Ten
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Post by Ten on Aug 17, 2015 12:42:57 GMT -8
I know the subject of scam advertising has been discussed at length here. I am not sure however if we ever covered the idea of posting scam ads up as scams, in order to request help in flagging such ads off, or would this be unethical? The scams have seemed to surface a lot in the last few days. Trouble is, when I flag them they disappear from my view of the page, but I do not think they are taken down with just one "flag". Here are a few examples from our local CL...(Of course if everyone flags and they are taken down, which is the goal, then they aren't good examples any more...but you get the idea..): rochester.craigslist.org/rvd/5177135559.htmlHeading: !!-!! Low mls 69k 96 Winnebago Rialta for sale $2000 The contact info for the ad is a 402- area code...I don't even know where that is. $2000 wouldn't buy the tires for this vehicle. Conclusion: Obvious scam. This: rochester.craigslist.org/rvd/5177163930.htmlHeading: *&^%$%^&* 2003 \\\just /// Fleetwood |||Coleman ^*^ Awesome *& - $2000 (rochester, NY) Again, an unfamiliar area code, and "Text only".... OBVIOUS scam. I guess that a whole section to help flag off the scammers would be way too unwieldy to maintain. But do keep your guard up, and when something seems to be too good to be real, IT IS! FLAG 'EM!! Oh yeah, and enjoy the hunt!
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mel
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1964 Shasta Airflyte
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Post by mel on Aug 17, 2015 14:33:14 GMT -8
I recently saw a scam by me on craigslist too, for a boler camper, I had my husband text him calling him a scammer, then I did a country wide craigslist search for his headline and flagged all of them.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Aug 17, 2015 16:11:51 GMT -8
Just like cockroaches, you can't kill them all. Flag what you see if you have the time. Just remember that if it's too good to be true, it probably is not true. Once in a great while you'll run across a fantastic deal on CL but you had better be the first one to see it and the first to show up to get it. Or it will be gone. I got a FREE 63 Shasta in terrific shape that only needed a new top due to snow load dents and a good cleaning. That was it. But scammers aren't going to offer anything for free LOL...
remember to always take someone with you to look at a fantastic deal and never go back behind buildings out of sight of others. Never carry more than $100 in cash with you. If they are sincere, they will take a $100 to hold it till the both of you go to the bank or the DMV.
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Aug 17, 2015 20:07:42 GMT -8
Saw really cheap "Bambi" and yes, it was a scam.
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Post by vintagebruce on Aug 18, 2015 6:01:04 GMT -8
I saw a really nice "restored" canned ham while playing on searchtempest the other day for a price of something like $5271. Although it was not one of those $2K specials, there is no valid reason (imho) for someone to put such a weird number in the asking price. I figured they were phishing for people interested in that type camper/price range to bait and switch. I do see people writing CL comments type ads in our region openly stating that ad XYZ is a SCAM and buyer beware. SCAMMERs are something we all have to endure, they actually permeate most levels of active life. Moral bankruptcy is one of the fastest growing diseases/epidemics in society today.
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Post by danrhodes on Aug 18, 2015 7:24:13 GMT -8
Saw really cheap "Bambi" and yes, it was a scam. Was that the military guy from Alaska? That was the first trailer ad I ever contacted on CL, and it was an escrow account scam.
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Aug 18, 2015 9:22:01 GMT -8
Saw really cheap "Bambi" and yes, it was a scam. Was that the military guy from Alaska? That was the first trailer ad I ever contacted on CL, and it was an escrow account scam. Quite possibly the same trailer. We did some research and it had been listed in multiple states and people had the "I'm in the military and the trailer is stored" response. We never actually contacted them.
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Aug 18, 2015 9:24:44 GMT -8
I actually found a trailer listed on eBay and someone had used the pic to list the same trailer on CL, not the owners. I messaged the real owners. At first they thought I was nuts, but then they thanked me.
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Post by danrhodes on Aug 18, 2015 9:39:18 GMT -8
I actually found a trailer listed on eBay and someone had used the pic to list the same trailer on CL, not the owners. I messaged the real owners. At first they thought I was nuts, but then they thanked me. There is a house for sale down the street from me with this sign on the window:
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Aug 22, 2015 16:30:19 GMT -8
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Aug 22, 2015 17:15:09 GMT -8
That one is a pretty common one...right down to the "402" area code.... "Flag 'em if ya got 'em"....
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Ten
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Post by Ten on Aug 22, 2015 20:19:36 GMT -8
This one keeps popping up a lot lately too.... rochester.craigslist.org/rvd/5185459547.htmlAll the stupid additional characters in the titles are a dead giveaway as well: " O** ne time used Volkswagen Westfalia "="= - $2500 " "Flag early and flag often..."
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diymom
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Post by diymom on Aug 27, 2015 8:29:27 GMT -8
I don't get what they are doing, are they trying to get your number or a deposit to come check it out? How do they benefit from these ads? I'm new to this type of scamming. That said I was searching for sunglasses on eBay once and someone was using my friends photo to advertise glasses, she had no idea and had to contact ebay to get them to remove her picture. I found that really strange. Images once shared online can be used for anything.
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Post by vintagebruce on Aug 28, 2015 8:14:46 GMT -8
The I'm in the military ones usually say the seller is about to be deployed or was just transferred and the trailer is with a trusted friend/family member but you can rest assured if you send the asking price and shipping costs to their authorized family/agent, all shipping and ownership documentation is complete and ready for release with the camper as soon as the payment is received...interestingly to the same destination that I just sent my $976 processing fee to, to collect my (fill in the blank) Russian, Nigerian, Hatian, Jamaican, yada yada random Lotto Drawing winnings of $7,368,514.00. Heck, if you go for one of these bargains and it turns out being a scam, PM me and I will reimburse you from my 7+ million lottery winnings as soon as that check clears. Oh, and nice try TEN!! I was too quick and got my full payment to the seller on that way cool VW Westfalia, before you got it flagged. With shipping it was still a bargain at $3.294.00 and I was told to expect it delivered to my door this coming Monday morning. HA!! I practically stole it!
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Post by vintagebruce on Sept 4, 2015 8:25:59 GMT -8
I have been playing on searchtempest all morning and this camper has turned up advertised in Memphis, Tennessee, Dallas, Texas and San Diego, California...all ads posted within 3 hours of the first one I ran across...imho...if it looks too good to be true... sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/rvs/5204618288.html
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