I was recently searching for a used laptop on Craigslist in Chicago, IL for my girlfriend. I came across a wonderful Sony laptop that was well priced, almost brand new, and what I thought was a local item on craigslist:

I got the old bait and switch when I received this email back after contacting the seller.

How do I know this is a scam?

• Seller stated she was from Chicago - then pulled a bait and switch and is now in the UK
• It is a she - most people trust women for some reason more than men
• The product is priced extremely well and at a believable rate
• Photos look like they were shot with a personal digital camera and not taken from an ecommerce website
• Seller is from the UK, not an African nation that is associated with scams like this

When purchasing from Craigslist only purchase local goods. I usually have sellers bring the items I purchase to my home or office - and I give them an extra five or ten dollars from this. But be warned, don’t purchase outside your own city on craigslist, especially not a high priced item like a laptop from someone in the UK or any country for that matter. This was one of the cleanest and believable scams I have seen in a while, I imagine quite a few people are getting taken for some nice pocket change. If you have been scammed in a similar manner, or even scammed by this same thing, please leave your comments and help make other more aware.