When Craigslist, the online classified site, first started out, it was seen as a novel and ingenious way to find pretty much whatever you might be looking for, including jobs that might fly under the radar of normal job posting or employment sites. Craigslist offered everything, from ads for CEO positions with top companies, to personal ads looking for one night stands. Most definitely a “one stop shop”.

Unfortunately the reputation of CraigList has become tarnished over the years through reports of scams, robbery, and even assault. And with the much publicized case of the “CraigsList Killer” who murdered one woman and robbed two others after meeting on the CraigsList personals section, the good name of the site was forever changed.

CraigsList differs from other online purchase sites such as Ebay in that it encourages face to face transactions (Ebay does everything by e-mail and snail mail). Of course both scenarios lend themselves to scams, but face to face meetings also set the stage for armed robbery and assault, both of which have been linked to CraigsList many times.

Even this author will admit to responding to ads that had him thinking twice, when the location for the transaction was located in one of the less desirable areas of the city. Fortunately the transaction went through without a hitch, but it still left me looking over my shoulder and determining that in the future, location would play a part in where I would and would not conduct business.

Craigslist offers its service in more than 560 cities in 50 countries, with user traffic generating more than 10 billion page views each month. And with only 25 employees — all in its San Francisco headquarters — there is little the company can do to police the massive site. Still, there is a certain level of censorship that goes on. A company spokeswoman said newer filtering programs have eliminated 80 percent of the ads for erotic services. And much like Ebay, the company relies heavily on its users to keep objectionable ads and posts from sticking around too long.

So how do you keep from becoming a victim? You’d be surprised at just how much common sense is involved.

First off, know your enemy. There are four most common CraigsList scams.
1) An advertisement designed to lure you into a robbery
2) A buyer or seller who is outside the United States
3) A buyer who tries to push a check for more than the item is worth (the check will bounce, count on it)
4) The Seller wants you to pay by Western Union

To begin, never share your personal information with anyone. This includes social security numbers, bank accounts, credit cards, etc. Any one of these can be used to steal your identity, a problem that could take months or even years to clean up. Make it a cash only transaction. If you are doing it through the mail, send a certified check or cashier’s check.

Always agree to meet in a public place. If you meet in a home, all defenses are effectively neutered once the door swings shut behind you. You have no idea who, or how many, are waiting inside, and you don’t want to find yourself in a robbery situation or worse.

Worse, don’t let anyone come to your home. Their purpose in being there may not be so much to buy what you have, but to case the home for a robbery or burglary attempt.

Always take someone along with you on these transactions. And have someone with you at home is you have to allow someone to come to your house.

You might want to establish an anonymous e-mail account simply for CraigsList transactions, as well as a pre-paid phone available at any supermarket. Anything that makes it difficult for scammers to trace your personal information is a plus.

The Internet should always be thought of as a giant neighborhood. Some areas of that neighborhood are good and safe to travel in, others are not. CraigsList often walks the fine line between the two. Just make sure you don’t allow yourself to be caught unawares in a bad part of town, even if it is on the web.

Author Bio: Darrell is the Director Of Content for Leadsbyfone, a marketing and lead generation company servicing the water cleanup and damage restoration industry.

Category: Internet
Keywords: craigslist, online, internet, website, transaction, personal, credit, social, bank account