Scammers on Craigslist

LIke my username suggests: I've been scammed. I lost a very nice, very valuable ring to a scammer. Prior to this event, I did not know what or who scammers are. I've never sold anything.......and won't again. I opened up a PayPal account and got 2 fake PayPal webpages stating the buyer was a verified buyer AND the money was there........all they needed was the shipping number, which I gave them. The ring is gone and I paid to have it shipped. Sucks to be me, huh? I've also received over 30 emails from them with various reasons why the money is not there.

I have since turned them in to the police and internet scam/fraud sites. I am very angry. Here is the address they used and who the package is supposedly going to:

[email protected]
OJO OLADOTUN.O
1 ASO ROCK NEW SITE OKEOGA AJIBODE
OTA
OGUN STATE
NIGERIA
23439

If you are selling something......CASH only. No PayPal, no western union, no cashiers check, nothing but cash and that goes in your hand.

BTW, I still have most of the emails...and a hard copy of the first fake PayPal webpage.

I'm sorry to hear you were scammed.

Just a note, though.

While selling locally for cash is always a good idea, there are times when it's not feasible to sell an item locally (for example, lack of local buyers, item is worth a lot more if you sell long-distance). Paypal is generally a safe payment method--if you are familiar with it and take appropriate precautions.

1) Never follow any link to paypal sent to you in an email.
2) Never ship anything unless you log into paypal (again, never from an email link) and see the money in your account. PAYPAL DOES NOT HOLD MONEY--EVER. If you receive an email claiming that Paypal is holding your payment pending shipping info, or saying that you can send money and paypal will hold it for you for any reason, it is a scam.
3) Never accept a deal that involves you forwarding part of the money to a third party--if the deal was legitimate, the buyer would just pay the third party himself. There is no legitimate reason you should be in the middle.
4) always keep records of what you shipped and when. For more expensive items, it is often worth it to ship insured, or at least by a carrier that requires a recipient signature. In the unlikely event that the buyer tries to reverse the payment or claims he/she didn't get the item, the signature is your evidence.

Thank you, Dotti. If I had known about your reason #2, you would have never heard from me. That is exactly what happened to me. The fake PayPal website said I needed to enter the tracking number and send it to them AND the scammer in order to get my money. Not used to using PayPal, and not knowing I was being "taken", I did just that. Eeeek.

I received a message from this person, and got the same email from paypal saying I needed to send a tracking number, luckily when I got to the post office the lady suggested not to send it. She said people who have sent items to Nigeria have regretted it because it is so crooked. The item I was going to be sending to him was worth a lot of money, hearing this from the lady at the post office made me feel uncomfortable and so I decided to research his name, then found your postings on here, I am very grateful for your posting, I am also sorry this happened to you, but I feel as though people should know that this person is out there and is still scamming people.
Thanks..Hello,
 
I have reposed my confidence in you that you will not disappoint me as this will be my first time of buying something like this online,I have  proceed to PayPal with your payment and  payment was made confirmed and successfully .i added $100 to cover shipping cost via (REGISTER MAIL SERVICE OF USPS POST OFFICE),So you will received the payment confirmation mail from PayPal via your email inbox or junk mail.My friend instruct to have the package ship via REGISTER MAIL SERVICE OF USPS POST OFFICE,Because they have a custom to monitor and protect the package when it is arrived to Nigeria.And they also want the item to be bless by there pastor before engagement day.Please get the item ship via Register Mail Service Of Usps.
 
SHIPPING INFORMATION
 
NAME   :OJO OLADOTUN
ADDRESS:6,ANU OLUWAPO STREET OKESUNA
CITY   :OTA
STATE  :OGUN STATE
COUNTRY:NIGERIA
ZIPCODE:23439
Thank you
 
Please check your inbox/junk of your PayPal e-mail to see the Paypal payment confirmation mail from PayPal,Nice doing business with you.
Best Regards.
 
Thank you

I received an email from a lady about a bracelet I was selling, she was very interested in this item, and very pushy about having a shipper or mover come to my location to pick it up, but then was including 2200 extra to cover the cost of the shipper... Then I went on with how uncomfortable I was with a mover coming to my house, somebody I don't know, so I expressed this to her and then she revealed that she is "heavily" pregnant. Then I told her if we cannot do this transaction my way then we will not go through with it. She then stated she was elderly, that is when I told her I did not care who she was, just that the transaction needed to be completed my way or it would not happen at all. She finally agreed, then after she sent the check she said the mover will contact me, and I was like that is not what we agreed on, and I will send this check back to you. She then followed my response with "I think you are scamming me and I will contact the FBI, or you can cash the check, it is your choice." so when I received the check I sent it back immediately without even opening it and required a signature for it. The address she had on the envelope was not hers because the return address was a Jim moats who then contacted my apartment complex looking for me, and trying to figure out why he had received a check for $3000. She went by the name ms. Keisha...if you have any questions feel free to ask, also her grammar was very poor, and sometimes hard to understand, I do believe that is a sign you are being scammed as well as the mover they hire and what not.Hello,
       Is not that i wish to be adamant to your instructions but am a heavily pregnant woman and i also have some baby kids that i have purchased that the mover will be picking up for me so that is why am including the shipment fee with the coming check and my bank says it will clear after two days deposited. I have took my time to trust your mail and i believed you sound honest and i can assure you a save transaction on my ends . The mover will  call you when you get the check.
Mrs Keisha.
Hello,
       Follow carefully the instructions below for shipping arrangement to take place. Take the check to your bank and have it
cashed and Deduct your sales funds with additional $50 for your run around expenses, have the rest balance transfer to the movers that
will come for the pickup via western union asap so that pickup of the item am buying from you and other consignments i have with the movers can be schedule
immediately.
Here is the information to make the transfer to movers via Western
Union money in a minute.
Receiver's name .... Kathi Jaconi
Address ................. 58 Quenby Mountain Road
 .................................. Lawrenceville Nj 08648
Afterward I will require the following information from you to pass to the movers. *Sender's Full name and Address * Actual amount after
deducting transfer charges from movers fee*10 digit MTCN #, and mail along the best convenient time you want pickup to take place.
Thanks.
Mrs Keisha

Welcome to Scamwarners.
Both are scams as you realise. The first wants your item, and the second doesn't. The check will be fake, and there is no "mover". You would be asked to pay him by Western Union. Some scammers do try and threaten victims, but the last thing criminals are going to do is contact the FBI.