Hopefully most of you know better than to ever accept a check from a stranger, but I think it’s always good to share horror stories like this one to remind people of why it’s a bad idea. The problem is, if you deposit a check that turns out to be fake, you’re the one who will be held responsible for it. Unlike credit card theft, there’s no law or rule in place to protect you from check fraud or advance fee fraud–and your bank doesn’t want to be left holding the bag any more than you do. [More]
craigslist
Watch Out Criminals: That Craigslist "Customer" Might Be The Police
By 11.20.09
The Chicago Sun-Times says that three men have been charged with “stealing cash and property at gunpoint from victims thinking they were meeting to buy televisions and other electronics advertised on Craigslist.” The suspects were arrested after police saw “suspicious” postings on Craigslist and contacted the sellers posing as an interested customer.
Craig Newmark's Two Observations From 14 Years Of Customer Service
By 11.19.09
Craig Newmark, of craigslist.org, offers the following two observations from fourteen years of customer service:
Make $20-$40 A Pop Shilling On Yelp
By 11.17.09
Did you know that you can earn $20-$40 at time just for lying? According to this Craigslist ad, a New York business owner desperate for positive reviews on Yelp, an online yellow pages couples with user reviews, is shelling out for shills.
Will Anyone Buy My 1300 Chinese Pope Hats?
By 9.14.09
One of the fun side-effects of Craigslist is that the lack of an editorial gatekeeper means it lets the crazy blossom. The newspaper Telegraph has assembled 20 of what they consider the wackiest Craigslist ads, including over 1300 Pope hats (sorry, they’re just replicas), diapers for incontinent dogs, and 300 stuffed penguins. Naturally we assume every one of them is really about sex, but maybe we’re being too jaded about Craigslisters.
Beware Fake Gift Card Balance Websites
By 8.20.09
A reader just ran into a gift card scam while trying to unload an Apple gift card via CraigsList. If you’re directed to a website that asks you to put in your gift card information in order to show the balance as “proof” that you’re legit, you’re being conned.
AloofDoof Sends Alerts When Ads You Like Appear On Craigslist
By 8.19.09
Reader Sedo just sent us a link to aloofdoof.com, a website that lets you set up keyword searches on Craiglist. We haven’t tested it, but it appears to be similar to WishRadar for Amazon. Sedo writes,
Beware Pay-Per-Call Phone Scams
By 8.5.09
Scammers on Craigslist are ordering tough-to-identify pay-per-call phone numbers, then list them on ads, baiting people to call and pay exorbitant fees. Common area codes for pay lines are 976, 940, 915, 556, 554, and 550.
Chicago Man Sells TVs On Craigslist For Funny Money
By 6.29.09
Andre Callegari of Chicago unloaded some TVs on Craigslist, but got a wad of counterfeit cash in return. Then he set up another sale with the buyer in a sting operation, and the seller actually came back, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The cops caught the bad guy, who paid Callegari some of what he owed him, but that’s probably all the victim thinks he’ll recover.
Free Trials Can Be Trojan Horses For Sketchy Companies
By 6.23.09
“Free” is always an enticing proposition, but free trials that seem too good to be true often are. Conmen use such offers to lure in greedy customers hoping to get something for nothing.
Stay Away From The Nigerian Tutoring Scam
By 6.18.09
Are you a student looking for a summer or long-term tutoring gig? Be sure to stay away from the foreign tutoring scam, especially if you’re looking for work on Craigslist.
Would You Buy An iPhone That Fell In Urine?
By 6.5.09
Our ex-stepbrothers at Gizmodo found a craigslist ad for a barely used iPhone, selling for significantly below list price. There’s just one problem.
"Help, I Fell For The Apartment Rental Credit Check Scam!"
By 6.3.09
Since posting an article about Craiglist apartment listing scams a month ago, we’ve heard from lots of people who fell for the scam. If you’re one of them, here’s what you need to know.
Car Ad On Craigslist Has Hidden Paragraph On Hitler
By 5.25.09
Our commenter Zorantor discovered a weird, uh, can you call this an Easter egg?, buried at the bottom of a Craigslist post last night:
"Homeboy Hookup" Scammer Rips Off Renters
By 5.22.09
Apartment scams are the new hotness. Can’t do housing scams anymore because no one can afford a house, so it’s on to rentals. Insert “Merce,” a guy is ripping off renters saying he’s got the “homeboy hookup” and can get them into a rental cheap and with free gas an electricity, but he doesn’t actually own the properties. Fox NY investigates in this video.
Craigslist-Bought PS2 Doubles As Roach Motel
By 5.21.09
Posting on a Gametrailers Forum, gamer VictoriousOne tells a horror story of buying a PS2 on Craigslist, played it for weeks until it broke, then opened it up to find a bunch of roaches inside.
Craigslist Will Drop "Erotic Services" Section
By 5.13.09
Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal has announced that Craigslist will be dropping its controversial “erotic services” section, and will replace it with a moderated “adult” category.
Neighbor Gives Away Couple's Possessions On Craigslist Without Their Permission
By 5.4.09
It’s every Freecycle moderator’s nightmare. A family in the Dallas/Fort Worth suburb of Mansfield woke up to discover men with a truck packing up their portable basketball hoop…which they weren’t giving away. It had been listed on the “free” section of Craigslist by their neighbor…a police officer in a nearby town.
