Latest Craigslist Scam

[EddieWalker]

While looking at what's for sale in the Farm and Garden section of Craigslist, I saw a really good price on an older Ford tractor. I copied the gmail address and googled it. Sure enough, that same name, kelliebennett32@gmail.com, was listed all over the country selling tractors and other items. Most of the adds where already flagged and deleted. So I looked some more and noticed a lot of adds with a gmail.com address as the way to contact the seller. It looks like a pattern, and something to be careful of.

 

[fried1765]

While looking at what's for sale in the Farm and Garden section of Craigslist, I saw a really good price on an older Ford tractor. I copied the gmail address and googled it. Sure enough, that same name, kelliebennett32@gmail.com, was listed all over the country selling tractors and other items. Most of the adds where already flagged and deleted. So I looked some more and noticed a lot of adds with a gmail.com address as the way to contact the seller. It looks like a pattern, and something to be careful of.

That particular scam has been going on for more than a year.
Hopefully, no one has been taken in by it.
I have had some fun playing with several of the scammers.

 

[NorTracNY]

They have even become "advanced" and bury the e-mail into the single picture. They figure it will prevent people from searching the address.

 

[TheMan419]

This is because gmail is easy and free to set up. Also gmail hides your true location in the email header. They all look they originated in California. With other email providers you can pinpoint the location the email originated.

 

[Ford850]

You can do a google image search on many of them and find where they were pulled from legitimate auctions etc, to be used in their scams. Most of the scams only post a single image too, while legitimate sales postings will post at least a few pictures. Another tipoff is the vegetation in the background. I see many listed for my area with shrubs and trees that don't grow here. A palm tree in an Ohio add is a good example.

 

[KennyG]

The incoherent English and oddball descriptions are another indicator.

 

[Stimw]

Just a disclaimer, I have a gmail email (because that STUPID yahoo won't let me into my 20 year old email account and offers NO customer support!!).
When I post a CL ad I always include my phone number.
When looking at CL ads, no phone number, gmail, I assume it is a scammer.
Also when I right click on a pic there is an option to search the web for pic to see where else it appears.

 

[Sysop]

Everyone surfing craigslist should start sending 10 BS emails to every scam they see. Spam the scammers... :laughing:

 

[japody]

There are a lot of tell tale signs in the ads:

- most have a gmail or Comcast account
- prices are odd numbers like $2038
- locations are listed in the header, i.e. "Richmond John Deere tractor"
- when a location is actually listed, it is in the middle of the city. Not many tractors are used in the middle of the city.
- some have a tremendous amount of space under the listing where it appears they have cut and pasted other ads

On every one I see I hit "prohibited" and then refresh. That seems to delete them.

 

[teg]

Everyone surfing craigslist should start sending 10 BS emails to every scam they see. Spam the scammers... :laughing:

If everyone would give (ie. make up) information the spammers are looking for, it could protect the 1 (hundred) morons who gives out the information that they are looking for.