Five Money Scams to Watch Out for on Craigslist Tacoma

People who live in the Tacoma area of Washington State use Craigslist to post a variety of items that they have for sale. It’s a good place to advertise used cars, trucks, RVs, furniture, electronics, books and a variety of other things. It offers a venue for re-sellers as well. You can pick up event tickets and a variety of other items from private parties on the site. There is also a classified section for homes for rent or for sale by owners as well as through real estate agencies. It’s a useful site for both buyers and sellers but there has been an increase in scam traffic on the site. There are many people who are still not aware of the fact that you must be careful when dealing with someone that you don’t know whether you’re buying or selling. Here are five money scams to watch out for on Craigslist Tacoma.

1. Toyota Tacoma Craigslist scam

One of the biggest car scams to rock the Tacoma Craigslist is the Toyota scam. A con artist advertised a 2001 Toyota Tacoma for sale with just a little over 60,000 miles on it for sale for the low price of $1,593. This was a ridiculously low amount to begin with. The seller said that he was a part of a medical team that was being deployed to Afghanistan for a year and that he needed to sell the vehicle fast. He requested that contact be made via email.

Hi there, The Tacoma it is in perfect condition, there’s not a scratch or any dents on it. Everything from engine to tires is mint condition. I have a clear title with no liens or loans. I’m selling it so low due the fact that my medical team will deploy back to Afghanistan on September 10th for a 1 year contract and I won’t let it go to waste in my backyard, therefore I need a fast and reliable buyer. If you are interested email me back. Interested parties would contact the seller and negotiate a price for the vehicle. An additional cost of $75 for transferring the vehicle was also requested in the exchanges. He offered to have the car shipped within five business days after receiving the payment via wire transfer. The deal was set up through a phony ebay site that looked authentic, but it’s not. Buyers who wired the payment soon learned that they had become victims of the scam. The scammer has been caught and arrested.

2. Phony check scam sellers beware

Here is an example of a fake check scam in the Tacoma area. Sellers are contacted by scammers posing as buyers. They agree on a price for an item and then offer to send a certified check with a little extra for shipping. When the check arrives it is for far more than the agreed upon amount. The sellers are instructed to deposit the check, keep $50 extra for their trouble and wire the extra money to a “shipper.” After doing so, the check is discovered to be fake and the seller must make good on every cent plus bank fees.

3. Another car scam on Craigslist Tacoma

This is another scam that advertises a vehicle for sale on the Tacoma Craigslist. This seller claims to be a woman in Kalispell, Montana who is a widow. She says it’s her late husband’s vehicle and she wants to sell the car. She’s asking for $2,790 and claims that the car is in Kansas City and will be shipped to the recipient. This is another twist on an old scam and they’re popping up more and more on the site.

4. Real estate scam on Craigslist Tacoma

A woman in Pierce County was arrested for placing a rental scam on Craigslist. It’s a part of a big serial scam operation in the area. She would have potential renters sign a rental agreement and pay upfront fees ranging between $650 and $1.600 just to rent a room. When the renters tried to move in they would find that the locks were changed. When they contacted the scammer they were put off with reasons why they couldn’t move in yet. The home was located in the South Hill area. The scammer was found hiding in the attic of the home and was arrested by local police.

5. Another housing scam on Tacoma Craigslist

A Tacoma, Washington woman came home to discover that someone had placed an ad on Craigslist that told people that everything in the house was being offered for free to clear it out. People showed up and took every thing even down to the lighting fixtures and the windows. Someone had placed the ad saying that the home was a rental that needed to be cleared. The ad was placed after the woman evicted her sister from the home. She lost everything in the Craigslist scam ad.

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