Craigslist scams: fake escrow, shipping, and wire tricks

Editorially reviewed · Last updated July 21, 2026

Yes — this is a scam. Craigslist is real, but a buyer who won't meet, overpays by cashier's check, and routes you through an “escrow service” is running three scams at once.

Re: Dining table $450 — payment sorted

Chris Whitfield

cwhitfield.buyer@fast-reply-mail.com

6:58 PM

Hi, I'll take the table — no need to meet, I'm buying it for my daughter out of state. I've sent a cashier's check for $850 to cover the table plus my movers. Once you deposit it, keep your $450 and pay the $400 to my shipping agent through this secure escrow service so the pickup is guaranteed: cl-secure-escrow-pay.com/order/7741

Confirm escrow payment

The Email, as received

Other versions you might get: A buyer who “pays” through a fake payment-processor page and asks you to ship first; a seller of a car or camper who can't meet but offers “Craigslist buyer protection” through an escrow site; a buyer who asks you to read back a verification code (that's the Google Voice scam); or a straight wire-me-first deposit demand on an apartment or item. Different props, same rule broken: money or a code moving before a face-to-face handoff.

Know the signs

Almost every Craigslist scam starts by adding distance to a local deal — a remote buyer, a shipper, an escrow site, a check in the mail — because distance is what makes fake payments and fake guarantees possible.

What to watch for

Any reason you can't meet in person: they're overseas, buying for a relative, sending movers, or “too busy” — Craigslist's own rule is deal locally, face-to-face
Payment gymnastics: a cashier's check for too much, a wire, gift cards, or an “escrow”/“guaranteed payment” site you've never heard of
A request for a verification code sent to your phone — Craigslist flags these as always a scam

The one rule: Keep every Craigslist deal local and in person: meet in a safe public place, hand over the item only when you're holding cash, and never ship, wire, or use an escrow site a stranger picked.

What to do right now

Stop the deal. Don't deposit the check, don't click the escrow or payment link, and don't ship anything. Craigslist's own safety rule — deal locally, face-to-face — defeats the vast majority of scam attempts.
If you already deposited a check, don't touch the money. “Funds available” doesn't mean it cleared — a fake check can take weeks to bounce, and the bank will pull the full amount back out of your account. Tell your bank you suspect a fake check, and read our fake check scam guide.
If you already sent money on, call the wire service (MoneyGram: 1‑800‑666‑3947, Western Union: 1‑800‑325‑6000), your bank, or the gift-card issuer immediately and ask them to reverse or freeze it.
Report it. File at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and flag the email or listing to Craigslist so the account gets shut down.

How to make sure it never bites you

Craigslist scammers blast every fresh listing with the same scripts, so expect more of these replies whenever you post — the tell is never the platform, it's the distance and the payment method. Learn the pattern once and you're covered everywhere; then tighten the accounts and contact details your listings expose: how to protect yourself.

Untrappable · Public service advisory

Stop the next one at the source

You got this because your details are on lists that get bought, sold, and leaked. You can't unspill that, but you can make it useless to a scammer. Start with the free steps — they do most of the work.

Freeze your credit — free at all three bureausStops anyone opening a new account in your name. Unfreeze in minutes when you need to.
Report it and get a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.govThe FTC walks you through exactly what to do next, for free.

Optional — if you'd rather it was handled for you

If you'd rather have it watched for you, an identity-protection service monitors your accounts, SSN, and the dark web, warns you the moment something new appears, and helps you recover if someone gets through.

See identity protection →

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Frequently asked

Is there a real Craigslist escrow or buyer-protection service?

No. Craigslist doesn't offer escrow, payment processing, or purchase protection — its safety page warns that requests to use an escrow service can be a scam and to beware of “guaranteed” transactions. Any page or email offering “Craigslist secure pay” is fake, no matter how official it looks. If a stranger picks the escrow site, the escrow site is the scam.

A buyer sent me a cashier's check for more than my asking price. What do I do?

Don't deposit it, and don't send anyone the “difference.” This is the classic overpayment scam: the cashier's check is counterfeit, and Craigslist's safety guidance says flatly that requests to deposit a cashier's check are scams. If you already deposited it, don't spend or forward a cent — the FTC warns a fake check can take weeks to be discovered, and the bank will take the money back from you.

A buyer wants me to ship the item and says their mover will collect it. Scam?

Almost certainly. Craigslist warns users to beware of offers involving shipping or movers — the whole point of a local marketplace is a face-to-face handoff. The “shipping agent” either never pays you or exists to collect a fee from you. Sell to someone who will meet you in a public place and pay cash.

How is a Craigslist scam different from a Facebook Marketplace scam?

Same species, different habitat. Both platforms attract overpayment, fake-payment, and verification-code scams — but Craigslist deals lean on email, cashier's checks, fake escrow sites, and “shipping agents,” because there's no built-in payment system at all. The defense is identical: keep it local, in person, cash in hand. See our Facebook Marketplace guide for that side.

What's the safest way to buy or sell on Craigslist?

Follow Craigslist's own one-rule summary: deal locally, face-to-face. Meet in a safe public place, take cash, and never send or accept payment before meeting. Never wire money, never pay by gift card, never deposit a check for more than the price, and never share a verification code — Craigslist labels every one of those a scam.

Sources

Avoiding Scams— Craigslist
Selling stuff online? Here's how to avoid a scam— Federal Trade Commission
How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams— Federal Trade Commission
Report fraud to the FTC— Federal Trade Commission

A public service

Help protect someone else

Scams spread because people stay quiet about them. If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. Passing it on is the easiest good thing you'll do today. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.