Maybe Today Will Be Different...

Yesterday, the weirdest thing happened to me.  I was on the web, doing some usual posting of my website and my business to get some adver how usually do, tweets, FB posts, etc., and then I finally got to Craigslist.

I posted an ad in a section for sales.  I put up my product info and set the ad with images and all the fixings of a juicy ad to get a few good bites.  I felt good about it and posted it.  Then I went on with my day wrapping up presumably with my daily marketing efforts.

A few hours later, I get a text saying that a so and so was interested in buying my product and could you send an email in response.  I was excited.  I thought for sure I had got a sale.  (This of all, would be my first sale).  Of course, it has to be somebody just half interested I thought, up until then, all I had gotten was leads not bites, and only one person who tried to buy, but canceled. 

I urgently went to my email to send a response.  Not too much later, a response came threw.  I was over the edge.  I thought for sure this would be it.  A good day of posting and then a nice, juicy ad would seal the deal.  And I'm out of nothing for advertising costs. I checked, and the email said, I want to buy.  Please send me your Paypal info.  I thought wow, that was interesting.  I had placed the website info in the ad.  Why didn't they just go to the website and purchase. 

I responded back.  The company does not take Paypal, you'd need to use a credit card.  The guy claimed he was a marine engineer.  Said he wouldn't have access to his bank account and he was only able to use Paypal.  After much deliberance, I couldn't bring myself to cooperate.  I looked up the email he used on Google.  Sure enough a few remote posts popped up with his user and that it was a marine biologist guy claiming to use only Paypal. 

I was disappointed.  I wanted the sale.  I wanted to put the purchase through anyway.  I planned even to send the Paypal to him to let him process and so called send me money for the purchase.  He would have had the package shipped to his "agent" and then sent the package via them to his son.

There was nothing concrete, but even Paypal mentioned to watch for the scam, and literally mentioned a marine biologist and a number one clue.  The only way it would have likely gone sour is if the Paypal transaction was processed, then come to find out after the fact, that the guy was a hacker!