Craigslist Scam #2

This is a big week for Craigslist scams. Scam #2 could easily trick you into divulging personal information or signing up for a fallacious service.

I was on Craigslist looking for a good deal on the wildly popular iPad2 so I clicked on this ad:

The ad itself is unremarkable, so I clicked on the annonymized email address to contact the seller, which of course launched my email client.  I sent out an inquiry, asking for more detail, pictures, etc.  Several days went by, and I received this response.

Hmmm.  My spidey sense is starting to tingle.  Curious about the URL, I want to click on it, but better judgement tells me to do two things: hover over the hyperlink to made sure it's not more than meets the eye, and check out www.trustedsource.org and other URL or IP reputation databases.  Since I don't see any danger, I manually enter that URL into my browser, or better yet, into a Google search to see what's being said about that URL, rather than going directly to it.

Well, it turns out this takes me to a Penny Auction site. 

Who knows how legit this site is, meaning if I take the time to register, can I really get a new iPad2 for $300, or if my personal and financial data is safe, or is malware lurking, waiting to pounce?  I don't have a lot of confidence at this point, because BouncyBids already lost my trust.  Classic bait and switch, which is no way to start out a relationship, even a transactional one.

Incidentally, I responded to two other similar Craigslist posts this week, and got nearly identical reply emails taking me to similar Penny Auction sites with slightly different URLs.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: The best approach to protecting yourself is a combination of education and a technology safety net.  Be careful out there!