I hate to whine, cry and feel "Wronged" when I know I should just feel STUPID. For me, being stupid is painful. It hurts every time! For the posters on this page,
The Sloppy Money Order Scam
I'm guessin they are somehow oblivious to the pain. Or gettin off on it... Read the article, then the comments. I am sure you will understand why I had to post this comment there...
"I am missing something here… Every poster here has made the claim that Craigslist failed to adequately inform them of the fact that the world is a DANGEROUS place. I have been using Craigslist for over 4 years. Every email I have ever received from every one of 100’s of ads I have ran there, had this statement as its opening paragraph;
“** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY — AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html”
Not only that, but in order to even post an ad on Craigslist, a potential seller must navigate through 2-3 pages of posting options, all of which are headed by this statement or similar, in a font of at least twice the size and weight of the regular page text;
“AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY — IGNORE DISTANT BUYERS (SCAMMERS):
1. Most cashier’s check or money orders offered to craigslist sellers are COUNTERFEIT — cashing them can lead to financial ruin
2. Requests that you wire money abroad via Western Union or moneygram for any reason are SCAMS
3. Learn more on our scams page — avoid scammers by dealing locally with buyers you can meet in person! ”
Admittedly, the text does not blink, flash or come with an air raid siren. I, for one, am glad it doesn’t. Those things would be annoying… They would be even more annoying than the mandatory checking of the “I have read the terms of service…” check box. You know, that box that asks you to give your Word that you have completed a certain task and agree with craigslists position and opinions regarding the assumption of responsibility and liability for interactions through and due to any individual’s decision to post there.
So. Not only did the “Fraud Victims”, posting in this thread, fail to do anything to protect themselves or prepare themselves in any way, from the big bad world, they also have absolutely no qualms breaking their word for nothing more than their own lazyness and needless haste.
I, honestly, believe that the Nigerian Scam artists are not the villians here. They are hardworking, persistent and diligent workers who are actively engaged in bestowing upon all of you, (total strangers) the life skills you should have learned by the age of 8. Critical thought is a criterion of survival. Without it, we as a Nation would devolve into a morbidly obese, blind faithed, outspokenly ignorant, pharmaceutical addicted, manipulated and fleeced consumer caste whom all lack the ability to accept personal blame for the repercussions of their actions…. err. Snap!
Guess the Nigerians where “too little, too late.” Well, I guess its the thought that counts…. Anyone here ever tried either? Thinking? or counting?
