# Craislist scammers
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [May 25, 2016, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709 "2016-05-25T23:59:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2016, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/1 "2016-05-25T23:59:07Z")
Dear Craigslist scammers: If you are going to put up an scam ad in Spokane Washington for a car you don’t own, it would be smarter not to use a picture of a car that has palm trees in the back ground. That is all.
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### Author:  [@RememberMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RememberMe)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2016, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/2 "2016-05-26T11:45:18Z")
The scammers don’t want the person who would notice a detail like that to respond.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2016, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/3 "2016-05-26T11:52:51Z")
Well, people do grow palm trees [in the Spokane area](http://www.cloudforest.com/northwest/forum/11748.html).
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### Author:  [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2016, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/4 "2016-05-26T11:54:39Z")
My mom was contacted by an idiot who tried to scam her over some $50 carpeting! It was the old “My assistant sent you a check for too much, so just cash it and send me the difference.” Yeah, that worked… :rolleyes:
Craigslist, home of the lowest common denominator. Fortunately, you don’t have to be \*too \*savvy to avoid those boneheads.
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### Author:  [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/5 "2016-05-26T20:32:51Z")
> [@pohjonen](#):
>
> Dear Craigslist scammers: If you are going to put up an scam ad in Spokane Washington for a car you don’t own, it would be smarter not to use a picture of a car that has palm trees in the back ground. That is all.
It just so happens that I took the car to SoCal for the picture shoot. The lighting is better there.
😛
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### Author:  [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/6 "2016-05-26T22:35:54Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> Well, people do grow palm trees [in the Spokane area](http://www.cloudforest.com/northwest/forum/11748.html).
Perhaps, but I’ve lived here for 25 years and have never seen one. They must be as rare as hens teeth.
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### Author:  [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/7 "2016-05-27T01:40:57Z")
> [@pohjonen](#):
>
> Dear Craigslist scammers: If you are going to put up an scam ad in Spokane Washington for a car you don’t own, it would be smarter not to use a picture of a car that has palm trees in the back ground. That is all.
When I sold my Lincoln Continental in Michigan (before moving to China), I included some recent pictures that I took of it on a beach in Mexico. Yes, with palm trees behind it.
I also listed it on Craigslist at kbb/private/average value, which was significantly lower than all of the other same-year Continentals (because of course, everyone thinks their car is immaculate and uses a too-high kbb price).
One of the calls that I got was from someone who was obviously _very_ cynical. When he asked why I was selling it and I told him I was moving to China, it was apparent that he thought I was a scammer.
I guess I did everything wrong, but still managed to sell it for the asking price, and fairly quickly at that. 😃
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### Author:  [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/8 "2016-05-27T14:35:14Z")
How does this scam (selling cars that you don’t own) work? Are people paying for cars without showing up and seeing the car?
[My daughter just bought a car from a guy listing on Craigslist - worked out quite well and exactly like any other car sale.]
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### Author:  [@heartsplayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heartsplayer)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2016, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/craislist-scammers/755709/9 "2016-05-27T22:37:08Z")
Thankfully, I do not visit Craigslist, so have not seen such scammers - however, it’s more than likely… I’ve heard of scamming on other sites (that I shall not name)…