Is it legal to post a fake ad on craigslist?

[Dave]

Say it was for a certain type of car. I would make about 5 to 10 fake ads of a certain car at a low price. I wouldn't use anyone else's phone number nor contact them back when they reply to the ad. All I want is for another seller to see my ads and post their car below the actual car value. Would this be legal?

[Nancy Kay]

no

[A Hunch]

it's not illegal.
But do you think someone is going to say "hey, this guy is selling the car cheaper. I think I'll match that price." Or do you think the guy will say "wow, there must be something wrong with that car to sell it so far below the value".

[David]

Yes, this small amount of mischief is legal. However, done in a larger scale it is considered economic fraud. To be able to prove this, law enforcement would have to have a complaint first, then they would need to subpoena craigslist for the records. If craigslist caught you on their own putting fake posts, they have a big price tag in their TOU that you agreed to pay them if your caught, there is a section describing this type of misuse in their terms. If you were in their jurisdiction, they could in theory, drag you into court, and sue you for violating their TOU.