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+--- Thread: Possible Craigslist Scam? (/thread-140500.html)
Possible Craigslist Scam? - Rob - 04-17-2014 04:50 AM
Someone from Africa wants me to ship them an item I put on Craigslist. If I give them my Paypal email, can they do anything malicious? Or is it safe as long as I check my actualy Paypal account for the funds? Could they hack my account with my email?
- 633 - 04-17-2014 04:57 AM
Hi from France ♫
There are many scams on Craigslist ! Especially from Africans. It is not safe at all so !
Best
Cat.
- Kittysue - 04-17-2014 05:01 AM
It's a scam. You have NO protection from Paypal if you ship to an unverified address, and Paypal prohibits all transactions with many countries in Africa including Nigeria and Ghana.Not to mention, postal theft is a massive problem and when the item doesn't arrive, Paypal refunds the buyer. It's NOT your job to ship to Africa. You ONLY ship to the verified address and if they want it shipped to Africa, that's their problem.
This article from back in 2008 explains how the paypal/craigslist scam works http://consumerist.com/2008/10/30/how-a-nigerian-steals-your-laptop/
Whichis why Craigslist warns users to ONLY deal with people you meet face to face, NEVER give out Paypal details to anyone and AVOID ALL transactions that involve shipping
Unfortunately if you already gave your Paypal details you need to change your address ASAP as they will use password hacking software to hack your account
Don't even respond to the buyer - it's a scam
NEVER sell to anyone you cannot meet you in person at the public location of YOUR choice and pay CASH
- Cudi - 04-17-2014 05:13 AM
Yes, it might be a scam. In Africa, there are many (easy) ways to transfer funds between fraudulent bank accounts which can be used to take your money and render the whole thing untraceable by Paypal. They could also claim to never have received it and it would be very hard for you to prove otherwise and retrieve your money.