Craigslist scams are a real threat whether you’re buying, selling, or looking for a new job. With this guide, learn to identify and avoid these scams. And with the features available in LifeLock Standard, you can more easily monitor your credit reports and get alerts if your information is used to open an account or appears on the dark web.
Craigslist scams targeting sellers and buyers aren’t rare, but you can avoid them by learning to recognize red flags and warning signs. In this guide, we’ll cover some of the most common scams on Craigslist sites and tips for keeping your money and identity safer.
In a rental scam, someone on Craigslist will list a property for rent to steal your money or your personal and financial information. Rental scammers may create listings for properties they don’t own or recreate legitimate listings with a different phone number or URL.
What to do if you suspect this scam:
Craigslist text scams can start with the other party saying they want to confirm you aren’t a scammer. Don't give out any codes sent to your phone, especially if it says it’s for verifying your identity. The code is for a Google Voice account the scammer set up using your number.
Once the scammer has the code, they can use your number to scam other people. While you might not know what’s going on at first, you could start receiving messages from strangers, friends, and family members accusing you of trying to scam them. A Craigslist code scam could have long-term consequences that you don’t want to deal with, including potential problems with law enforcement.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
A ticket scam is when someone sells fake or nonexistent tickets to a game, concert, or event. Scammers like to use Craigslist for concert scams because it has a large user base and is a fast and easy way to buy tickets from someone in your area.
The problem is that Craigslist doesn’t offer a way to pay for items on the site, meaning you have less protection if you get scammed. You can avoid this Craigslist buyer scam by using authorized resellers or contacting the venue for tickets directly.
What to do if you suspect this scam:
Scammers will try to sell you anything — even fake pets. In a pet scam, a scammer will list animals for sale on Craigslist, sometimes claiming they’re a breeder. Other times, they’ll say they’re trying to rehome an animal because they’re moving or unable to care for it.
It becomes a scam when they advertise animals that don’t exist and take your money.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
Craigslist check scams are really easy to see and avoid: a buyer offers to send you a cashier’s check to pay for something, but they want you to send it before the payment arrives. If you do send it, the check will either never arrive, or it’ll be fake.
While it might seem difficult to fake a cashier’s check, it’s actually pretty easy. If the seller wants to pay by check, tell them the item won’t be shipped until the payment clears. Don’t be surprised if they get pushy or back out of the sale — it probably means that they were trying to commit check fraud.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
An overpayment scam doesn’t seem like a scam at first: a buyer contacts you saying they can send you money right away for whatever you’re selling, only they send more than you asked for. They’ll quickly realize their mistake and ask you to refund the overage.
If this person paid by check, they’ll ask you to refund the overage using PayPal or a wire transfer. If they paid using a digital wallet, they’ll ask you to return the money using a different method.
But once you return the overage, they’ll cancel the original payment, meaning you’re out the cost of the overage and the item you sold. It could turn out that the check they used to pay you is false, too.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
As a way of getting you to let your guard down, scammers posing as sellers on Craigslist may say that they are a “Guaranteed Seller” on Craigslist. They may even have some high-quality images on their listing or send you an email that looks like it came directly from Craigslist.
But Craigslist offers no such certifications or guarantees to anyone. This is a scam.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
Buying a car can be complicated, and people may assume that using Craigslist to buy a car is easier because they don’t have to deal with high-pressure salespeople or auto loans. But that doesn’t mean you can let your guard down.
Some signs of a car sale scam include sellers hiding damage, creating fake listings, pricing a vehicle too low, or offering fake vehicle history reports to close a sale.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
Even though security measures make it more difficult to transfer plane tickets and other types of travel documents, some scammers will try to take advantage of your desire to see the world. Fake ticket wholesalers and travel companies will offer deals that are way below what you’ve seen on other sites, even discount travel sites. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
Because most people know that scams can happen on Craigslist, the scammers have adapted. When buying or selling, some scammers say that all of their transactions must go through an escrow company to protect them. They also point out that you’re protected by these kinds of arrangements.
But the reality is that these scammers set up fake escrow companies or accounts to steal your money or build fake sites designed to capture your personal information.
If anyone on Craigslist says they want to use an escrow company, research them on your own and offer an alternative you know is legitimate. If the other person doesn’t like it, they can choose to sell to someone else.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
Finding your dream job on Craigslist is possible, but don’t let your enthusiasm for a new position blind you to employment-related fraud and scams.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
If you’re browsing Craigslist and you find something you want at a really good price, but the listing says that the seller is living overseas, it’s more than likely a scam. Whether the seller claims to be deployed in the military or a student studying in another country, they’re trying to get people to send them money for items that don’t exist.
The seller will claim that they need to get rid of their stuff while they’re overseas or that they need to sell it quickly to avoid another month of storage fees, hence the low price. But they’ll eventually tell you that you can’t see anything in person and that you’ll need to send money using a wire transfer or other untraceable method.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
In a middleman scam, a seller on Craigslist will have something listed for sale, but once you start talking with them, they reveal that they’re selling it on behalf of someone else. This is a big red flag.
Not only could it mean that this person is selling stolen property, but it could also mean that they want to accept your payment and then send you somewhere to pick up an item only to find out there was never anything for sale.
Signs to look out for:
What to do if you suspect this scam:
