Craigslist Scammer

Against my better judgment, I tried selling my sofa on Craigslist. I had tried selling a table a year ago and got nothing more than three spam messages, but since Craigslist is still around I figured it must be working for somebody so I gave it another shot. I listed the sofa the end of December and got one email that never materialized into anything. Then I re-listed it yesterday and got the following email:

On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 10:45 AM, Barry Johnson ddddstone@gmail.com> wrote:

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

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Hello
I wanna know if you still have this item for sale.What is the final
buy it now price

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my Black Berry®


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this message was remailed to you via: sale-yqrr7-1580525979@craigslist.org
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The guy's name was Barry Johnson and while I thought he sounded a bit over-excited I figured he just didn't want to deal with coming to see the sofa if I wasn't willing to deal a little bit. I could appreciate that so I responded with my bottom-line price. Later in the afternoon, I got this response from "Barry" (note his different email address):

From: Barry Johnson mywaytowork006@gmail.com>mycraigslist777@gmail.com>

Hello,

I am ready to purchase it asap.I anticipate that I'll have a Certified Bank Check issued out to you from my bank (Bank Of America). It will clear within 2 to 3 business days.I'm in no rush with you till fund's are cleared in your bank. I'll instruct a Shipping Co Agent to come for pick up,when check has been cleared. Kindly e-mail me back with your physical address such as Name,Address (NOT P.o.box) City, State, Zip-code, Phone Number.I will be sending the payment via USPS Express Postal Service .

You can delete the advert asap!

I will await your response with details, do have a pleasant day!.

Sincerely.
Barry J
Jacksonville,FL 32207

Argh! Another piece-o'-crap scammer. I was pissed and I shot back this reply:

From: Sue mycraigslist777@gmail.com>mywaytowork006@gmail.com>

Well, talk about timing. Right after I got your first inquiry email I got an email notifying me that I won a huge Nigerian lottery. Needless to say, I am no longer in need of selling that sofa and have instead donated it to a local charity. I am now independently wealthy.

You do have a pleasant day as well.

At least I gave it a shot. Now I'm going to sell the sofa and a bookcase through a local consignment shop and just be done with it. It's just not worth the aggravation to try to sell things on Craigslist.