I was scammed on Craigslist.
We’ve established that Craigslist is the source of all awesomeness. But it’s also the source of the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. And now that we know each other so well, I think it’s time I told you the story of how I was scammed out of $200.
NOT because the internet is a scary place full of evil people.
NOT due to some sophisticated bait and switch.
Not for any reason at all, other than because I did not stop to apply rational thought to the experience I was having.
Instead, I did what I do best—charged past red-flag after red-flag… gleefully digging my own grave. And I will say this about myself—no one digs a grave like me.
In the last year, I’ve heard the phrase “under the ether.” To describe how scammers depend on emotion replacing common sense. And how people who are taken by scammers later wonder how they did not take five seconds to just THINK about whether this was a likely situation… because FIVE SECONDS is all you need to realize you are being an idiot.
Having had that exact experience, I was able to nod and congratulate myself on being totally textbook.
So. Last year my dad lost his iPhone. He put it on top of his car… and drove away.
I put an ad on Craigslist.
I should emphasize that I did NOT expect a response to my Craigslist ad. If you’re familiar with Philadelphia, you’ll recognize this is not a neighborhood where you might expect to have your phone returned and I credit the element of surprise, combined with my eagerness to believe the unbelievable, combined with my natural idiocy… which allowed me to dispense with reason.
It was a Monday. Around 10 a.m. I was sitting at my desk and my cell phone rang.
The guy on the other end said—I think I have your phone.
I freaked out.
He said—can you verify the color of the case?
And? Brace yourself.
I’m sure this will surprise you as much as it did me:
Amazingly, it was the EXACT same case.
Amazing, right?
Amazing.
Plus? It was totally amazing how he’d been visiting his brother in Philadelphia and bought the phone from a kid on the street… and now that he was on his way home, he mentioned to his wife that he bought it. And she chided him that it was probably stolen… but now he was in North Carolina. And the phone was dead, so he couldn’t look to see whose it was. But his wife looked on Craigslist and made him call me. And now he was checking out of his hotel and wanted to get on the road, and could send it to me overnight if I wired him money through Western Union.
From the page on craigslist dedicated to making sure idiots are protected from themselves:
I cannot say the guy’s story made total sense to me, because there was no point at which I applied any sense to the conversation. My only response was JOY that I had recovered my dad’s phone.
I accepted it at face value. And as scam stories go, I think it was pretty decent… I mean, it’s better than the Nigerian prince.
AND? The real kicker was that he paid $50 for it, and that was ALL he wanted. Plus shipping.
He did NOT want the $300 reward.
But I was like, oh my God you are so amazing.
And your WIFE!!! SHE is so amazing.
And my dad is going to be so amazed!
And I cannot believe this worked out so amazingly.
AMAZING.
So I insisted—I AM SENDING YOU $200.
BECAUSE YOU ARE SO AMAZING.
Plus, I was practically getting a bargain.
I was saving $100!
Then I RAN to Western Union. Because this amazing guy was on the road, and wanted to mail it out that morning, and he didn’t have too much time, and I had to do it RIGHT AWAY.
Then I called Paul and said—you will NOT believe what just happened!!!
Meaning my good fortune.
Meaning the amazingness.
Meaning the incredible generosity of the human spirit and Craigslist’s near-cosmic ability to solve all of life’s woes.
Paul said— are you sure? That sounds like a scam.
And then immediately I was like—DAMMIT.
That was totally a scam.
Once Paul said those words, there wasn’t even any transition period where my brain tried to deny it. IMMEDIATELY the spell was broken. And I sat there totally confused how I had done something so obviously stupid. I mean, I’ve done plenty of stupid things that were arguably avoidable, but not like this. Not SO OBVIOUS.
Paul said—look, I can’t talk right now, but I will make fun of you as soon as I get home.
Be sure you’re there.
Then the rest of the day he texted me stuff like:
Arkansas is NOT for sale.
And:
DO NOT BUY ARKANSAS.
But when Paul got home, he didn’t mock me. He said that he’d decided I couldn’t actually claim to have been scammed at all. Since being scammed requires some level of hesitancy or inquisitiveness– a suspension of disbelief rather than just plowing forward without thought.
I wasn’t even angry at the guy. My eagerness was such that he must have several times thought that I was scamming him.
My principal feeling was embarrassment. At being the dumbest target ever.
I COULD have been scammed for $50 dollars plus $30 for imaginary overnight shipping.
But no. I had to INSIST on sending extra.
This was so mortifying I couldn’t tell anyone.
If my brothers find out? I will NEVER hear the end of it.
When I’m on my deathbed, they will hobble in with their walkers and their oxygen tanks, and they will be sure it’s the last thing I think of before I die.
They will say things like—hey Vic? Can you hear us? Remember the time you gave that guy extra money to scam you?
And also—hey Vic? Remember that time you bought your own gas cap?
And I will come out of my coma and be like—HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT I WAS BEING SCAMMED WITH MY GAS CAP???????
Then I will die.
I think of myself as being a great judge of people.
But after being presented with some pretty fundamental evidence to the contrary, I think I need to reevaluate.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:11 am
Maybe I’m just being slow this morning…but was the case just a good guess? Because the case description would have gotten me.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:19 am
The way I read it was that she described the case to him to verify it was indeed her Dad’s phone.
In any case, hilarious story. Also I can sell you Arkansas for $200. 😉
July 16, 2013 @ 10:20 am
AH. There it is. Thank you.
July 16, 2013 @ 11:38 am
$200 for Arkansas? Have you seen Arkansas?
July 31, 2013 @ 4:24 pm
The trouble with Arkansas isn’t the purchase price, it’s the upkeep… as anyone who’s bought and lived in an Old House should know!
July 16, 2013 @ 10:20 am
No guessing required, since he ASKED ME TO TELL HIM what the case looked like. Then he was all– YUP. For sure! This IS YOUR PHONE.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:37 am
BOOM! Reading comprehension fail! Thanks for the kindness in your clarifications, ladies!
July 27, 2016 @ 9:55 pm
She told him what color it was and he agreed… not the other way around…
July 27, 2016 @ 9:56 pm
aaannnnnddd…. if I had read to the end of the comments (honest, I thought I had) I wouldn’t look like an idiot… 🙂
July 16, 2013 @ 10:13 am
How rude of him to take advantage of you!!!
I’m sorry you were scammed!
July 16, 2013 @ 10:13 am
Oh you poor dear! I would do anything for my dad too! You are now wiser than you were before…
July 16, 2013 @ 10:14 am
I feel bad for you, but that is exactly the kind of thing I would do – pay EXTRA to get scammed. I’m sure you’ll always be applying your 5 second rule whenever you’re browsing through Craigslist in future…
…or maybe not 😉
July 16, 2013 @ 10:18 am
Love your post! Sorry to hear you got scammed but I do like how you put the Craigslist warnings in your article. They are there for a reason. I also read the one about the mirror – love your writing style and that you are willing to put it all out there. I also love how your husband is your “non-willing” side-kick. Looking forward to hearing more about your life.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:19 am
I must be hopelessly stupid, because I don’t see how anyone would know that was a scam. Especially if he knew the kind of case it was in. Otterbox do multiple colours.
Can anyone smart my dumb here?
July 16, 2013 @ 10:22 am
I need to clarify that in the post… he asked ME to tell him what the case was, THEN he agreed with me… thanks for pointing out the confusion!! One of those things that makes sense to me, but not necessarily clear when in print!
July 16, 2013 @ 10:26 am
Sad thing is, I probably would have done the exact same thing. I am such a dink…
July 16, 2013 @ 11:32 am
No it was clear from your story that he had gotten you to describe the case first, I totally got it. It’s like the classic admonition against giving personal stats over the phone–they “trick” you into it. BTW, I once scammed myself out of $200. I can only put it that way because I really have only myself to blame. I felt like a complete rube, especially since I thought I was doing some poor hapless person a good turn. So sorry this happened to you and thanks for the brave vulnerability to share it. Love your blog!!!
July 16, 2013 @ 10:20 am
I had a similar experience years ago when I lost a gold bracelet in O’Hare Airport. Ran an ad in Lost & Found section of newspaper. A man called, saying he believed he’d found my bracelet. “It is gold, right?” Unfortunately, he was “about to leave the country,” so I would need to wire the money so that he could mail it to me before his departure. Fortunately, my husband said, “We’re not wiring money to that guy” or I’d have no doubt been out a gold bracelet AND $200.
July 16, 2013 @ 11:36 am
Wow… I gues it’s a scam that predates the Internet!
July 16, 2013 @ 11:46 am
I keep reminding myself that whenever there’s a weird level of urgency (“about to leave the country”, “I’m traveling so send it RIGHT AWAY”) it’s so easy to get swept up without thinking- exactly what scammers are hoping for!
I’m so sad you lost $200 (think of the disco balls!) but your story is pretty adorable.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:20 am
I think Paul was being unfair. I don’t imagine you’d actually *want* to but Arkansas.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:23 am
Right? Texas, though… I’d pay a lot for Texas.
July 16, 2013 @ 2:27 pm
I happen to live in Texas, and right now, at 102 degrees, you can have it for free … no $200, no cashier’s check, no Western Union … just be sure to wear shoes, because the asphalt will melt to the bottom of your feet if you are dumb enough to walk to your mailbox in your bare feet.
Not that I would have any personal knowledge of that happening, of course.
July 16, 2013 @ 4:14 pm
But NTEXAS99, she wouldn’t take it for free! She’d have to send you some extra for giving her something so amazing!
I once got a call where they asked for someone specific and I told them they had the wrong number but it was a looking-for-donations call for some charity in another state and I ended up giving them money. Yes, that’s right, I gave money to a wrong number. I felt so stupid, I later established a firm policy about the specific charities I would support.
July 16, 2013 @ 8:38 pm
My husband has the best answer to most questions where he doesn’t want to answer – he says ‘Why do you ask?’ It’s a great way to give you time to gather your thoughts when you get a cold call.
We get so many cold calls from both legitimate charities and scammers that we now have a policy that we don’t give money or information to anyone cold-calling. That way I get to pick and choose which charities I want to donate to in a careful and considered way.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:20 am
I know the feeling, although I won’t share my story here. Just know that I understand.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:21 am
LOL – I needed that. I love your dh’s response: “look, I can’t talk right now, but I will make fun of you as soon as I get home.
Be sure you’re there.”
July 16, 2013 @ 10:21 am
I will tell you again…reading your posts MAKES MY DAY!! Love it. I have never done Craigs list, but I will keep an eye out for you!! lol
Blessings~
July 16, 2013 @ 10:21 am
Oh this made me laugh out loud! I would have done the same thing. EXCEPT I probably wouldn’t have wired him money, because I totally don’t know how to do that, and I don’t want to ever learn!
(the part about your brothers on your death bed was the best!)
July 16, 2013 @ 10:24 am
Double dog HILARIOUS!!!!! thank you for this morning’s chuckle!!
July 16, 2013 @ 10:25 am
Dearest, most excellent woman.
It happens. And you’re very brave to share with us.
And I’m never using Craigslist for anything except perhaps writing inspiration.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:26 am
Bless your heart. We really are sisters. If you only knew…… lol.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:27 am
[scammer who has no phone] What does the case look like?
[VEC] It’s silver with a minor scratch on the back and “sucker” printed in block letters
[scammer who has no phone] Let me take a look….hmm…. yes, the phone I have has a little scratch and sure enough, there’s “SUCKER”. This must be your phone!
basically whatever you tell scammer, they agree with. The legit way to see if it’s your phone is have the caller describe it to you, not the other way around. 🙂
July 16, 2013 @ 10:34 am
This made me laugh AND made me mad that I didn’t think of that set up myself… the engraving WAS really obvious.
July 16, 2013 @ 10:29 am
OHHH so sad to hear…but OMG so funny to read about… and Paul? love him, you two are perfect matches…thanks for the laugh out loud guffaw this morning…xoxo
July 16, 2013 @ 10:33 am
Its hard to admit that you have been scammed, even harder to be so honest about it with the 1000s of people who will read it. I salute your courage and man I have so been there.. I feel this way every single time I fall for something and post it on my facebook wall only to have 3 or 4 people gently prod me with “snopes” and pat on the head, jen, you were taken AGAIN.. le sigh
July 16, 2013 @ 10:34 am
Better then that, ive posted alot of items for sale on craigslist (my addiction) and have gotten replies from famous people always asking if item is still available hahahaha wow me
July 16, 2013 @ 10:35 am
These things happen – we want to believe people are all good, right? And to that, sorry I laughed, but I did. I really am a good person despite this – and I can totally imagine doing the same thing. Fav part of the post though – your husband’s texts!