfer rather than making a traditional online payment, you could lose your money and item. This scam works when they send their payment, you send your item, and then they ask you to redirect the shipping fees to a shipping company.
The check or wire transfer will seem to go through at first but then bounce back after it’s determined to be fraud. If you’ve sent them their item, you’ve essentially sent it to them for free. And if you’ve tried to use their money to pay the shipping company, you now owe them money out of your own account to cover the cost once their payment fails.
How Can You Tell if You’re Being Scammed on Craigslist?
Scammers do their best to come off as convincing as possible, but there are a few telltale signs you can look for that might indicate you’re being scammed. At the very least, these things should raise red flags in your head and make you extra cautious when moving forward.
Poor Spelling and Grammar
Craigslist is designed to only prompt you to interact with people who are near you. This is so that you don’t try to buy an item that you can’t physically pick up or don’t fall in love with a house that’s actually overseas. While some people in the US speak English as a second language, a message full of spelling and/or grammar errors is usually an indication that someone overseas is posing as a local.
Even if they’re not a scammer, you probably don’t want to spend time pursuing a deal with someone who can’t actually meet you to exchange the item and settle payment because they live abroad. And if the response is vague or super brief while also having spelling errors, this is an even bigger indication of a scam attempt. Most real people will want to be thorough when inquiring about a deal.
Weird Method of Payment
If a buyer or seller wants to use checks, wire transfers, or some other atypical payment method, you should be extra cautious when exchanging money with them and make sure their payment comes through before sending an item.
Buyer or Seller Refuses To Meet
When a buyer or seller refuses to meet in person, it should set off a warning bell in your head. Some people may genuinely want to ship you their item, but that requires you to trust that they will actually send it once you send your money. And if you’re the seller, you have to trust that the payment they send you is legitimate.
Buying and selling in person, especially with large items like furniture, is helpful just to confirm that everything’s in place. There is the added risk that the person you meet is dangerous, but this is why you should never show up to a drop-off alone.
If you’re buying a house or apartment, you absolutely need to meet the seller in person to confirm the house exists and that it is legally for sale.
How To Stay Safe on Craigslist
The first and most important step to staying safe on Craigslist is to be aware of the scams and warning signs that indicate you may be interacting with a scammer.
The more signs you know to look out for, the less likely you are to fall for scams. Of course, there are additional safety practices you can follow to prevent yourself from being targeted by a scammer.
Here are some simple safety tips to follow while on Craigslist:
Never Give Out Your Personal Information
If you’re buying or selling on Craigslist, you will likely need to provide a point of contact so those who are interested can reach you. If you use your real email or phone number, you run the risk that it falls into the wrong hands. Hackers can do a lot of damage even with something as small as your phone number, so using alternate accounts is best.
You can quickly and easily add a second phone number app like Burner phone to your existing phone and give that to people on Craigslist instead. This way, if they start harassing you or attempt to use your number to hack you, they don’t have your real one, and the damage is minimized. Try Burner today to protect yourself from scammers and hackers on Craigslist.
You should also refrain from giving out your address, credit card information, and social security number. No buyer should ever need this information in order to sell you their item.
Always Bring a Friend
Never meet a buyer or seller alone. Despite how friendly people can be online, they are still strangers, and you don’t know whether they’ve been truthful when talking to you. For your safety, always bring a friend anytime you meet up with someone from Craigslist. And if you have the option, bring two. Never underestimate the strength in numbers.
Meet in Public
Never agree to meet a buyer/seller in their home; always pick a public meeting place. This is again for your safety so if anything goes wrong, there are people nearby.
Inspect the Item
Make sure the item you see when meeting a buyer is, in fact, the item they promised you. The last thing you want is to pay for it and go home to find a massive stain or crack that wasn’t disclosed.
Try To Pay in Cash
Cash payments greatly reduce the risk of any sort of fraud or scams occurring. If you pay in cash, the seller never has any access to any kind of bank or payment account you own. And if you accept cash, it’s less likely to be fake, like a check or wire transfer.
Trust Your Judgment
The ultimate safety tip is to trust your gut when using Craigslist. If something feels off to you, it probably is. Always be diligent and on high alert when interacting with others on the site, and never get too comfortable no matter how nice and normal the person seems.
As long as you haven’t already made a payment or sent an item, don’t forget that you’re fully within your right to back out of a deal. It’s much better to get out before you meet the person, send them money, or send your item to them.
And when in doubt, you can always ask a friend to look over interactions you’ve had with buyers and sellers and give their opinion. With good judgment, Craigslist becomes a much safer and less threatening environment. And you may even find a good deal or two.
Sources:
What Is Craigslist & Is It Illegal?
Craigslist Safety Tips | How To Safetly Sell or Buy On Craigslist | ADT
