Scam? I think so.

[TreeToad]

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.

I have sold MANY things on CL over the years. I have a habit of saving the sales slip and owners manual when ever possible, only in public and always in the daylight. Although I did pass on meeting a guy at 10PM behind Walgreens

 

[N80]

"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.

No, the name was Annette Torres. As mentioned earlier in this thread my wife looked up the name in the area the tractor was supposed to be and the name was in the obituaries.

 

[ICGREEN]

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?

Totally scam. Tried to buy a forklift years ago under the same circumstances. When I offered to drive and see it communication stopped. Keep your cash in your pocket.

 

[N80]

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."

I have heard that the entire population of Iceland is thieves and perverts but that otherwise the people are friendly and it’s a great place to visit.

 

[WKTEDDYBEAR]

An escrow company? Quote; "Headquartered in United States, Continental Freight Shippers and its operating subsidiaries provide online escrow services that facilitate and accelerate e-commerce by assuring a secure settlement. Continental Freight Shippers is fully licensed and accredited as an escrow company and is subject to compliance with all applicable escrow regulations, including the Financial and Business Code."

 

[N80]

When I was selling the high end audio equipment (tens of thousands worth) for a deceased cousin’s estate I met the buyers in my home during daylight after they had provided me with sufficient identification and I vetted the information they gave me and I talked with them on the phone.

I’m not recommending that but it worked out fine and every one of them were very decent people all with cash in hand.

I think that in this day and age you have to be careful and use your head but I try to resist the temptation to constantly live in fear of other people and stop interacting face to face.

 

[kioti28527]

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?

I did with a jeep,it was showroom perfect and the price was 1/3 of what it could be,as with yours they said it was at the port authority in a container and the price reflected what it cost to have them release it,when i told them i wanted to look at it first they deleted the add and i couldnt contact them any more they were probably behind a computer in another country,dont fall for it!

 

[stso9d]

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?

At least 50% (or more) of all ads on Craigslist and FACEbook marketplace are scams. It is a free for all for criminal types. My sisterinlaw paid a high price to learn this and all she had to do was ask. the sob (whoever) conned her into sending $5000, which she borrowed, for a car. once money was received, the actor dissappeared. This is commonplace on the internet. It also is just as bad on the phone calls with bad actors.

 

[California]

I have sold MANY things on CL over the years. ... always in the daylight. Although I did pass on meeting a guy at 10PM behind Walgreens

I did meet a guy in front of an all-night supermarket at 10pm, on my way passing there in the 100 miles between ranch and home. I got enough information from him to determine the supermarket was a couple of blocks from his parents' home. When I met him he confirmed what I suspected, he wanted the 100 gallon plastic tank for 'something' (a dope grow) in the national forest.

I got there early and asked a store employee who was sitting outside on lunch break to keep an eye on us in case things went weird. He understood and agreed. The sale was uneventful, his $100 bill exchanged for my tank. I went and thanked the guy who had watched.

Added - But I would NEVER take cash to meet someone in an obscure place! That's how people get robbed.

 

[HighTwelve]

There was a roughly similar scam perpetrated on eBay a few years ago. It had to do with brand new tractors (I think Kubotas but don’t hold me to it). The scammer claimed that new Kubotas in the UK were sold for thousands less than Kubotas in other countries due to franchising agreements. The deal was that you paid a “reputable” freight forwarder and in a month or so your bargain Kubota would show up at the port of your choin a container.

I think that the scam was pitched more to European than US buyers but eventually it was flagged as a scam by eBay and the listing was deleted.

On the other hand, eBay has treated me fairly. Case #1, carburetor for a JD325 - never shipped. eBay promptly refunded my money. Case #2, similar deal on some ball bearings. Oddly, in both cases the sellers listing on eBay stayed up.