Beware of Scammers when Posting on CRAIGSLIST.COM

Sellers beware when you post ads on craigslist.com. This site features free classified advertisements with access to specific locations in the United States and just about any other country around the world that you can think of. While being very convenient it is, however, a huge feeding frenzy for scammers.

I recently tried to sell a few items on craigslist.com only to get replies from people who were trying to scam me. Craigslist.com posts directly on it's site about how to avoid these scams and protect yourself from fraud. It states to "Deal locally with folks you can meet in person...and you will avoid 99% of scam attempts." This is the number one mistake that most sellers make. Other steps that you can take to avoid being scammed include:
Never accept any type of wire service for payment such as Western Union or Money Gram. Anyone who wants you to do this is a scammer.
Don't accept any cashier checks or money orders. Banks will cash them and then hold you responsible when they are discovered to be fake.
Craigslist.com is not involved in any transactions. Anyone who says that craigslist.com is handling the payment, guaranteeing the transaction, or providing any buyer or seller services is trying to scam you.
Never give out your personal information such as bank account numbers, social security number, eBay or PayPal info.
Avoid transactions that involve shipping or escrow services and remember that only a scammer will guarantee their transactions.

Craigslist.com also has a list of websites and phone numbers where you can report fraud and scams.

My personal experience with these scammers on craigslist.com has been rather interesting. Most of the messages I've received from these people are very vague about my item, referring to it as my "item" and not mentioning the specific item I was selling. Every message is from a foreign country (the number one thing craigslist.com tells you to avoid). Each email includes many simple spelling mistakes and also has horrible grammar. They all want me to send them more pictures of my "item", tell them the current condition of my "item", and my final selling price for the "item". They then request my full name, address, and telephone number. They also state they wish to pay with a cashier check (another step listed by craigslist.com to avoid). One humorous email I received, that was without a doubt a scam, was in response to a wedding dress I was selling. The guy wrote, "I am really interested in your item cos i want to get it for my brother in law who would be celebrating his birthday soonest." Aside from the bad grammar and spelling it's obvious this is a scam. I don't think his brother-in-law would be happy with a wedding dress for his birthday present. Reading the responses from these scammers makes it hard to believe that anyone could fall for such nonsense. But it obviously happens on a regular basis. Even with the simple steps to identify and avoid these scams listed right on craiglist.com people are too eager to sell their items to whoever wants them. So, please remember these things when selling and advertising on craigslist.com.