A Nigerian Dictator Bought My Sofa

Xeni Jardin 8:43 pm Mon Apr 13, 2009

Boing Boing pal Todd "Telstar Logistics" Lappin has a guest post up on Laughing Squid about a new scam he encountered on Craigslist.

Last week I posted an ad to Craigslist offering our yellow loveseat for sale for $200. A gentleman wrote to say that he was interested, but that he couldn’t come see it because he’s busy with work. Instead, he proposed mailing his payment, and then having movers come later to pick up the loveseat. Odd, but not unheard-of, I supposed. Yet as the transaction has unfolded, it now seems pretty clear that that this “buyer” is really trying to pull a Craigslist version of the Nigerian dictator/advance-fee fraud.

The tone of his messages seemed strange from the get-go, but the note I received last night brought things into focus.

Read the email here. It is to LOL. A Nigerian Dictator Scam on Craigslist? (Laughing Squid) Incidentally, Todd's loveseat is still for sale.

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