San An Craigslist (2024)

FAQs

How do I know if a Craigslist response is real? ›

Meet the landlord.

Many Craigslist rental homes are private listings. And, there is a process most landlords go through. The landlord should be showing you the property. If someone other than a landlord, a reputable real estate agent or reputable property manager is showing the property, get a darn good explanation.

Craigslist is a legitimate website, and most Craigslist posts are legitimate and trustworthy as well. However, just like any other online platform, it can be used by scammers. Some people may post fraudulent listings only pretending to sell goods or services, so take precautions to ensure your safety.

Craigslist provides proxy email addresses to sellers, and it's a good idea to use them so browsers can't spam your actual email address. Once a potential buyer is truly interested, however, it's okay to switch communication to your cell phone; most buyers appreciate being able to text.

In a rental scam, someone on Craigslist will list a property for rent to steal your money or your personal and financial information. Rental scammers may create listings for properties they don't own or recreate legitimate listings with a different phone number or URL.

Be familiar with Craigslist

Scammers often create lookalike sites to lure buyers into paying for items that don't exist. Always confirm the URL before finalizing a purchase. Craigslist does not back any transaction on its site. If you're offered purchase protection at a price, you're looking at a scam.

In any Craigslist transaction, never give out personal or financial information. Always meet in person, bring a friend, and deal in cash or use a secured or proxied form of payment such as PayPal to avoid giving your credit card information to the seller.

What to do with Craigslist scammer? ›

If you're the victim of a scam, make sure to: Flag the listing on Craigslist by clicking the red flag icon so that you can warn others. Also send a detailed report to Craigslist.

Craigslist offers an anonymous email to advertisers on the site, so they do not have to reveal their real email address. All replies sent to this anonymous email is forwarded to their actual email. This extra steps prevents others from having access to a poster's real address.

Craigslist provides a "cover" email address that is forwarded to the recipient's actual email address. Only Craigslist knows the real email addresses of both parties. This way, if one of the people involved turns out to be untrustworthy, they don't have the other person's email address.

Being anonymous is important at Craigslist, a website that has devoured much of the classified advertising that once was a staple of newspapers. A seller's identity is allowed to remain confidential until a prospective buyer makes contact; both parties then can reveal their identities.