Money Scams to Watch out for on Craigslist Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

Craigslist scams never seem to stop and the truth is, people are falling for them each and every day. In some cases, scams will differ somewhat from one city to the next but in many cases, you see the same types of scams over and over again, no matter what city you are talking about. For the purposes of this article, the location is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, that doesn’t mean that you won’t be seeing many of the same types of Craigslist scams here that you see in so many other places across the country, although there is occasionally something different thrown into the mix. Below are five of the ones that you really need to watch out for.

1. Don’t answer that email

This is one of the scams that seems to be a little more unique to this particular area. It goes like this. Someone posts an ad on Craigslist and asks for your personal information, including your email. Later on, days or even weeks after you have provided that information, you receive an email stating that you need to verify your Amazon account, providing a link for you to click. Don’t do it. It’s nothing but a scam designed to steal all of your personal information.

2. Another rental scam

This is another scam related to the housing market. You should really know better than to respond to an ad on this site for housing by now, but they do have a tendency to make it almost impossible to resist. The following link details the plight of an individual that responded to one of those ads, only to discover far too late that it was nothing more than a scam. The end result was that this individual lost a lot of money on the deal and had no house when it was all said and done.

3. It’s not safe to buy a house on the site, either

This is just one more example of the need to exercise extreme caution when you’re considering buying or selling a house on Craigslist. If you get tired of reading about housing scams that exist on the site, just remember one thing. Despite all the warnings, people are still tempted to respond to ads for houses. It happens all the time, but it’s been happening even more in this particular area and that means that people are still being scammed out of their money.

4. Are you sure those tickets are real?

When you buy tickets to a concert or similar event on the site, you really have no way of knowing whether or not those tickets are any good. This is especially true when you’re talking about tickets that you can’t get anywhere else because the event is sold out. It also applies to tickets that are being sold for far less than they are actually worth. Buying the tickets means that you are spending money on something that you may not be able to verify. It also means that you might not know that your tickets aren’t any good until you try to gain access to the event and get turned away.

5. More issues with tickets

In this particular case, two people were charged with scamming others out of money when they posted several ads for tickets to local events. They also set up a MoneyGram account, telling everyone who was interested in purchasing tickets that they had to wire the money into that specific account. That would be the last anyone heard of them because there were no tickets to be sold in the first place. The ad amounted to nothing more than a way for these two to get the hard-earned money of people that were trying to find a way to enjoy themselves with a special night out. To make matters worse, the scam went on for quite some time before anyone figured it out because it wasn’t until several people started making formal complaints about not getting their tickets that anyone knew there was a problem.

A Guide To Using Craigslist Pittsburgh the Right Way

There are many times that you want to buy something, but you do not necessarily need it new. To save some money, there are some great deals to be made out there involving second-hand goods. The key is to be able to find them. Pittsburgh is a big place. The weather is not always conducive to holding garage sales all year long like you might expect to see in the South. That is where Craigslist can come in quite handy. This is a place where you can go to promote goods and services that you have for sale. Alternatively, you can go online to Craigslist Pittsburgh to see what is offered for sale there as well. It is the best of both situations.

How To Use Craigslist

The first thing that you should know about Craigslist Pittsburgh is that it is free to use. This goes for both buyers and sellers alike. In that regard, it is a type of community bulletin board that brings residents of the city together in the form of a virtual marketplace. You will find that the site is laid out by type of merchandise. If you are looking for something in particular, you will just go to that section and see if there is anything there that you like. Just about any product or service imaginable can be sold on Craigslist, making it one of the most popular places on the Internet to sell second-hand merchandise and to advertise services.

Using Craigslist Pittsburgh is actually quite easy. If you want to advertise something for sale, you will need to first create a profile. Just click on the button and then fill in the requested information. Keep in mind that you need a valid email address registered on the site in order to be able to submit a posting. This is a requirement of the site and you will not be able to get around it. This is also how you will be notified if the site administrator has a question about your posting, so be sure to check there often. Once your posting is approved, you may start receiving queries about what you have submitted so be ready. Now, if you just want to buy something, there is no registration required. Just browse through the listings. When you see something that you like, there will be a place on the posting where you can contact the seller. You might be able to call them, but email may be preferred as Craigslist Pittsburgh will encrypt your own personal address so the other party will not see it unless you give it to them.

Posting on Craigslist

When you go to submit a posting on Craigslist Pittsburgh, you will want to make sure that you are clean and concise. You need to represent the item that you have to sell as best as you can. This is where pictures can come in very handy. Try to take quality pictures that really showcase what you have to offer. In the end, resist the urge to over-represent an item. If it is scratched and damaged, then do not advertise the product as being like new. That will just lead to disagreements along the way, and it will not be a safe situation for you. You need to constantly be on the guard against unscrupulous using Craigslist for their own personal or criminal gain. Stay away from these and you will be ok.

Safety is Important

When it comes to using Craigslist Pittsburgh, it is important to keep certain safety guidelines in mind. While the vast majority of people using the site will be legitimate individuals truly just trying to buy or sell something, there will always be some who are trying to prey on vulnerable victims. You want to not only be on guard against financial scams but violent ones as well. Unless you are buying or selling something that cannot realistically be transported away from the home, try to meet in a public place. There are loads of places all over Pittsburgh that are perfect for this. You can bring the product to that location to meet a prospective buyer. If something doesn’t feel right, you can always leave. If you do need to meet in a home, then make sure it is during the day and try to have someone with you. It is also advisable that you always leave the door open.

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