I listed an item for sale on Craig's list for $50. In a few hours, I received an email from (Jerry Russells) [email protected] asking if the item was still for sale. I responded yes and below is the next email I received:
"Hi Thanks for the response.I am willing to pay your asking price.I will pay by money order as its the only way i can pay you at the moment.I will make arrangement for the pick-up after payment have been received by you. I dont mind adding an extra twenty dollars so you can keep it in my favor.Reply with your full name,cell phone number,and address where payment should be sent.Please take the posting off craigslist today and consider it sold to me. Expecting to hear from you soon. Regards Jerry"
This raised a flag for me as it didn't make sense that someone would pay 40% more for a easy to find used item that they have not even seen. So, I googled his name and found the rip-off reports under the name Jerry Holbrook. I found some similar emails with exact wording "i.e, I don't mind adding an extra twenty dollars so you can keep it in my favor". Also, I was very clear in my posting that I would only accept cash and this guy wanted to pay by money order.
Here is the response I sent him and never heard from him again:
"Jerry Thank you for your interest however as I stated in my ad, I'll only accept cash and in person. In the meantime, I will continue to keep the posting active on craig's list. Thanks for understanding"