Replies to Craigslist for sale ad...why do they want a phone number.

[AFARR]

Just for grins (I have 4 weeks and can only use 2 or 3 for the near future), I posted a Craigs List ad for one of my weeks...asking more than I would expect to get for it. I posted it in the C.L. for the area where the TS is located.

I've gotten 3 replies.

The first two were brief 1 line replies..."I want to discuss your time share time, send me your phone number".

The third was a "I'm a timeshare reseller and rental agent, I'd like to discuss your week for sale, please give me your phone number".

Now, none of them got my phone number....I deleted the first two, and replied to the last "Send me your business phone number and address and I'll call" (haven't heard back for a few days).

I used a "fresh" (free hotmail that I don't use for other things) e-mail, so if I get spammed, it's not a big deal as the listing e-mail (and the listing is a blind-e mail) isn't used for anything else.

I can see the third response being from a scam artist wanting to "sell your week...we have a buyer for 5 x what you listed it for". I want their business info to forward to their state's District Atty/Atty. General's office.

Are the others the same scam artists, or just someone trying to 'harvest' e-mail addresses for other spam purposes?

All of them were of the nature "johndoe@hotmail.com" type e-mails (or gmail or yahoo)..free e-mails (as is my listing e-mail) that are easy to get.

Anyone else had the same issues?

AFARR

 

[DeniseM]

They may want to register a new Criagslist account under YOUR phone number. That's the latest scam on Craigslist. Scammers outside the country cannot register for CL, because they don't have a US number, so they dupe people into giving them their number and use it.

 

[vacationtime1]

I have had exactly the same issue. I responded to the first couple of messages saying that I cannot be reached during the day and e-mail is easiest. I never heard back. I have deleted similar messages since.

 

[Craig]

Emails on CL

I heard that people try to collect email addresses as well, with the intention of selling the lists they compile... Very irritating when you don't get a response after emailing them back...

 

[Rent_Share]

I heard that people try to collect email addresses as well, with the intention of selling the lists they compile... Very irritating when you don't get a response after emailing them back...

It's the same as asking "Is it still available"

The original question goes to your email blind, when you respond your actual email address is dispayed, those are saved comiled and resold.

 

[Robert D]

I always put my phone number in my CL ads and get these stupid replies like shown above asking for my phone number, which is a tip off that it's some kind of scam. I don't even reply.

 

[ronparise]

I put my phone number in my Craigs list ads, and although I use the Craigs list system to keep my email address hidden. I reply to every email I get, even the obvious scams, (just in case they aren't) which of course makes my email available.

I want to talk to people that might be interested in my rentals, what do I care if someone else has figured out how to make a buck or two by selling my email address, or if I get another offer of Viagra at a discount price. My delete button works fine. Once in a great while I get a computer virus or some sort of spyware that slips by my protectine software...I just strip the harddrive and re install everthing...Voila, its new again!

The junk emails and phone calls are the price I pay for the free advertising on Craigs list. I dont see the big deal.

 

[DeniseM]

Ron - As I recall, you are in Real Estate - are you listing a number that you already use for business, or your private home phone number? Or do you already use your home phone number for business? I think that makes a difference. Personally - I don't want my private numbers readily available to everyone on the internet.

 

[funtime]

Without more information a request for a phone number is a scam. If they sign with their handle - e.g. company name, address and phone number then they are probably legitimate. CL inquirers are real last minute folks so if you are advertising something months out, you may not get a real bite. However, plenty of people either coming on their honeymoon, model working in the US on a temporary business, a doctor and his wife, a widow with his small son wanting a vacation etc. These are all scams. Funtime

 

[ronparise]

DeniseM

I use one phone number for everything I do. I dont understand the concept of a private phone number. The whole point of having a phone (email too) is to be able to connect with others.

 

[LannyPC]

A little off topic but...

I see all these posts here about Craigslist and all the spammers/scammers that infiltrate to glean craigslist members' info. I personally have never used Craigslist to buy or sell anything. Heck, now that I think about it, I have never even looked at that website.

That being said, do all these spammers and scammers specifically target timeshare owners or do practically all Craigslist ads elicit responses from scammers (ie. advertising a TV or bicycle for sale)?

 

[DeniseM]

They are trying to collect info. to sell, and to open CL accts. using American phone numbers - it's not just TS Ads.

 

[DeniseM]

DeniseM

I use one phone number for everything I do. I dont understand the concept of a private phone number. The whole point of having a phone (email too) is to be able to connect with others.

Really? To me, giving my personal phone number to strangers who can call any time of the day or night is an invasion of my privacy. I don't mind posting my email address, but I am very careful with my phone number. It's for friends and family, only.

 

[Tommart]

Craigslist

I know this is a little different, but I use Craigslist a lot (but never for a timeshare).

There's a lot of problems with Craigslist. I've dealt with scamers, people agreeing to buy (when they're really not interested), and people changing their minds.

I don't give out my telephone number in my original ad. I require everyone to reply to me through Craigslist. (I filed two complaints involving ebay purchases and was glad that I communicated through ebay, so I do the same with Craigslist).

If I feel the buyer is legit, I ask for their phone, and if it's a significant purchase, I ask for a $50 deposit at paypal. For example, this week I sold NCAA tickets for $800, but required a $50 paypal purchase and a cell number before we met. He agreed and we met the next day. I had another say he wanted to buy, but he never deposited the $50. 12 hours later, the second person contacted me and deposited the $50 immediately.

However, when I ask for their phone, I give them my home address and phone. If they give me a phone number, I call it to make sure it works, and then I agree to meet.

My home phone is in the phone book and places like switchboard.com so I'm willing to give it out. If I'm going to meet someone, I'll also give them my cell number, and I ask for theirs. If they're unwilling to give me a number -- no sale.

It's never happened to me, but I know people who agree to meet with someone, and the someone never shows. I have had people tell me that they wanted to buy what I was selling, but I never got their number or a paypal deposit, so I never agreed to meet.

 

[Robert D]

I'm like Ron in I like to have people call or email and always put my phone number in the Craig's List ads. Also, I think it's an indication that I'm not a scammer and am for real. Not too many scammers put their phone number in the ad. So, when someone sends a flaky email asking for my phone number, I pretty well know they are not for real and ignore them. One thing I've noticed about the scammers who reply to the ad is they always have an internet based email address such as yahoo, gmail, or hotmail and usually have a number after their name such as robert67@yahoo.com. I think that's so they can keep track of which bogus email account they are using to reply to the ads.

 

[ausman]

They may want to register a new Criagslist account under YOUR phone number. That's the latest scam on Craigslist. Scammers outside the country cannot register for CL, because they don't have a US number, so they dupe people into giving them their number and use it.

This seems an unlikely explanation to me.

It is easy to access the white pages, why bother with an individual.

That being said, I don't give out my home phone number, scramble the last 2-3 numbers on cheques etc. Generally try to restrict calls to that number to those I would want to receive a call from, and use caller ID to screen.

Most calls go to voice mail and no messages are left.

 

[Rent_Share]

Ithey always have an internet based email address such as yahoo, gmail, or hotmail and usually have a number after their name such as robert67@yahoo.com. I think that's so they can keep track of which bogus email account they are using to reply to the ads.

If you believe every yahoo or gmail address is a scammer you should leave the internet . . . .

 

[DeniseM]

This seems an unlikely explanation to me.

It is easy to access the white pages, why bother with an individual.

They don't just need the phone number - they also have to have contact with the person to get a code that CL sends them. This has happened to Tuggers lately - it's really happening.

 

[Robert D]

If you believe every yahoo or gmail address is a scammer you should leave the internet . . . .

I didn't say I thought every yahoo or gmail address is a scam, just that virtually all of the replies I received like the ones described above came from an internet based email address and most all had a number in them. I've had dozens of replies like this to my Craigslist ads and that's what I've noticed.

 

[sjschuster]

I don't list my phone number or my email. I put a statement like the following in all of my for rent (or for sale) ads. I learned the hard way.

"Please include telephone contact information with your e-mail response. I will not respond to e-mails without phone numbers included, as there are several scammers that respond to these Craiglist ads in an attempt to obtain my email address, only to provide me with links to other non-related sites. So, if you are seriously interested, please include a telephone number and I will call you asap! Thanks for your support to maintain "spam/scam" free coorespondence."

Surprisingly, it works. People that are interested supply their phone number. Responses from people that are scamming don't include their phone number, in fact, I don't even think they've ever read the complete ad.

 

[DeniseM]

I'm confused - what's an example of a non-internet email address?

 

[ronparise]

Denise

I think the distinction is between a free email address ie yahoo, hotmail or gmail where you can send and receive email from a website (ie www.gmail.com) and an email account on a server where you have to use an email client like Outlook Express or Eudora to get your mail.

Using myself as an example, I have a gmail account; ronparise@gmail.com and my real estate company address ron@locatehomes.com

Anyone can get one or several gmail accounts but you have to work for the real estate company LocateHomes.com to get a locatehomes email address

As for getting phone calls from strangers...All my clients were strangers until I met them...Selling real estate to strangers is how I make my living

 

[DeniseM]

I have Outlook Express at work, but I used gmail at home - I thought most people used free email accts. at home?

 

[ronparise]

Denise

I think thats the point Robert D is making. If you get an email from xxx@marriott.com orxxx@endlessvacations.com or even Ron@mytimesharerentals.com you can generally count on the fact that your correspondent is real.....If its from someone with a free email account, you cant be as sure.

That may have been true in the early days of the internet when your Internet Service Provider was a local company and your email address was provided by your ISP. There was no yahoo, gmail, hotmail etc. ISP's would investigate claims of spammers and scammers on their system, and kick them off if they found them. When Yahoo and others got into the game of providing email accounts that were not connected with a local ISP the bad guys migrated to them.

Now that everyone seems to have email accounts with google, or yahoo or hotmail, theres not so much of a distinction

 

[AFARR]

Denise

Snip... If you get an email from xxx@marriott.com orxxx@endlessvacations.com or even Ron@mytimesharerentals.com you can generally count on the fact that your correspondent is real....Snip...

Not really...you can easily spoof an e-mail address. I get them all the time...from "myself" (my personal e-mail I've had forever) as advertisements. By checking the full info on where it is sent from you can see that it was a spoof, but if you just look at the return line, it may be a fake.