Am I being scammed?

[JordanAng420]

The reason I am posting this in the fight club is because I am going to mention names and such. I posted an add on craigslist, selling a tv entertainment set I have for $250 or better offer. I paid around $1200 dollars for the damn thing, but it's taking up too much space and I need to get rid of it...to make room for more geckos. So here's the add I posted:

TV Entertainment Unit made of pine in good condition.
44" wide, 24" long and ~80" tall.
Must sell, $250 obo
Local pick up only
EMail Maia @ [email protected]. I check my email several times daily.

And here's the response from the person in question:

Hello, i just saw your post on craigslist, do you still have the item? please get back to me asap. thanks

Kennith brin

So I write back:
Hey Kennith,
Thanks for the reply! Yes the item is still available...the set actually comes in 2 parts, it separates in the middle, so that makes it much easier to carry and move. It's in good condition, a little dusty, but i'll take care of that before it's sold. Let me know if you're still interested.
Thanks again,
Maia

And THEN I get this. It compleatly threw me off guard. He asks me how my family is twice, and then asks me what I have been up to...like we're old friends or some shit...and when was a phone number ever mentioned? What's this business about shipping charges, didn't I CLEARLY mention local pick up only? Plus...WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU OFFER SOMEONE MORE MONEY THAN WHAT THEY ARE ASKING?

Hello,
How are you and how is the family? I am very sorry for getting back to you late. What have you been up to and how is the family, I was hoping you were going to call me back but email is okay too because I'm unable to make it to where the phone is most times. Firstly I will like to tell you that I am not interested in scam and fraud of any kind on here because I'm a disabled man and I manage what I have with me to get what I want. Anyway I am ready to buy it like I said and will like to add about $100 to the listed price s0 will appreciate it If you can close the advert for me today or first thing tomorrow morning when I will be getting set to send you payment, moreover detailed pictures will be appreciated as well when replying to my message.
I will be sending your payment by either wire transfer or bank certified check, out of which the bank certified check will be a better option for me, the check will cover all the shipping, pick-up and delivery expenses that will be paid to the shipper picking up from you as soon as the check has cleared your bank.please send me your full name and address to send the payment to(no po box please)
I am restricted to moving around due to the operation I just went through, so the computer is the only way to buy, shop and place order on whatever is needed by me daily. I am buying this for a friend as compensation when he comes back from his tour, he is the one who takes me around on wheel chair before the operation whenever I need to go out and help me with more other things that might prove difficult for me to do, I hope you have imagined and understood the kind of situation I am in. Willing to round up this transaction before weekend
thanks and delete posting from craigslist

P.S. I am having some difficulties with my paypal account presently and need that to be resolved very well, money was transfered off it without my notice, so I had to file a complaint to the Resolution Centre, I'm waiting for response though, but since I can send out the payment in full as soon as tomorrow I dont think we will have problems with that.


I'm not deleting SHIT. The whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. You guys know best....lay it on me!

 

[JCornelisse5]

As a cop I deal with a lot of scams on Craigslist. It appears to be a scam to me. As you can see by that last email there is no reference to the item you have listed. There is reference to family that clearly this person does not know about. However, I am not sure what they are scamming. It could quite possibly be for obtaining information on you or your address. I have seen cases where people use the "guilt trip" method to obtain bank account numbers, items, and other valuables and promise to pay. If I were you I would look for another buyer. You do not want a scam artist in your house or knowing who you are. Hope this helps.

J

 

[JCornelisse5]

Another piece of advice I can give would be to get the person's contact information. They reference that they are disabled and very well could be. If you could get a phone number for them as well as a reference number of a friend.

Sorry it's 7am and I just got off work... Im not getting all my thoughts out lol.

J

 

[727geckokid]

SCAM all day long stay the hell away from that shit...

 

[Foreverandever]

Total scam!

Not to be rude...but why the fuck would some random ass person you dont even know ask how your family is?? Especially when youre trying to set up a sale, you know?

Delete the email and forget about it lol

 

[Kitsune]

Definitely a scam, Maia. I've seen lots of people posting about getting e-mails like that from scammers on the craigslist for my area.
I'm always really cautious when someone wants to wire transfer or ask to ship.
I always say Cash Only. Local pickup only.

 

[LizMarie]

That sounds Fishy!

The second response honestly sounds like a copy and paste from some other email that he sends to everybody. When dealing with Craigslist use Cash or Paypal Only and start looking for other buyers. You might want to post pics of your object if you can..

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

that dude wants your address and not a PO Box....that dude is a stalker and possible serial rapist. fuck that shit. get in touch with your local police and see what their take is on it and see if they want in on busting someone that could possibly be doing harm to others.

 

[Ehatcher]

Whenever I deal with craigslist, I always meet in a busy, secure place no later than 7pm, I never have someone come to my house. I also only deal in CASH only, and I ALWAYS have another person with me. Im a big dude and can more than handle myself, but a gun is always an equalizer and i dont really feel like getting shot, thats why I always choose a parking lot of a busy business to make the transaction at.

 

[2bacop]

It is a scam, my cousin with scammed with an email like this one. Notice the spelling errors like when he typed so he typed it s0, and he spelled center, centre. It is completly a scam!

 

[JordanAng420]

What would I do without you guys??? Yeah, I had a feeling it was. I regret even putting the stupid ad up, since all I have received are emails from people asking me for my full name, address and phone number. One today had the balls to ask the name of my housing complex. That was a little creepy.

At this point i'd even give the fucking thing away. I would love to give it to a charity of some sort, but am absolutely in no physical condition from my herniated disc to try and move it...So whoever ends up taking it is going to have to come to my house & deal with it themself...and i'm not sure I really like that idea. I do have an aggressive pitbull, however a gun could take care of that pretty easily.

Maybe i'm being a little too sensitive, but considering the recent circumstances with that kid who killed the girl who was advertising something on craigslist...I think it's only human nature to be a little scared.

With that said...what the fuck should I do with this thing???

 

[2bacop]

I just sold something on craigslist as well, and there getting it tomorrow, I was nervous too but im going to have people here with me so maybe you can get a friend to come over or something.

 

[Foreverandever]

Do you have AMVETS in your area? They come to your house and pick up furniture donations. GoodWill does also


Yea, I heard about the craigslist killer. That shit is scary

 

[Mel&Keith]

Why are people so damn creepy?! Call a few charities in your area; Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. Someone will come pick it up.

 

[DarthGekko]

As a cop I deal with a lot of scams on Craigslist. It appears to be a scam to me. As you can see by that last email there is no reference to the item you have listed. There is reference to family that clearly this person does not know about. However, I am not sure what they are scamming. It could quite possibly be for obtaining information on you or your address. I have seen cases where people use the "guilt trip" method to obtain bank account numbers, items, and other valuables and promise to pay. If I were you I would look for another buyer. You do not want a scam artist in your house or knowing who you are. Hope this helps.

J

I say scam. He was fishing to see if you lived alone by asking about your family. He presented himself as disabled to throw you off since a disabled person such as him needs others to help him. He said he was sending a moving van to the house?!? What is your address? This smells like Home Invasion if you ask me. This happened to my Mom's neighbor here in Las Vegas. Stay away.....

 

[Gregg M]

Anytime you see "wire transfer" or "bank certified check" its a scam... I either do Paypal, US money orders or CASH!!! Personal checks from certain individuals is fine but nothing gets sent until checks or money orders clear...