This past week I received a very curious response to an ad I placed in CraigsList. I avoided the scam it presaged and can share this as a warning to any venture that uses CraigsList or similar sites as a marketing tool.
The response I received carried several warning signs. One, despite my effort to narrow the respondent's focus to better understand their need, the final email concentrated only on my specifying the total cost of the service. Two, the individual only identified himself by a first name. Third, the person wanted to pay in advance, sight unseen (!). Fourth, and most importantly, this person was out of our area and did not ask to meet face to face.
Now, there are many honest buyers and sellers on CraigsList. I myself have sold items there to people who played by the rules. But anything that looks suspicious probably is. I discontinued my conversation when I spotted the pattern noted above. (And for those questioning the scheme, it would next involve my cashing their check, remitting some money to them on a pretext, and then discovering later it was a bogus check and owing the bank all of the money.)
Bottom Line: use Internet tools with care. Be nervous when payment is offered up front and in the form of a regular check, and when the prospective purchaser won't meet you face to face, and if the person seems to be hiding something. Move on politely, but move on. You will save yourself from heartbreak!
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