Posts: 16,790
Threads: 723
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
0
From time-to-time I post items I no longer need on the local Craig's List.
Today I got a reply to a posting that came through Craig's List's anonymous response system, but unlike responses to my previous listings, this guy says "I don't check cl mail. so, personally email me at ..." with an email address containing a name that's different from the name shown in the "from" of Craig's List response.
I'm thinking those two factors alone make this response suspect. Am I being overly cautious?
Posts: 7,582
Threads: 124
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
2
"I don't check cl mail." - Yea, that part confuses me. CL mail just forwards to your email, it's not a separate account. If he's said "it goes to SPAM" or something, that I would believe.
Of course, this seems like a really inefficient way to harvest emails, and you'll probably spot any further attempts to scam from this person.
Sometimes, what I'll do, is set my outgoing email address to the CL anonymous email, so that they still only get that. (But this requires having a send mail server that will accept random email changes).
The name change is a toss up. Sometimes we all want to initially maintain a level of anonymity on CL (I usually strip my last name from emails on CL).
Posts: 37,943
Threads: 4,155
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
3
If they want to have a discussion using that email address, they could have initiated the conversation using that email. I've replied in the past saying just this, but they never respond. I would not respond if I were you.
Posts: 31,028
Threads: 2,688
Joined: May 2025
probably not respond, or ask for a phone number. if they give you one that is not local....
Posts: 5,279
Threads: 628
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
2
Happens to me often. Just ignore it. It's a time waster.
Posts: 6,806
Threads: 1,810
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
0
My 81 year old FIL's second wife put a couch on CL for $40.
Got the usual scam, first ... I have a check for $700 and you can keep half ... which they came very close to accepting.
Then came the "I don't check my CL replies so send me your email" which of course they did. Then they gave them their phone number. Sigh.
I mean, how much are these things you list worth? $40? $15?
I just don't think it's worth the risk. What if they come to your house for pick up and they are casing for a future crime?
Posts: 872
Threads: 27
Joined: May 2025
Reputation:
0
It’s a scam so they can’t be traced back to CL after they try to rip you off.
