Is this a scam on Craigslist? If yes, how do i report it?

Question

I am selling an 86 Pontiac Firebird on Craigslist for $1500 or best offer. Yesterday I replied to an email simply stating the car was still available. Today I received the LONG reply posted below that sounds really fishy / suspicious. I am not aware of any other scams like this and would like opinions from the Y!A community. Also, does any one know the proper way to report this if it is a scam?

Hello,

Thanks for your prompt response. I'm more interested in purchasing the
item for$1500.00. I'm sending you this email is to make final
reconfirmation and also to let you know that payment will be by a
Certified Check drawn out of a United States bank. In view of this, I
need you to email me any information that may be required to send the
payment, as I do not want to send it to a wrong location lest they
gets into the wrong hands. Regarding the shipping, I have a shipping
agent that handle my shipment for me and ship to my destination, you
do not worry about shipping. My shipping agent will send down a
representative to arrange the pick up from your end for onward
transfer to the destination. I also want to alert you on the fact that
you will be receiving an overdraft payment which will cover the
money for the pickup (pickup and shipping to the final destination) as
well as the money to be paid to the shipping agent that will take care
of the pickup. So please,as soon as you receive the payment, go and
cash them immediately, deduct the money that accrues to you, and send
the balance to the shipping agent via the nearest Western Union agent
in your area. Deduct the Western Union charges from the balance and
send the remaining to him immediately. The payment will be in your
name to make it easier for you to receive payment, deduct your money
and send the balance via Western Union as regards my earlier
direction. I will give you the details of the my shipping agent that
you will send the balance of the money to once I get a reply from you
immediately you receive the payment.

Once the money is received by the agent in United State,the shipping
agent will contact his representative to arrange the  pick up
immediately. In
light of above,here are some of the details I will need  for final
issuance of the payment.

(1)  Full Names to be on the payment:
(2)  Mailing address, No P.O.Box  Please:
(3)  Your direct Telephone Numbers(Home and Office and Cell):


Once you get back to me with all the above, the payment will be issued
out immediately and it will be sent to you .

Hope to read from you soon.

Best Regards.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

It is 100% a scam.  Here is how to report it:  

"abuse@craigslist.org". Be sure to include the URL (or eight-digit post ID number) in your message.

Raine · Answer

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is this a scam on Craigslist? If yes, how do i report it?
I am selling an 86 Pontiac Firebird on Craigslist for $1500 or best offer. Yesterday I replied to an email simply stating the car was still available. Today I received the LONG reply posted below that sounds really fishy / suspicious. I am not aware of any other scams like this and would like...

beardsley · Answer

Craigslist Firebird

The Arbiter of common sense · Answer

Yes, that's a scam, a pretty common one.  After you have paid the 'shipping agent', you will find the original money order was false, leaving you out the amount you sent them.

Reporting it to craigslist is pointless, that board is pretty well unregulated, and is a haven for scam artists.

Slick · Answer

This is a scam and since this person is most likely out of the US there is little you can do about it. Report it to the FBI but they have thousands of these same scams reported all the time.

I would delete it and move on.

psunuc · Answer

Yes,

This is a very common scam.  The certified check will look real but be a fake.  You will cash it, get money.  Then you will give the extra to this guy who will leave with it.  About a week later your bank will call letting you know the check was a forgery and you owe all of the money back.  So, your out the the item and the money.

kimmie · Answer

First of all is in good shape because I WANT IT!  

It looks like a total scam and very fishy. I get crap like that in my spam box all the time, people tring  to say they are from EBAY. You don't have to worry about shipping??? Come on let's be real. Why didn't he just post he wants to give you his winning numbers to the $1,000,000UK-dollarss he won (ever notice when you win the lottery in spam, it's always UK$) . He never once mentions the car, Just says "the item" and did he give you any of his personal info. Address (not a PO Box) phone number, anything? Don't do it.

Why would you want to get rid of a muscle car anyways?

D · Answer

I drove 20 miles to view a cute fluffy kitten from a post that was placed.  the girl opened the back of her vehicle up and showed me a cat that looked nothing like the first pic that she posted.  I was not buying an alley cat.....  I told her that was not the kittens in the pic......  it was an adult cat.   she said that she posted 2 adds....  Now I looked on craigslist and she just posted that cat an hr. ago......   all I can do is flag her....  any other suggestions on how to report her?

Mitch D · Answer

Scam, report to cl.

Igor Terrible · Answer

Big time scam, don't even respond...

they'll suck you in and you'll get burned, all the stuff about shipping agents is just bollocks.

anyone who ask for personal info up front is part a con...period! 

come on!

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Is this a scam on Craigslist? If yes, how do i report it?

16 Answers