subject: Craigslist Overpayment: You Got Scammed! [print this page] The overpayment scam is one of the most common Craigslist scams, which involves an interested buyer who gets in touch with you with the express purpose of agreeing to buy the item you are selling; then sends you a cashiers check for ten times larger than the selling price. Of course you call their attention to that and they give all sorts of seemingly plausible reasons for the overage, ask you to deduct any packing or shipping cost, then come up with instructions to wire the excess back to them. Seems reasonable enough, right? Wrong. You don't realize it yet, but it's a well-laid scam.
The idea is to get you to cash the check, send the product and wire the excess amount, only to find out later that the check was actually a fake. Their timing is impeccable, so that by the time you realize that you've been conned, it is too late to recall either the goods or the money. Once you wire the overpayment, its as good as theirs.
So is there a way to avoid overpayment scams? Of course. First, follow the number one rule: insist on cash payment, in-person sales option, if you can. If you must accept check or money order payments, stick to the selling price you ask for or the agreed-upon price and never, under any condition, accept any overage. You will reduce, if not totally eradicate, the possibility of this scam ever succeeding.
It is always a great thing to make extra money by selling your products and services on Craigslist. However, always be extra cautious as scammers are all over the Internet, just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting preys. Use your best judgment and apply your new learned skills on how to spot scammers and avoid getting ripped off by the overpayment scam.
