Careful everyone. I just came across a scam involving a Collings guitar on Craigslist. It is actually pretty clever. Here is what happened.

I saw a brazilian Collings CW (with photos) advertised on Craigslist for $3700. It appeared to be a local ad. I sent an e-mail response to indicate interest and got an e-mail reply from a guy who said he was in Hawaii on his honeymoon -- but had left the guitar with The Online Outpost to sell. He claimed that usually The Online Outpost sold items on eBay for sellers (which is true), but in this case they were simply acting as agent for him for payment and shipping. He wrote me that if I provided a shipping address, he would have The Online Outpost contact me to execute the transaction. Although I was somewhat suspicious, I sent my shipping address. A few days later, I received a very official looking e-mail -- corporate logos, links, and all -- from the The Online Outpost confirming my purchase and shipping address. Another very official e-mail arrived with payment instructions -- that I should send $3700 via bank transfer to a Bank of America account that appeared to be in New York. The e-mail said "The Online Outpost requires the payment to be done through Bank Transfer".

Hmm, a bank tranfer? I don't think so. I picked up the phone and called The Online Outpost franchise in Connecticut. I asked if The Online Outpost requires payment by bank transfer. The woman responded "absolutely not!" She asked me, "Did you answer an ad on Craiglist?" She explained that it's a nationwide scam -- that The Online Outpost has the Feds and police all over it -- but many people have been taken.

I gotta tell you -- outside of the bank transfer requirement, the scam gives every appearance of being legit. Even the "contact us" links in the fake corporate e-mail result in a official looking personal reply.

So BEWARE!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Guitarhak,

Guitarhak,
Thanks for the Warning and Heads Up!!!!! Nice Work, Caustiosly tracking this down.
Thanks,
MRT

Wow - them are some mean streets out there. What a world.

Sounds familiar. Some clown stole an eBay ad of mine for a PRS HBI that I had already shipped to England, put it up on Craigslist Philadelphia and laid that "honeymoon in Hawaii" BS on everyone. Hopefully, anyone willing to pay $3700 for a guitar will have sense enough to smell a rat. As a legit private seller of decent guitars, that sort of crapola really muddies my crick.

quote:

Originally posted by Rider:
... that sort of crapola really muddies my crick.

Note to self: remember that phrase.

Good move. Craigslist is notorious for having scammers. The most obvious sign is when the seller has a complicated story and has some 'issue' that is keeping him from contacting you directly or doing a stand-up deal. Getting married, off to a foreign country for business, meeting in china, ANY excuse, it's always bs. Glad you didn't get scammed. I hate the people who pull this.

A friend of mine up in Michigan just ran across a bogus sale of a Merrill OM on his local Craiglist.
Seems like the harder times get the more persistant and clever the thieves get.

My impression of Craiglist is it's the wild wild west - more scams than ebay.
I listed some furniture there and just got this email:

"Hello,
How re You doing today?am okay with the price of it.. but ,I would like to pay with a bank cashier check,so you can easily cash it in your bank.if this is ok by you,you can get back to me with the full name to be written on the check,and your mailing address,(not p.o.box.)So i can send the information to my Bank and the payment will be forward to you from my Bank.
Im gonna handle the shipping myself as well.so im gonna Include the mover`s money with the payment im gonna send to you.So once you receive the money you will deduct your own money and send the remain to the mover that will come for the pick up at your place.
I await your response.thanks
Have a nice day.
Spencer."

Right, pay the "mover" and then wait for the fake check to bounce.

Rick

Guitarhak, nice bit of detective work.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: JKR,

Thanks guitarhak!

Craigslist is a tough one - there can be incredible deals, but it's also a breeding ground for scams. I'm currently trying to sell an expensive and often-copied watch and had considered Craigslist. Then I found a few local sales of the same watch (and some which are still current ads), many of which were easily spotted as scams. I started to believe one in particular and nearly sold to him, then recognized the err of this ways. I don't know that everyone would have caught it - I certainly didn't the first time. They're getting slick!

I think I'll make this a sticky to sit at the top of the forum as a warning of this type of scam.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: elambo,

The Craigslist scams work both ways. I put a mandolin with Calton case up there and got an inquiry asking about the condition - which I had already thoroughly documented - and then an offer to buy it. The person would have his "agent" send me a cashier's check to cover the full price plus shipping. He was in Japan on his way to his home in England, so would not be available for a period of time. But his agent would know how to get the mando to him.

Ya right! I politely declined the sale. Excaped having my crick muddied that time.

Caveat Emptor, I believe they say

Jim

DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist.