Dangers Of Craigslist Meetups and Sales

D

Diane Lane

Well-Known Member
I've seen so many stories of people harmed or killed due to meeting strangers from Craigslist to buy or sell items. It's scary out there. Some Police Departments have begun allowing transactions in their lobbies, in an attempt to increase safety, but that isn't always possible. Here's the latest story I've seen, it's about a young man who was found dead after trying to sell his car on Craigslist. My prayers are going out to his family. Student found dead after disappearing while trying to sell car on Craigslist | Fox News
 
It's unfortunate that people use personal ads and the like to prey on people. Many transactions are done safely, but that's why you should always be wary of what information you give out and where you meet.

Sometimes it is worth using an agent or a dealer with things like car and property as it's not worth the risk and hassle. There are too many scam artists around these days and they are very clever.
 
I've heard so many Craigslist horror stories and think it's a really good idea for police departments to allow transactions to take place in their reception areas. I suppose you need to apply the same rules to these meetups as you would to online dating in order to stay safe.
 
I’ve considered using Craigslist to buy/sell, but stories like these always manage to put me off. I do like the idea of police departments allowing transactions in their lobbies as well, hopefully it becomes a more widespread practice. I would still be more likely to use a dealer to sell my car, though.
 
I have heard of way to many scary stories of people going missing or killed from using Craigslist. Its sad really. I think Police offering to allow people to complete transactions in their lobby is the smartest idea! Knowing that is an option I would never meet anyone from Craigslist unless that's where we were meeting. Even if that was not an option you can always meet up in the parking lot of the police station, that way if anything goes wrong the police are right at hand.
 
This story really upsets me, as do all of them. I don't understand why anyone would agree to meet a stranger anywhere that wasn't 100% safe. I would insist that we seal the deal over a cup of coffee somewhere, and I would have a couple of friends with me.
 
I actually have a friend who ran into one of these creepzoids through Craigslist. It was her very first photography job and she was hired to do a wedding. The groom tried to scam her out of the pictures and pushed her off her front porch in the process of trying to leave the premises. He didn't make it too far. A .223 hunting rifle with a laser scope seemed to make him a lot more polite and he changed his tune real quick like. ;) She took charges out on the chucklehead and when the police went to get him they found guns in his truck and him a felon. Needless to say he's' gone for 7 years. lol
 
Craigslist doesn't look so legit now. We should be really very careful about meeting and dealing with people over there. We all know that the cyberspace is full of evil. Stay alert all the time.
 
It's best to meet up with online strangers from anywhere, not just Craigslist, with at least one or two other friends. Better to be safe than sorry.
 
What a nasty piece of work that Gordon is! To do this over his lunch break and just carry on with his life as if nothing happened is beyond VILE. I hope he gets the very harshest of sentences. Good thing this is America, there's every chance he'll get his just desserts. I feel for poor Taylor and his family. The thing is, I know not everyone on Craigslist is a potential killer or rapists, but it seems to have become the hunting ground for the most unsavoury types! Maybe I'm too cautious, but I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole, I'd stay well clear!
 
It is scary.. that's why I would never go that route for something very expensive. For regular every day things, I would make sure it's a safe situation, like meeting in a busy area or something, but I'm not all that worried about it. I've heard of one incident here and it was someone they knew. Which is mainly the case for most homicides here. Not saying it will never happen, it's just not common at all.
 
Pre-caution:
make sure you get to know his details,his offences if any,if possible.
Never agree to meet in a desolated area.Chances are way higher,if you agree so.
Make sure you get along a few of your friends too,if you are agreeing to a deal and plan on meeting that person.
 
My sister and her friend were fresh out of their second year of college, they decided to move off campus and get an apartment to try and save money. They answered an add on CL and made an appointment to go see the rental. When my sister and her friend got to the apartment an older guy let them in and showed them around. He asked them to take their shoes off at the door which they did. When he was done with the tour he told them to walk around and talk about the rental between themselves. My sister and her friend walked to the back and gave the bedrooms another look. Just then a mans voice started yelling toward the front of the apartment saying "Hello" "Anybody here". A different man rushed into the bedrooms and asked the girls how they got in and what they were doing on his property. He seemed quite upset. The girls explained that they had answered a CL add for the apartment rental. The owner than told them that it was not for rent and that he had just finished remolding the apartment for he and hos wife and they just haven't had the furniture moved back in yet! When they started out to the front they noticed that their shoes were gone! They were just flip-flops, but they were gone. Some guy had made a fictitious add and lured girls to the apartment for who knows what reason! Maybe he had a weird women's shoe fetish, IDK? Anyhow, long story short Go to CL adds in big, big groups of people. Be safe out there!
 
@IrishHeather, that has become very common here in the Houston area, as well. I actually found some ads like that when I was looking for this place. What they do is see a desirable ad, and copy it exactly, then re-post it with their contact information, but lower the price significantly, which draws people in. So, what we can learn from that is if the price is too good, it's probably not a legitimate ad. I saw several of them back then, and I backtracked the listings, contacted the actual realtors, the police, and the local news stations, to advise them. In some cases, they will go to the house, usually one with a lock box, and change out the lock for their own, so they can show potential renters (aka pawns) around, as that man did with your sister. It's a profitable game, wherein they can collect first and last month's rent, pet and other deposits, and make off with it all, before anyone even realizes they've been duped. It's happened here where people have actually moved in, turned on utilities, etc., and are then out all that money, which is usually all they have to their names. It's a very sad situation, which is why I went to the trouble I did back then. I hate seeing people scammed, and even worse, harmed or killed.

I've bought items through Craigslist ads, but it's been a long time. It's scary nowadays, like the wild west, but as some others have found out lately, not everyone will be a victim, and I think we'll soon be hearing stories of potential victims of these transactions fighting back. It seems that is what it will take to deter criminals, because they're obviously not afraid of being caught by the police.
 
I've never trusted Craigslist, especially because they have a very poor security program if you get scammed. I recommend eBay for most of the things that you find important, but Craigslist is a good place if you are looking for something cheap and fast.
 
FuZyOn said:
I've never trusted Craigslist, especially because they have a very poor security program if you get scammed. I recommend eBay for most of the things that you find important, but Craigslist is a good place if you are looking for something cheap and fast.
Click to expand...
If you are an Indian,i would advice you to not got for ebay,worst seller protection.Luckily i got scammed for only thousands,a hard disk that i sold online.
Ebay never really trusts seller,at least in here and in my case.Sucks.
 
I feel for the family. I was watching something on tv about them coming up with safer location spots for people to meet up who have met on Craigslist. It might have been the police station. It's horrible that there are people who use Craigslist to harm people.
 
Kandi said:
I feel for the family. I was watching something on tv about them coming up with safer location spots for people to meet up who have met on Craigslist. It might have been the police station. It's horrible that there are people who use Craigslist to harm people.
Click to expand...
Lolz..That only gets unwanted attention.In here when we choose to meet with the cops,then they will interfere and find a way to actually.
Also what according to you are the other safe locations.?
 
@musicmonster I agree, some of the ads stand out as scammers. I had something listed online on a local classifieds site recently, and got the scammiest email that totally turned me off. It could be that the guy had the money and would have come through, but I've been scammed enough to shy away from anything that seems suspicious. I'll sell the item eventually, to a legitimate person.

@bala, eBay here used to not stand behind sellers, but they're switched back around, at least as far as my last transaction, and stood behind me. I'd stopped using them when they stopped standing behind sellers, because why would I give money to a site that does that. I'd heard they had changed back, so gave them another shot, and was pleasantly surprised. I hope that happens in India, too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top