Craigslist is the website where Internet users can buy and sell anything. In just a few clicks of the mouse, one can browse advertisem*nts for housing, items for sale, jobs, information forums, help for services, gigs, community events, and even people. Craigslist can be a highly useful tool, but it also has a dark side. I pulled together accounts from reputable publications to inform GKIS readers about Craigslist benefits and its risks. Then I offered some quick tips for staying safe when using Craigslist.
From Hobby to Fortune
In 1995, Craig Newmark started an email program as a hobby. This program allowed him to easily communicate social events to other San Francisco Internet developers. Word of the program grew quickly, and users began posting emails for other purposes like job searching. Due to popular demand, Craig quickly expanded the features of the program, and in only a year, the website, Craigslist, was created. The website continued to rapidly expand, and in 1999 Craig’s hobby became a full-time job. In 2010, Craig’s net worth was estimated at a staggering 400 million dollars! His website is now available in over seventy countries and is visited over 20 billion times a month (Terynn, 2013).
So Easy, Your Child Can Do It
Craigslist is famously known as “the public online marketplace.” The website’s user-friendly system and free cost to advertise, draws in 55 million users every month, in the US alone (Usman, 2014). It’s now commonly used by the average American and is a staple for amateur buying and selling.
To access Craigslist, you do not need a user name, personal information, or a credit card. You are free to browse all the content on the website anonymously. If you see an advertisem*nt you like, simply click on the ad, and you will be taken to a page with more detail of the item and a link to the owner.
Creating an ad on craigslist is also easy. Select a category you wish to make an ad for (items for sale, personals, jobs etc.). Then add a title for your ad, a description of what you are selling, and any personal information for those to reach you (email, phone number, social media, or a home address). Once you have posted the advertisem*nt it is viewable to everybody on the site.
My Experience with Craigslist
I love using Craigslist. I have bought and sold many items using the site, and each transaction has gone smoothly. I have had many welcoming encounters, and I have even become friends with a few people I have met. The website is intuitive and easy to manage, and the free advertisem*nt it provides is amazing. However, like with so many Internet sites, people have found ways to use Craigslist for unanticipated, illegal purposes.
The Dark Side: Scammers, Stalkers, and Setups
Scammers use Craigslist to steal money from unsuspecting victims by placing fraudulent advertisem*nts with incredible deals. Buyers are asked to send money orders or checks online, and after making payment, never receive their item. Scammers also take advantage of those selling items. They do this by sending bad money orders or checks that bounce (Paul, 2013).
In Ohio a man tried to use Craigslist to sell his car. He was thrilled when a man responded to his advertisem*nt wanting to purchase his vehicle. The man claimed to be from South Carolina but was unable to come and pick up the car in person. He asked if the car could be shipped to him, and he would send a check to cover the cost of shipping and the vehicle. The Ohio man agreed, and his customer sent $5,450. After receiving the money, he paid for the car to be shipped and told the man from South Carolina it was on its way. The next day he checked his bank account, and the funds he had received were no longer good. He tried to contact the man but was unable to and lost $2500 dollars due to the shipping charges (John, 2016).
Stalkers are also using Craigslist to set-up and harass victims. They do this by posting advertisem*nts that may include the victim’s phone number, address, and even photos. The stalker can even pose as the victim through email and send messages to those who respond to the ad. Victims are then targeted by the harassment of unknown strangers.
A woman from Maryland, was horrified when she founds ads posted on craigslist that read, “Rape me and my daughters.” The ad included her address and photos of her and her daughters. She contacted police, and police found that her ex-husband was responsible for the ads (Justin, 2013).
A bizarre Craigslist story involved a soon-to-be-married couple and an ex-girlfriend (Kelley, 2017). The soon-to-be wife claimed that the ex-girlfriend created a Craigslist advertisem*nt posing as her. In the ad people were asked to come to her house and forcibly rape her. The soon-to-be wife also called the police, claiming that a man had forcibly entered her garage and attempted to rape her. When police arrived, the woman had red marks around her neck and a ripped shirt. Police never found a suspect. However, investigators examined the Internet history of both women. They discovered that the soon-to-be wife had created the advertisem*nt to frame the ex-girlfriend!
Robbery and Sexual Assault
Robberies and assaults are unfortunately quite common on Craigslist. Criminals know that victims are bringing valuable items to meetings and use this knowledge to plan locations where they can easily rob their targets. They also take advantage of trusting and unaccompanied victims.
In Seattle, a woman used the services section of Craigslist. She posted an advertisem*nt asking for someone to fix her broken microwave. A man responded to her ad. When he arrived at her house, she was home alone. He sexually assaulted her and fled the premises (Levi, 2008).
Another story comes from a man who used the personals section of Craigslist. This is a highly controversial section of Craigslist due to its use for soliciting sexual acts. It is illegal to post advertisem*nts soliciting sex on the website, and many are taken down. However, the use of code words has allowed many ads to go undetected (Ed, 2017). In this story the man arrived at an address he had received from the female he had been talking to online. He entered the house and was assaulted and robbed by two men (Levi, 2008).
Child Trafficking and Slavery
Criminals are using Craigslist to make victims sex slaves. One way they do this is by placing advertisem*nts in the “rooms for rent” category. The ads have incredible deals which lure in unsuspecting victims. A woman from Wisconsin responded to an ad that offered free rent for cooking and cleaning. The apartment was in Brooklyn, and when the woman arrived, the man picked her up at the airport. Once at the apartment, the man handcuffed the woman to his radiator and forced her to be his sex slave. After eight days of enslavement she was released. Authorities were contacted and the man was arrested (Irin, 2011).
Children has also been victimized using Craigslist. A father from Texas was arrested and convicted for committing child prostitution and child trafficking. This creep placed ads on Craigslist offering to “come play with daddy’s little girl”. He also tried selling his daughter for one-thousand-dollars (Jeff, 2015).
How to be Craigslist Safe
If the buyer or seller won’t give you their name or phone number orthe offer is too good to be true. Abort mission.
Deal with only local people and vet their authenticity byaskingfor their name and social media handles. Google them to investigate their digital footprint.Talk to the seller on the phone. Ask questions about the item to get a feel for the situation. How long have you had it? Are you the original buyer? Why are you selling it? If their information about the item is sketchy, so are they.
Never give personal information about yourself beyond your name and phone number. If they say they need information for a credit check, make sure the situation is legitimate before you agree to anything.
Only meet during daylight and have a buddy with you whether you’re buying or selling. A public meeting place is best.
Make sure your photos don’t contain meta data, like geotagged location of the photo (where predators can track your advertised merchandise to your home).
Cash only. Do not wire money or accept a check, cashier’s check, or money order. It is a common scam to ask you to cash a check that’s made out for more money than you are asking for.
Trust your gut. If the situation doesn’t feel right, end the transaction.
Thank you to CSUCI Intern, Dylan Smithson for informing parents of the potential dangers on Craigslist. The next time you visit the website, use the Craigslist safe tips. Don’t become a craigslist horror story. If you enjoyed reading this article, feel free to share with friends and family, and give us a like on our GetKidsInternetSafe Facebook page.
I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.
Onward to More Awesome Parenting, Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D. Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty GetKidsInternetSafe.com
Ed S. (2017) Craigslist Code Words: Do you Know What They Really Mean? https://www.instantcheckmate.com/crimewire/post/code-words/
Irin C. (2011) The Disturbing Story of the Craigslist “Sex Slave” http://jezebel.com/5762020/the-disturbing-story-of-the-craigslist-sex-slave
Jeff E. (2015) Shocking Details of Alleged Child Prostitution Case Make Court Onlookers Gasp http://abc13.com/news/shocking-details-of-alleged-child-prostitution-case/1086504/
John M. (2016) Hamilton man loses $2,500 to Craigslist Scam http://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/hamilton-man-loses-2500-to-craigslist-scam
Justin J. (2013) Stalkers use online ads as weapons against victims https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/i-live-in-fear-of-anyone-coming-to-my-door/2013/07/14/26c11442-e359-11e2-aef3-339619eab080_story.html?utm_term=.95a80f9fad30
Kelley P. (2017) Wife thought to be victim in “rape fantasy” Craigslist case now charged with framing husbands ex-girlfriend http://www.ocregister.com/articles/diaz-740628-hadley-rape.html
Levi P. (2008) Free and Friendly Craigslist has its dark side http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Free-and-friendly-Craigslist-has-its-dark-side-1271623.php
Paul M. (2013) 8 Vile Craigslist Scams to Watch Out For http://www.wisebread.com/8-vile-Craigslist-scams-to-watch-out-for
Usman A. (2014) Top 10 Countries using Craigslist 2014 http://www.toptrendythings.com/2014/07/top-10-countries-using-Craigslist-2014/
Craigslist is a popular website for selling merchandise, looking for jobs, finding apartments, and connecting people in various other ways. But thieves also use the site, perpetrating a number of different scams designed to steal your money or personally identifiable information.
Craigslist is a legitimate website, and most Craigslist posts are legitimate and trustworthy as well. However, just like any other online platform, it can be used by scammers. Some people may post fraudulent listings only pretending to sell goods or services, so take precautions to ensure your safety.
Anyone can list an item or service on Craigslist, which can make you more vulnerable to potential scams. Ultimately, if a listed item seems too good to be true… then it probably is.
Scammers often create lookalike sites to lure buyers into paying for items that don't exist. Always confirm the URL before finalizing a purchase. Craigslist does not back any transaction on its site. If you're offered purchase protection at a price, you're looking at a scam.
Is it safe to give my address on Craigslist? It's probably not a good idea. Sharing personal information, even something as simple as an address or phone number, could provide a scammer with a piece of information that they need to steal your identity. If you're selling something, try to meet in a safe, public place.
It's certainly a shadow of its onetime self. Revenue at Craigslist dropped to $379 million last year, a little more than one-third of what it was in 2018, according to AIM Group estimates. At its peak it generated more than $1 billion in revenue. Craigslist's traffic is also falling steadily.
It is best never to trust someone on Craigslist fully to avoid the risks of encountering a scam. However, certain signs can suggest whether the person is a genuine buyer or seller. Most Craigslist scammers will not agree to meet in person. Instead, even local sellers will prefer shipping.
To protect buyer and seller privacy, Craigslist keeps email addresses hidden. However, even with this security system, you might want to take additional precautions when responding to emails from Craigslist.
At the time of writing, Facebook Marketplace gets more daily monthly users than Craigslist. According to Engadget, Facebook Marketplace has over 1 billion users.
Many of the scams start with a generic inquiry asking if the item is still available or if you are the original owner. The reason for this is to quickly test to see if the seller is responsive. There's generally no mention of the item you're selling or any questions specific to the item.
The scammer's profile contains vague or few images across platforms. Another way to tell if the person you're messaging may be a romance scammer is by their profile pictures. These scammers will often impersonate someone else and likely only have one or two images of the person they're pretending to be.
Tracing a scammer demands persistence, leveraging online resources, and often legal assistance. Initiating with digital footprints like email addresses or phone numbers, employing reverse search tools, and reporting to authorities can unearth valuable leads.
The platform's design is outdated and lacks the modern features and functionality that users have come to expect from online marketplaces. For example, the platform does not have a responsive design, which means that it does not adjust to the size of the user's screen.
Among the most prevalent scams on Craigslist are fake listings. These can range from non-existent rental properties to phantom goods. Scammers use attractive prices to lure in victims, often posting images and descriptions lifted from other sites to create a veneer of legitimacy.
If you keep on using the same title and description over and over again, then your Craigslist post may be flagged for removal since your listing may appear “spammy.” Solutions: To avoid this problem, learn how to make unique ads or job postings that can catch your customers' attention.
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