Tips for Craigslist scammers (or identifying them ;) )

Can you spot the fake?

Hello,

Thanks for your prompt responds, However, i will need your name and address for payment,As am only able to make payment by money order at this time b/c i am away on assignment. It will be nice if you can send me more pictures. It will take about 7days for payment to get to you. As per pick-up, I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment has been received by you. I don't mind adding thirty dollars so you can keep it in my favor.Please take the posting off Craigslist today and consider it sold to me,pls i will like to have $30 for keeping the item for me.Include your  phone number.

  Expecting to hear from you soon.

    Regards



 BILL COOK.Jr.
Hi,

what are the dimensions? thank you

Susan Bari Jones
Hi, what are the dimensions of the table? Leg clearance measurement would be helpful. Thanks
  1. Proofread, use spell check, and grammar check (Steal MS Word if necessary!). You're probably using a template anyway, so you only need to do this once. Take some time to make sure your template has no stupid errors, because emails with spelling and grammar errors go to my Trash.
  2. Don't use a name like Fred Jones or Bill Cook. Try something a little more creative, like Jim Jervais or Sheila Jones. Note, only be creative with the first OR last name, not both.
  3. Don't use weird spacing like Bill Cook Jr did. I'm not even sure how it happened, but use tabs and spaces like a normal person.
  4. Don't ever use all caps. While not necessarily indicative of a scammer, I just won't respond to you if you use all caps.
  5. If you're scamming in America, be short and concise. No one is going to write a lengthy epistle in response to a Craigslist post, because what your selling is probably gone by the time they are responding anyway.
  6. Ask a meaningful question, such as "What are the dimensions of the table you're selling?" Note, this can even get you through my filter if you have made a few punctuation errors.
  7. Get a legit looking email that makes me think your with a company, like [email protected] . If you have to use a free email to avoid being tracked, use gmail. @aol and @hotmail are flags, @yahoo is not much better.
  8. I would tell you not to ask me to do anything with Western Union or ask me to ship the goods, but then how would you rip me off?

These simple tips should at least get me to reply to you and extend our conversation to a point where I might consider doing a deal with you.