I tried to sell a couch on Craigslist and nearly lost my shirt in the process. I received an email from a Neil Coker who claimed to be interested in the couch. Everything seemed fine until the time came for the check to be sent. I confirmed the approval of the offer and he in turn told me that his secretary would draft a check. I then received another email stating that his secretary had made a clerical error and rather than $250 she wrote the check for $2500. He wanted me to keep $100 for my trouble and wire the rest to his mover who was to pick up the couch.
I've notified the authorities. If the check comes I'm refusing it or returning it depending on whether or not I'm home when it arrives. It makes me nervous that the guy has my personal information about where I live and my cell number. The local PD do not seem to concerned. Chances are the guy doesn't even live in the states. Most of these things are based in Nigeria or somewhere outside the US, so I'm probably fine, but still, it makes me a little nervous.
I also listed my resume on Craigslist without the personal info showing. I got two responses, one for elder care and one for babysitting. Now the guy who needs the sitter is going by Dr. Paul rather than Smith. The other one is a George Tamba. Beware of these guys. I've pulled all of my listings off Craigslist.
The wild thing is that I'm an admin. I never even listed any experience with elder care or child care. All I can say is be careful. There are lots of scammers and some of them look really legitimate, but they are what they are.
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