By Chron Contributor Updated January 30, 2021
Craigslist is a convenient way to buy and sell goods or services, find a job, a roommate or almost anything under the sun. However, it has also opened the doors to scam artists who prey on buyers and sellers online.
Avoiding Craigslist Email Scams
Craigslist is intended for sellers only. In fact anyone posting outside of your local area can be reported and suspended from the service. Email is best used only to arrange a price and a time and place to meet in a public place.
Of course, distant scammers continue to prey on Craigslist vendors and are often from other countries. A common Craigslist problem is the prevalence of scam artists who pay for items with counterfeit checks and you are asked to cash it immediately and wire leftover money via telegraph. By the time your bank kicks back the fake check, you've already sent the money and you must pay back the bank.
Protecting Your Contact Information
Craigslist automatically hides your email address from listings with an email relay system. But once you start communicating to messages in your Craigslist inbox, it will use the name in your own email address. As well, it's not difficult for a scammer to get your email address using a Craigslist email address decoder.
Create an account on a Web-based email service dedicated to handling email from Craigslist. Use a different name; do not include your own name in the email address such as john.smith@gmail.com. Instead use a name like one_eyed_jack@gmail.com.
Identifying Potential Scams on Craigslist
Read the email you receive in response to your Craigslist ad very carefully. Look for poor grammar, misspelled words or strange phrases. Many scam artists are from outside the country and may not speak or write English well.
They typically send form letters stuffed with big promises hundreds or thousands of times. If you're suspicious, copy a key sentence from the beginning of the message and paste it into Google search inside quotation marks. You'll quickly discover if others have been scammed with that exact same email.
Protecting Yourself When Using Craigslist
Respond to the email you receive with your dedicated Craigslist email address. Limit personal information, such your address or phone number, in an email response. You can handily deal with an interested party or even a confirmed buyer without initially divulging this information. Some other ways to protect yourself include:
- Read up on services like Fraud Guides to be aware of recent scams on Craigslist.
- Trash correspondence from anyone asking for any financial information, such as your checking account number, Social Security number or other account numbers or passwords.
- Disregard email from anyone offering a nice rental for a very low price; they'll typically ask for a credit report but they are actually stealing your information.
- Reject an email from anyone offering to purchase anything sight unseen or offering you a large price above and beyond what you are asking for your listed item. The scam artist will pressure you to send merchandise before letting his counterfeit check clear the bank.
- Disregard email that sends you what appears to be an invoice from Craigslist, offering purchase protection or payment processing. Craigslist does not endorse or offer protection from any transaction. Craigslist users are on their own.
- Ignore email that suggests you use an online escrow service for payment of goods. Most Internet escrow sites are fake, according to Craigslist.
- Avoid email problems entirely by dealing with people in person.
- Take someone with you when you meet to handle a transaction.
- Ensure that any money order or check received from a Craigslist transaction clears the bank before you ship anything.
Remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
FAQs
Respond to the email you receive with your dedicated Craigslist email address. Limit personal information, such your address or phone number, in an email response. You can handily deal with an interested party or even a confirmed buyer without initially divulging this information.
How do I respond to a Craigslist buyer email? ›
How to reply to craigslist postings
- Click "Reply."
- A window with response options will appear. ...
- Make sure the response address is highlighted and copy it to your clipboard. ...
- Now open your email program and start a new message.
- Paste the response address into the "To" field.
Always use a proxy email address or phone number
Craigslist provides proxy email addresses to sellers, and it's a good idea to use them so browsers can't spam your actual email address.
How do you know if a buyer is scamming you on Craigslist? ›
Craigslist does not back any transaction on its site. If you receive an email or text trying to sell you purchase protection, you're looking at a scam. There is no such thing as a Craigslist voicemail service. If a contact asks you to access or check your “Craigslist voicemails,” you're dealing with a scammer.
How do I reply to a Craigslist email anonymously? ›
Unfortunately, no such protection exists for those replying to posts. When you reply directly from Craigslist, your email address will be visible to the recipient. To reply anonymously, you need to create a free Web-based email address, which does not contain identifiable information.
How does emailing work on Craigslist? ›
To reply to a Craigslist post, just click the reply button. To use your device's default email app, select the first link. Otherwise, select the web-based email you use (like Gmail or Yahoo) or copy and paste the email address at the bottom of the window into a new email manually.
Why doesn't my reply email work on Craigslist? ›
Make sure the post you are responding to is still active by refreshing the page. If the recipient has opted out of the conversation, you will no longer be able to email that address. Try sending your message again with less content, fewer or no attachments, and reduced file sizes.
What can a Craigslist scammer do with my email? ›
What Can Scammers Do With Your Email Address?
- Target you with sophisticated phishing emails.
- Find more sensitive information about you — including where you live.
- Attempt to hack into your social media or other online accounts.
- Impersonate you and scam your friends and family.
Fortunately, there are warning signs to watch for.
- The buyer is foreign. ...
- The buyer is unavailable. ...
- The buyer gives you too much information. ...
- The buyer is eager. ...
- The buyer makes a mistake. ...
- The investor uses sketchy advertising. ...
- The investor is unprofessional. ...
- The investor has no references.
Be familiar with Craigslist
Scammers often create lookalike sites to lure buyers into paying for items that don't exist. Always confirm the URL before finalizing a purchase. Craigslist does not back any transaction on its site. If you're offered purchase protection at a price, you're looking at a scam.
To protect buyer and seller privacy, Craigslist keeps email addresses hidden. However, even with this security system, you might want to take additional precautions when responding to emails from Craigslist.
Does Craigslist hide buyers email? ›
Craigslist automatically hides your email address from listings with an email relay system. But once you start communicating to messages in your Craigslist inbox, it will use the name in your own email address. As well, it's not difficult for a scammer to get your email address using a Craigslist email address decoder.
How do I report phishing emails to Craigslist? ›
Craigslist Scam Alert
If you suspect that an item posted for sale on Craigslist may be part of a scam, please e-mail the details to abuse@craigslist.org. Be sure to include the URL (or 10-digit post ID number) in your message. Please use the “spam” flag link in the top right corner of a spam posting.
How do you respond to a solicitation email? ›
An effective response should tell them exactly what we can do for them and why they should want us. To persuade the customer, our solicitation response must anticipate and answer their questions. Our solicitation response should be laid out to provide clear answers and terms for doing business.
How do I respond to a Craigslist rental? ›
You can reply to any post on Craigslist — just click the "reply" button at the top left of a post, and complete the Captcha puzzle if you're asked to. Some Craigslist listings will offer a phone contact to call or text, though most listings will only offer an email contact.
Does Craigslist hide buyer email? ›
Craigslist automatically hides your email address from listings with an email relay system. But once you start communicating to messages in your Craigslist inbox, it will use the name in your own email address. As well, it's not difficult for a scammer to get your email address using a Craigslist email address decoder.
How do I respond to a Craigslist job? ›
Here are some details on these steps and others you can take to respond to a Craigslist job:
- Read the job listing intently. ...
- Write a professional email. ...
- Attach your resume and cover letter. ...
- Follow up. ...
- Interview.
