Scam? I think so.

[California]

... windows on Craigslist. ... Had 30 when I started selling them. Have 14 left. I’ve had to deal with some shady people and some nice people.
I have purchased and sold lots of things on craigslist.
you have to exercise due diligence.

I put a little Yanmar on CL and got the most ridiculous offers. A load of leftover siding. A 'treasured bicycle'!

Some old guy who wanted it for his hunting camp. He really could use it but he kept insisting a comically low offer. I sent this for my last reply to him

 

[VineO]

So here is the next email:

I was contacted by Continental Freight Shippers that you have already received the invoice. Now you must call them and ask about the next step. From my side everything is done, I got ready all the papers work that you need to register the tractor in your name.
Please call their customer support number provided in the invoice +1 (***) 216-**** in order to confirm the transaction.
Thank you!

I have not received an invoice of course. I am going to call the number from one of my work extensions.

"I got ready all the papers work" -
Is her name Lisa Douglas by any chance?
Please say it ain't so - Oliver Wendell Douglas has passed away and she has gone back to mother...
I knew those hotscakes would get him one day.

 

[Doug62]

Really simple.... Have her send it to you & after 5 days if you like it, you will send her the money for it.
Otherwise she can have it shipped back to wherever she wants at her expense.

It’s definitely a scam. The whole deal about it being ready to ship so you can’t come see it is proof enough.

 

[CaptFerd]

Sometimes their motive is to kill you.

‘They Were Candidates For Death’: ‘Craigslist Killer’ Lured Men With Bogus Job Ad Then Shot Them | Oxygen

In the fall of 2011, Scott Davis, 48, moved from South Carolina back to Ohio, where he looked forward to a new job as a live-in caretaker.

www.oxygen.com

 

[KillerBeagle]

doing a search on the shipping company domain name through icann shows the following :

ICANN Lookup

The ICANN registration data lookup tool gives you the ability to look up the current registration data for domain names and Internet number resources.

lookup.icann.org

• Mailing Address: Kalkofnsvegur 2, Reykjavik, Capital Region, 101, IS

and that the domain was only created:

• Created: 2022-05-13 21:50:09 UTC

Don't be fooled by that location, though - it's actually the (possibly fake) address of a domain anonymizing service, so the actual owner of the domain could be anywhere. I tracked a Nigerian scammer through a domain registered at this same place.

If you google the address, you will find that it is a place where you can set up a "virtual address". It's also supposedly the address of the "Icelandic Phallological Museum" : "More than 200 penises & penile parts representing almost all Icelandic land & sea mammals."

 

[Modrob]

What?? You got one too? I got mine today as well!! Whoda thunk it? LOL

Actually the tractor arrived today. It is better than it looked in the pictures. The folks from Continental Freight were very nice but they were hard to understand because of the Icelandic accent. The sounded like vikings.

 

[KennyG]

Have you noticed that the gmail accounts printed on the pictures is almost always a woman's name (followed by numbers)? There must be something psychological going on there to tempt the gullible. Do they think a woman would be more likely to grossly underprice something?

 

[California]

Sometimes their motive is to kill you.

‘They Were Candidates For Death’: ‘Craigslist Killer’ Lured Men With Bogus Job Ad Then Shot Them | Oxygen

In the fall of 2011, Scott Davis, 48, moved from South Carolina back to Ohio, where he looked forward to a new job as a live-in caretaker.

www.oxygen.com

Oh Jesus!

That recalled a nightmare job long ago. The news was full of details about a farm labor contractor who hired single men, raped and killed them.

I was the sole employee of a contractor as we worked together building new custom homes. When those news stories broke, boss started obsessively mumbling 'Juan Corona' (the murderer) frequently, under his breath then looking shocked that he had verbalized his thoughts.

I needed the money so I didn't quit, but I never accepted his invitations to to go drinking after work.

 

[rontaki]

Be smart about deals on Craigslist. I just bought a lightly used sump pump for a great price, as proof CL is still useful.

I for flag scammers and those who abuse keywords to help keep CL clean. I also clear cookies frequently; both to help deter tracking me and to keep the browser a bit faster (perhaps).

This means I get more chances to flag the abusers and scammers, nothing wrong with that!
I develop a cadence and can flag them rather quickly. Cheap thrills, I guess.

 

[TreeToad]

In another thread I was complaining about a listing on Craig's list that sounded too good to be true and that the person who listed it replied back to me once and then not again.

Well, today I got a reply with a name and the pictures I requested. The tractor looks fantastic. The location of the tractor, according to Craig's list is about 2 hours from me. I sent the seller, who says she is selling her recently deceased husband's tractor, a list of dates that I could come and pay cash for the tractor. This is the reply I got:

As I mentioned before, I'm a widow and now I'm here in *******, ** staying with my parents. [That is not the location listed on Craig's list].
The tractor is already at the shipping company in Roanoke sealed and ready for shipping. My presence won't be necessary because I prearranged the deal with Continental Freight Shippers. The deal includes free delivery and it will arrive at your address in 3-4 days. You will have 5 days to try out prior to making any purchase and if by any reason you find something you don't like about it you can send it back at my expense. If you are interested in knowing more info about how it works, I can ask Continental Freight Shippers to send you an email with more information on how to purchase it. Continental Freight Shippers will contact you shortly after they have the details with all the confirmation that you need to complete this deal and you will also have proof that I am covered by them and a legitimate seller.
If you would like to receive the email from Continental Freight Shippers with all the transaction information please reply with your full name, shipping address and phone # and they will call you right away.
Hope to hear from you soon.

So, this obviously looks fishy. I cannot find a company with the exact name of Continental Freight Shippers but there are a few with very similar names. My wife, who is an excellent researcher, could not find a person by the name the seller gave me in the area that the Craig's list posting originated from except for someone who is deceased. Craig's list also says only to buy face-to-face. The part about trying it for 5 days and sending it back at the seller's expense sounds ridiculous too.

I sent her my work number and address. I'll play along and try to be an optimist just because I want it to be real (the pictures show a sweet tractor!). I'm normally a realist....pessimist according to my wife.

It makes me sad and angry that we live in this kind of world. It also makes me disappointed in myself that I'm still hoping this might be legit.

Curious if others have seen this sort of thing?

Don’t forget the John Deere Gator with 52 hours on it for $1200. Same shipping company has it. SCAM