How do Gumtree/Craiglist scams work?
Yemsky
710 Posts
I am wondering whether anyone can explain how scam adverts on Gumtree, Craigslist and other small ad sales websites work. There are tons of items advertised which actually are not for sale. Obviously, if somebody was stupid enough to paypal money the scam advertisers would pocket that money without delivering the goods.
But I am wondering whether there is more to it:
One of my ways of checking whether an ad might be genuine is to take the ad image used and put it in google image search. Many of the scammers are using images again and again, which is quite easy to spot via google image search. A few weeks ago I was browsing gumtree for a CDJ2000 and came across an attractively priced one. The google image search returned no results so I proceeded with caution and sent the seller a message through the gumtree messaging system. My message might have included my mobile phone number. I say might have as I am not sure. However, if it did not what has happened next is even more mysterious:
For a number of weeks now I have received almost daily a completely empty SMS from the UK mobile number 07937947874. The messages are empty and oddly enough they do not make my phone ring. I only discover them when I happen to go to my text messages because someone else has sent me an SMS or because I want to write one myself.
I have googled this telephone number and get lots of hits for small ads from various websites like Gumtree. I take this as an indication of it being used by a professional scammer.
So what is the purpose of these empty text messages?
Is there a danger that they are somehow using or tapping my phone?
But I am wondering whether there is more to it:
One of my ways of checking whether an ad might be genuine is to take the ad image used and put it in google image search. Many of the scammers are using images again and again, which is quite easy to spot via google image search. A few weeks ago I was browsing gumtree for a CDJ2000 and came across an attractively priced one. The google image search returned no results so I proceeded with caution and sent the seller a message through the gumtree messaging system. My message might have included my mobile phone number. I say might have as I am not sure. However, if it did not what has happened next is even more mysterious:
For a number of weeks now I have received almost daily a completely empty SMS from the UK mobile number 07937947874. The messages are empty and oddly enough they do not make my phone ring. I only discover them when I happen to go to my text messages because someone else has sent me an SMS or because I want to write one myself.
I have googled this telephone number and get lots of hits for small ads from various websites like Gumtree. I take this as an indication of it being used by a professional scammer.
So what is the purpose of these empty text messages?
Is there a danger that they are somehow using or tapping my phone?
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