Avoiding Craigslist Scams

While Craigslist is a useful way to find some excellent items for a cheap price, it is also home to quite a few scammers. There are a few simple precautions that one can take to ensure that they aren’t scammed while using the Craigs list service.

The most important thing is to pay attention to how the opposite party wishes to interact with you. For example, someone who is attempting to sell you an item may try to force you to deal via Escrow or Western Union. This same type of person may also refuse to meet you in person and may only want to deal through the internet. While sometimes people may just be paranoid of meeting a stranger in real life, these types of actions are usually scams. It isn’t ideal to work with these types of people unless absolutely necessary.

Another important fact is that you should never give out personal financial information (such as a social security number) to a buyer / seller as this information is not required to make a transaction. Anyone asking for such information is attempting to gain access to your personal information without your consent.

In conclusion, it is important to watch for scamming techniques when dealing with others on Craigslist.