CL scammers - what's the angle here...

[MercFan]

I have been advertising some car parts on CL getting few bites.

Some are legitimate, others I can tell are not. The response is always short and has a sense of urgency - like, "that's a real bargain", or "extremely interested", etc. I respond to them just like I do to any other ad, just on a chance that there is real intention to buy on the other side, but they usually don't go anywhere. Other then my phone number, what are these guys aiming to achieve with these garbage inquiries?! What's the angle here...

James

[panZZer]

Originally Posted by MercFan

I have been advertising some car parts on CL getting few bites.

Some are legitimate, others I can tell are not. The response is always short and has a sense of urgency - like, "that's a real bargain", or "extremely interested", etc. I respond to them just like I do to any other ad, just on a chance that there is real intention to buy on the other side, but they usually don't go anywhere. Other then my phone number, what are these guys aiming to achieve with these garbage inquiries?! What's the angle here...

James

One guy in phoenix was working some angle for an old chevelle part i posted last yr,,, "Im coming to town --whats your address?, If i cant make it i have a colleague who will pick it up whats your address?, ill send my check to you whats your home mailing address? No I wont deal with a po box whats your address? he was real ardent. 7 mos later --same guy on an entirely different vehile part 50 yrs older trying to get my address again.........

[cmac2012]

I think that if you reply to the bogus responses (I've gotten plenty of the same) they then have your actual e-mail address as opposed to the CL anon-address. Could be a bot for spammers.

I've seen some ads that say something like "please include the words "- - - - -" in the subject line." I don't think the bots read that well.

[MTI]

Sounds like data mining.

[elchivito]

It's mail phishing. Even if you anonymize on CL, when you reply to a mail inquiry you're sending your address in the clear. I always disguise my phone number and tell interested buyers to call and we can discuss the item, or I include text in the ad to this effect: "If interested, reply to the email link above with your contact information and I'll call you." Serious buyers won't mind doing that. If they do, tough noogies.

[Yak]

When I listed my car with Mercedes in the description, the majority of the responses were spam. When I listed some old computer parts, there was almost no spam.

I suspect the spam/scam artists search key words or terms that connote wealth and then they go from there.

On the flip side, I don't understand sellers who make it darn near impossible to contact them or to see the item. If you're not interested in selling, then why list the item? I had one guy selling a run of the mill table and chairs, $30, and it took four e-mails to get an address.

Q. Where can I see it?
A. I'm on the NW side of town.

Q. Me too, near [named major intersection]. What's your address?
A. I'm inside the loop near the Witte.

Q. I'm interested and have cash, but I need to see it tonight since I'm packing my daughter to school tomorrow. What's the address?
A. Are you coming right over?

Q. Yes, if you tell me the address I'll come look at it right now.
A. Okay, I just wanted to make sure you were serious.

[LandYaghtLover]

Its just to get data, mainly addresses.

One EASY to way find this out is to look at the from and reply to address. If they do not match, its a bot. Don't reply.

I myself never respond to a message if its too short. Most will ask something that includes the item. For example I am selling a VW Beetle right now. If I get a "Is it still available?", I will not respond. But if I get a "I was wondering if the Bug is still for sale?", then I will respond.

[panZZer]

Originally Posted by Yak

When I listed my car with Mercedes in the description, the majority of the responses were spam. When I listed some old computer parts, there was almost no spam.

I suspect the spam/scam artists search key words or terms that connote wealth and then they go from there.

On the flip side, I don't understand sellers who make it darn near impossible to contact them or to see the item. If you're not interested in selling, then why list the item? I had one guy selling a run of the mill table and chairs, $30, and it took four e-mails to get an address.

Q. Where can I see it?
A. I'm on the NW side of town.

Q. Me too, near [named major intersection]. What's your address?
A. I'm inside the loop near the Witte.

Q. I'm interested and have cash, but I need to see it tonight since I'm packing my daughter to school tomorrow. What's the address?
A. Are you coming right over?

Q. Yes, if you tell me the address I'll come look at it right now.
A. Okay, I just wanted to make sure you were serious.

If i had a dog like yours Yak--i wouldn't be near as uneasy for select people stopping by--But someone from 1000 miles away trying what The guy I mentioned above was clearly up to something.

Im glad I still got my hand

[Yak]

Originally Posted by panZZer

If i had a dog like yours Yak--i wouldn't be near as uneasy for select people stopping by--But someone from 1000 miles away trying what The guy I mentioned above was clearly up to something.

Im glad I still got my hand

He's friendly, unless you're a squirrel. The cat even punches him in the face.

[duxthe1]

After replying to those spammers you can expect a lot of spam from "Canadian pharmacies" and the like. Seriously, don't reply to anything that doesn't specificly reference what you are advertising. It is almost standard protocol to put specific instructions in your posting that must be met before a reply will be considered valid.

[MercFan]

Yes - I need to start asking for a keyword in ALL replies. Thx -

[Graplr]

Originally Posted by LandYaghtLover

Its just to get data, mainly addresses.

One EASY to way find this out is to look at the from and reply to address. If they do not match, its a bot. Don't reply.

I myself never respond to a message if its too short. Most will ask something that includes the item. For example I am selling a VW Beetle right now. If I get a "Is it still available?", I will not respond. But if I get a "I was wondering if the Bug is still for sale?", then I will respond.

People are stupid though. I've sold plenty of stuff on CL. You wouldn't believe the number of people that write one line generic replies that are actual people or that can't follow the directions in an ad like putting a keyword in. So that may work with some people but not all.

My fix is to create a generic email address from yahoo or gmail and answer all ads through that account. Then if you accidentally respond to a slammed you just ditch the email account when you don't want to deal with it anymore. That said, moat of the time you can tell as domineering mentioned, look at the address it came from. If it ia off or doesn't match the name then it is bogus.

[LandYaghtLover]

Originally Posted by Graplr

People are stupid though. I've sold plenty of stuff on CL. You wouldn't believe the number of people that write one line generic replies that are actual people or that can't follow the directions in an ad like putting a keyword in. So that may work with some people but not all.

My fix is to create a generic email address from yahoo or gmail and answer all ads through that account. Then if you accidentally respond to a slammed you just ditch the email account when you don't want to deal with it anymore. That said, moat of the time you can tell as domineering mentioned, look at the address it came from. If it ia off or doesn't match the name then it is bogus.

I agree. But I dont want to take the risk. I use GMail, so I dont get any spam anyway. But I just dont want to deal with the potential BS out there.

I did have one today that said to call. It was a local number. Sale is for a 1919 Smith Cornoa Typewriter. The name and name in the e-mail did not match. When I called, she said she was looking at this for a friend. After some research I found that it was all legit. The name and number match, etc. But it had me wondering for a bit.

[Graplr]

Originally Posted by LandYaghtLover

I agree. But I dont want to take the risk. I use GMail, so I dont get any spam anyway. But I just dont want to deal with the potential BS out there.

I did have one today that said to call. It was a local number. Sale is for a 1919 Smith Cornoa Typewriter. The name and name in the e-mail did not match. When I called, she said she was looking at this for a friend. After some research I found that it was all legit. The name and number match, etc. But it had me wondering for a bit.

A local phone number is almost always a legitimate person (they could be an axe murderer but more than likely not a spammer).