Crazy Craigslist Scammers

Who falls for this?? I posted my Pottery Barn rug on craigslist today. Truth is, I'm getting rid of all rugs because they are all holding dust and making me allergic. And now that I work from home, I don't get to clear my lungs in all of those subway tunnels, so it's my own apartment air I have to breath. Three days of an inhaler, and I've had it. It's really not that bad, I just do want a change. It's a beautiful rug, and was expensive. But alas, David and I spent Sunday pulling the rug up (very hard feat) while watching a Biography on Frank Sinatra.

I listed it on craigslist today. Here's what I've gotten (I've of course marked them as Spam in my Gmail, but maybe going public with whatever contact information will have more effect). Keep in mind, I list my price in the ad.

From curtis_wright001@yahoo.com:
My name is Curtis located in Las Vegas, NV.

I saw your advert on your item at craigslist.com and Its exactly what I have been willing to purchase for long now. And I am extremely Interested in it.

Please let me know the final asking price and also If you are willing to sell for, I am giving you $100 extra for deleting the advert from craigslist before anything else.

Regards.
Curtis Wright.
8687 W Sahara Ste #108
Las Vegas, NV 89117
775-418-9488

Does Curtis seriously think I am going to A. Delete a posting EVER until it is out of my hands and cash has replaced it and B. Will he seriously pay for shipping from NY to NV? For an 8'x10' rug? No. And I love how he is "willing" to purchase something. Like I'm twisting his arm.

From t_miller01t@yahoo.ca:
Hello Seller
I am a legitimate business-man and I base in Canada ,i came across your advert on www.craigslist.org and i am highly,interested in buying the (Pottery Barn Rug ) which you offer for sale.Due to the fact that it's been a long that have been searching for it ,Kindly get back to me as soon as possible with the necessary answers to these questions that have in mind ,Are you the real owner? The present condition? And your final asking pric?,Furthermore I will like you to know that my form of payment is through a Money Order..
I await your urgent response so that we can proceed further....
Best Regards
Mr.Tony Miller...

My favorite part is how he is a "serious business-man." And maybe he taken a note from Steve Martin's Pure Drivel by refusing to use periods? At least I think that's how the sketch went...sooo funny.

And just for kicks, I got this spam email today with a link:

From blogger@teamblogs.com:
Please click here to view blog entry.
The blog entry would have been sent directly to your e-mail, but it just wouldn't do it justice.
Seeing it in html format via your internet browser allows for a more personable touch. =)
We like to keep our bloggers happy and eager for more.

-Team Blogger

Spam Liars! There is no Team Blogger! I hovered over the link to see where it was going. In Gmail I can do that because it's online. Don't click, just hover. It was going to this scary place (no, I did not activate it as a link):

http://www.outhouseprices.com/email.html" target="_blank

Then, once you clicked on it, it was going to record your email to include it on more spams.

Here is one of my favorite craigslist scams from when I was selling my little Nokia phone:
From smithwess_43@yahoo.com:
Scammer:
Hello Sir/Ma'am,

I want to know if this item is still avaliable for sale.contact me Asap with your firm price.

Me:
It is still available, and $50 is the price.

Scammer:
Hello FashionMista, Thanks for your prompt response to my inquiry for your item.I will get back to you later with my payment option. Thank you Smith.

Me:
Hi Smith, If by "option" you mean type of payment, I only accept cash at the time of the exchange of the item. Best,


Scammer:
hello fashionmista, Am not confortable with that,i have been robbed before in this type of exchange.I'm in wisconsin right now but I'll be leaving for london for a soccer coaching job in a week time.The ITEM is for my son's BIRTHDAY gift who travelled to spend sometime with his mum where she works in the US consulate in west africa.I'll have to add some extra for you to send it to him as soon as possible.I'll be paying you through Stormpay money order as soon as you make your decision i will pay you $95 for the item and shipment fee; it's secure and protects two parties in a transaction.Let me hear from You ASAP. Smith, Phone (915)-808-3485

Me:
Hi,
No offence, but this is a classic scam attempt. Please don't do it in Craig's List. It litters the site, which is filled with either honest people, or people connected to Africa in some way. Oddly, it is also filled with men looking to buy their sons electronic equipment. If you are truly in Wisconsin, and if your story is actually true, then you can pay online, like any other customer with an ecommerce transaction in an online store, and the item will be sent to you. I run a store online, and this is the way it works. If you are genuine, you may pay via paypal, the invoice of which I can send you. With payment, which would include shipping to wherever you need it, I can send the phone. If you are not interested, or if you are going to suggest some other means of payment for your own attempts, then do not reply to this email. If you do, I will report this email address as spam for your inconvenience.

That is all.

Of course, Smith never wrote back. He is also the second person I got seeking to buy their son a piece of electronic equipment. The first time it happened was when I was selling a little digital camera. Although I fell for that one, and thought it would be a "perfect gift." No more!

So, now you know. Don't click on links from emails, and don't do money orders ever to anyone.

UPDATE (9/2/07): Based on people searching for these scammers, I've started a new blog dedicated to exposing such scams, if they truly are scams. It's called Spammy Scammers and you can visit it here: www.spammyscammers.blogspot.com . See you over there!

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