Craigslist isn’t known for its high-quality listings. But sometimes, people think the convenience is worth the trade-off of going to a reputable trailer dealership.
There are a few disadvantages to using Craigslist, but one of the biggest is a lack of trustworthiness. Anyone can make a posting on Craigslist, and that often means you’ll get people claiming they have a trailer to sell on Craigslist, when they don’t. Instead, they’re trying to scam you out of your hard-earned money.
Below, you’ll learn how to avoid these scammers if you choose to use Craigslist. The problems you’ll experience with Craigslist apply to other places where you may be able to find trailers online.
Common Signs That the Trailer May Be a Scam
Scammer listings rarely look like normal trailer listings on Craigslist. First, they only put one picture up, since they don’t have the ability to take a bunch of different pictures of the trailer.
The listings themselves also won’t make sense. The descriptions might be computer generated, meeting a minimum number of words without actually saying something. You’ll also notice that their prices are weird. Instead of asking for $2500 or $2599, they might ask for $2520.
You also need to take the phone number into account. Since these scammers are often posting a variety of different listings, they likely won’t have a local phone number.
The biggest red flag of all is simple: the seller won’t let you see the trailer. It’s a good idea in general to view a high-ticket purchase before sending money, but there are a lot of tricks the scammers might use to get you to make a deposit without seeing the trailer.
The biggest one is to garner your sympathy. They’ll often claim to be someone who has a reason not to meet with you in person: a servicemember who’s leaving soon for duty or a widow who can’t bear the memories that the trailer brings about.
These are difficult situations, but among all of the emotions, remember one simple thing: you should take a look at the trailer before sending money for it.
Am I Safe from Scammers If I Don’t Give Them Money?
At the end of the day, scammers do what they do because they want your money. As long as you don’t offer them money for a non-existent trailer, you should be in the clear, right?
Not exactly.
Sometimes, scammers figure out how to get at your money without your permission. If you respond to a spammer’s ad, they’ll be able to send you a message and pretend it came from Craigslist.
They’ll ask you to log in to a page that looks just like the Craigslist login page. When you put in your email address and password, it then won’t log you in.
Essentially, the scammers have set up a site that allows them to receive the information you’ve input. They can then use this information on various bank websites. Since people often use the same login information for different businesses, they can then get into your bank account.
Looking for a High-Quality Trailer Dealership in Arkansas?
At Silver Moon Trailers, we’re proud to offer a variety of trailers that you can see for yourself before purchasing. At the end of the day, we believe nothing can replace in-person purchases. This is especially true for high-ticket purchases.
If you have any questions about purchasing a trailer at Silver Moon Trailers, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (870) 330-9133 or email us at silvermoontrailers@gmail.com. You can also visit our location in person at:
1802 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401