Five Money Scams to Watch Out For On Craigslist Mankato


If the deal seems too good to be true, it usually is, but some of us ignore our gut instincts which lead us to fall victim to fraud. If you are a frequent visitor on Craigslist Mankato, maybe to look for a job or a house, it is good to be wary of some of the scams listed below which are prevalent on the site.

1. Credit score job scam

Responding to a job posting on Craigslist does not always yield the positive results for which one is looking. Some scammers have gone a step further to use the name of legit companies to lure people into their fraud. You will apply for the job and within a few hours get a response that the company has narrowed down to three potential candidates, and you are one of them. Although they would like to discuss the opportunity with you in person, there is a hiring process, and the next step involves protecting the company from liabilities and future issues as laid down in the policy.

Therefore you will have to get your credit score checked for free through a service that the scammers include in the email. Further, they reassure you that a poor credit score will not disqualify you in any way so as soon as you receive the feedback on your score, you should respond to the company immediately for the next step which is the face-to-face interview. Some unsuspecting victims go ahead even to provide their social security numbers and date of birth. With that kind of information, they expose themselves to these scammers who can claim tax refunds and commit other crimes, in the victim’s name.

2. Check Scam

Trading over Craigslist has led to people losing their money since it is all about trust and while some are trustworthy, some use the site to take advantage of those who easily trust. Such was the case of a man who set out to sell his weight set for $275 on Craigslist. He was happy to have someone respond and instead of the buyer sending the seller’s asking price, he posted a check of $1,800. The buyer also asked the seller to send the difference to an address in Texas, through a money order. Of course, being the trustworthy person he was, he did not even bother first to ascertain the authenticity of the check, so he sent the buyer his money order. It is only after going to cash his check that the seller realized he had been conned of more than $1,500 and called the police to report the incidence. This scam has been going on for a while, and it would be prudent to ask why someone will send you thousands of dollars extra when all you need is a few hundred to complete the transaction.

3. Insurance job scam

People are desperate for jobs, and the scammers can sniff their desperation from miles away. This scam involves a company which supposedly works off of craigslist and specializes in the recovery of cable TV equipment. When you “get” the job, you will be given a list of addresses to visit and pick up the cable TV boxes; they pay you per box. However, the company does not provide the printer for printing receipts; you will have to buy your own, so you will send them $200 to cover the cost of the portable printer. Moreover, the firm does not have compensation insurance; therefore to cover the expense if you get hurt on the job, you will have to buy your insurance at the cost of $300. So you end up sending the scammers $500 but never hear from them again.

4. Car sale scams

In the winter of 2012, a man in New Jersey bought a car in response to an advertisement placed on the Mankato Craigslist site. The man wired the money to the seller who was also in the Mankato area, but that was the end of the transaction; he never got his car nor heard from the seller again.

5. Rental Scam

According to the experts at Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota, there is one scam that happens every day on Craigslist that involves three people; the willing renter, the person who wants to rent out their place and the scammer. Usually, the scammers will take the original post on Craigslist and adjust it such that to reduce the rental price and change the telephone number.Chris Galler of the Minnesota Associating of Realtors explained that the red flags include being told that the owner is in another country or the seller will not let you see the house.

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