Craigslist scams may focus on the advertised item, a proposed payment, or the phone number of the person who posted an ad. Craigslist recommends a local, in-person exchange instead of payment before meeting. The FTC describes a Google Voice verification code scam that can connect a new number to a seller’s phone. Treat any Craigslist verification code request cautiously.
A persuasive reply to an advertisement is not evidence that the sender plans a fair transaction. Consider each extra condition separately, including a code request, unfamiliar escrow page, mover charge, or promised refund. Craigslist identifies these features as warning signs. A normal local transaction should not require disclosure of financial details or personal credentials.
How Craigslist scams use a Google Voice verification code
In a Google Voice verification code scam, a supposed buyer may first ask whether the seller is a real person. Next, that person asks the seller to repeat a number sent by text. Giving away that number can allow the scammer to attach a Google Voice number to the seller’s telephone number and hide the scammer’s identity.
Craigslist scams can involve Craigslist verification code demands that have nothing to do with a transaction the seller initiated. Read the entire message before acting on any number included in it. One way to avoid this tactic is to stop communication when an unfamiliar person asks for a code. The FTC directs affected users to Google’s recovery guidance.
When a respondent immediately moves away from questions about the listed property, the goal may be obtaining a phone number instead of buying anything. The FTC says these scammers target Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace sellers, as well as people seeking lost pets. They may pose as customers or pet owners so the code request appears ordinary.
According to the FTC, a verification code is a temporary number that helps secure an account through two-factor authentication. A stranger seeking that number is attempting a scam. Claims about payment approval, buyer screening, account status, or ad visibility do not create a reason to share an authentication number during a marketplace conversation.
| Added demand | Safer response |
|---|---|
| Repeat a Google Voice code | Keep the code private. |
| Pay a mover from a surplus check | Do not forward the money. |
| Use a guaranteed outside payment service | Check the service independently. |
Payment tricks in Craigslist scams
Shipping offers, mover arrangements, payment guarantees, and outside payment processors can complicate a simple listing. Craigslist cautions users about all of these patterns. Review each added instruction independently instead of accepting it because the buyer sounds confident. A guarantee stated by a stranger does not mean Craigslist or a recognized business has agreed to supervise the exchange.
Overpayment checks can put sellers at risk when a buyer asks them to return money. Craigslist says fake certified checks may appear to clear and then later bounce. Money returned to the sender is real money, even if the deposited check proves worthless. The fake check warning signs explain why an available balance is not enough.
One Craigslist example describes a $4000 certified check sent for an $800 bicycle. The sender asked the seller to send $3000 through Western Union. That scenario combines a check deposit, an overpayment, a wire transfer, and a request for personal information. Do not send any part of an apparent surplus to an unfamiliar buyer.
Although wires can move funds quickly, Craigslist says recovering a wire transfer can be difficult. Its safety guidance says requests to wire money are scams. It also identifies requests involving gift cards and cashier’s-check deposits as scams. End the conversation instead of attempting to make a suspicious payment arrangement safer through further discussion.
How to avoid suspicious listings
Knowing how to avoid risky listings begins with keeping the transaction limited to the item and an in-person meeting. Craigslist recommends using its mail relay to discuss a specific listing and arranging a safe public exchange. Do not give a correspondent account logins, Social Security numbers, identification details, or other personal data as reassurance.
Some Craigslist scams use a convincing message that copies the name or appearance of a known company. If an unexpected payment or account notice arrives, open the real account independently. The FTC advises contacting companies through a known website or telephone number rather than through the message. The email scam guidance addresses similar credential and attachment requests.
Craigslist describes a sound interaction as one using its mail relay, covering a specific item, service, or job, and setting up a meeting in a safe public location. Messages that remain focused on these details are easier to assess. Be wary when someone skips item questions and instead seeks personal information or account access.
Be cautious when a contact promises that a transaction is guaranteed or claims that an unfamiliar payment service makes the exchange safe. Craigslist lists both approaches as warning signs. An escrow-service request can also be fraudulent. Do not send payment before meeting in person, and do not let urgency displace time for independent review.
Recognizing pressure and impersonation in Craigslist scams
Pressure tactics can make a person overlook basic concerns. Craigslist’s email examples identify urgency, elaborate sympathetic stories, exceptionally low prices, and shipping-only items as frequent signs. Pause when a message appears designed to force an immediate answer. A legitimate local arrangement should allow time to consider the item, payment method, and meeting plan.
A scammer may claim to be a Craigslist user, payment representative, or another trusted authority. Craigslist says scammers use those identities to seek money, property, or personal information. Seeing a well-known business name in a message does not confirm a business relationship. Check any claimed connection through the company’s own official website.
A Craigslist example uses eBay protection language and says that a payment method is safe. The message also claims that verification was completed and mentions a $20,000.00 purchase protection account. Such details may sound official, but they are not a substitute for checking an offer directly with the genuine company through independent contact information.
An unusually attractive price can draw attention to a car, home, or other high-value item. Craigslist identifies low prices as a warning sign when combined with shipping requirements or an involved personal story. Ask direct questions about the item, inspect it in person, and leave the transaction when the answers add unexplained inconsistencies.
Google Voice account protection after a code request
A Google Voice verification code scam can begin with an innocent-looking request to verify a telephone number. The danger begins when the sender wants the recipient to read or forward the code. The FTC says that sharing it can allow the sender to associate a Google Voice number with the recipient’s own phone number.
People who disclosed a code can use Google’s steps to reclaim a linked phone number. Google says to visit voice.google.com, select Settings, open Linked numbers, and choose New linked number. Verify the number by using a six-digit code, then select Claim when prompted. Mobile numbers receive the necessary code through text messaging.
Google explains that a claimed linked number is already being used with another Voice account. Recovering that number should not involve further contact with the individual who requested the code. Stop replying, retain the messages as evidence, and change passwords if any sign-in information was provided during the same exchange or through a related link.
Google says inactive Voice numbers can display a warning and a reclaim date. The company says the number must be added back within 45 days after that date. Calling, texting, or checking voicemail before the date can preserve it. To locate an existing Voice number, sign in and look under Account in Settings.
Safe in-person meetings and local exchanges
Craigslist’s central safety rule is to transact locally and face to face. Its guidance says following that approach avoids the vast majority of scam attempts. A meeting lets each side discuss the actual item instead of relying on shipping promises, remote payment stories, or assertions that a third party will collect the property.
Craigslist advises choosing a public place for a meeting, such as a bank or police department. Avoid secluded locations and do not bring strangers into a home. Tell a friend about the transaction and consider taking someone along. Use additional care when a listing involves an expensive item or something that is difficult to transport.
Meeting locally does not remove the need to examine transaction details. Review the item before payment, retain the listing and messages, and protect all account credentials and codes. A genuine buyer has no need for a seller’s bank-account number, Cash App login, Social Security number, license, or job references before an exchange.
A buyer may offer to use a mover or courier rather than meet directly. Craigslist names mover arrangements as a warning sign. That explanation can lead to an excess check, gift-card payment, or wire request. Decline plans that split the payment from the delivery of the item or avoid a straightforward local exchange.
Phishing links, forms, and unexpected texts
Phishing communications can resemble Craigslist notices, buyer messages, or correspondence from a payment company. Craigslist identifies several suspicious requests: clicking a sign-in link, completing an off-site form, downloading an attachment, or sending a verification code. Each can expose private information or permit access to an account that belongs to the listing user.
Instead of opening a text-message link, Craigslist advises users to type accounts.craigslist.org/login into a browser to examine account or posting status. This method can separate the genuine account page from an imitation. Carefully review any notice claiming an ad will disappear unless the recipient opens a link or completes a verification task.
Craigslist says telephone verification occurs only while a user is creating a post. A verification request at any other point is a scam. This includes messages saying that a buyer needs confirmation, a payment must be approved, or an account is suspended. Keep the code private regardless of how familiar the sender’s name appears.
After sharing personal information through a phishing message, Craigslist recommends changing the password immediately and flagging the affected emails and posts. Change passwords through the actual account site, not through the suspicious conversation. Preserve screenshots, message headers, transaction details, and links before deleting the material or blocking the sender from further contact.
Rental listings and deposits
Scammers may copy genuine rental advertisements and publish them again with their own contact information. The FTC also warns that some ads promote properties that are not available to rent at all. Professional photographs, polished wording, and a claim that the owner is away do not replace seeing the home before paying anything.
Before discussing a rental deposit, search the address alongside the owner or business name. The FTC also recommends reviewing the rental company’s own website. Landlords generally do not need an applicant’s Social Security number or credit score before the applicant agrees to rent, so early demands for either detail should raise concerns.
The FTC advises against paying for a home before seeing it or before meeting the person offering it. It identifies Western Union and MoneyGram wire transfers, gift cards, and cryptocurrency as rental-scam payment methods. According to the agency, credit cards offer the best protection when payment is needed for a legitimate rental transaction.
FTC reporting data shows the scale of reported rental fraud. From January 2020 through June 2025, the agency received nearly 65,000 rental scam reports involving about $65 million in reported losses. The median reported loss was $1,000. Those figures reflect reports submitted to the agency, not every rental advertisement online.
Rental scam patterns connected to online listings
For the 12 months ending in June 2025, about half of people reporting rental scams told the FTC the fraud started with a fake Facebook advertisement. Another 16% said the initial listing was on Craigslist. These reports support independently confirming the property and the owner before sending money or private information.
The FTC’s data spotlight says people ages 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report a rental-scam loss. Age cannot determine whether an advertisement is false. Still, someone unfamiliar with a rental market may benefit from taking time to confirm the address, owner, and payment request independently.
A demand for payment before a property viewing may depend on manufactured urgency. Craigslist’s local meeting advice and the FTC’s rental guidance both support inspecting the home and meeting the relevant person. Claims about competing applicants should not persuade a renter to skip those checks or to send a deposit before verifying details.
For suspicious rental ads, the FTC identifies local law enforcement, the website carrying the advertisement, ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and the state attorney general as reporting options. Flag the Craigslist listing too. Save the property address, payment instructions, telephone number, screenshots, and messages seeking a deposit, code, or sensitive personal data for any report.
Reporting Craigslist scams and suspicious messages
Craigslist asks users to flag fraudulent posts and emails. For mail-relay messages, reporting links appear at the bottom of the correspondence. Craigslist also advises against replying to a suspected scammer. Continued communication can create further opportunities for pressure, personal-information requests, or demands for another payment connected to the same listing.
In the United States, Craigslist directs users to the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, and state attorneys general for reports. A report may help agencies identify repeated conduct. Include the listing information, dates, payment method, addresses, email accounts, phone numbers, and screenshots when those details are available.
Craigslist says unwanted scam texts can be forwarded to SPAM at 7726. Forwarding may help the mobile carrier identify problem messages. It does not replace reporting fraud to Craigslist or an appropriate government agency if money, account access, or private information was involved. Keep a copy of the text before deleting it.
For Canadian users, Craigslist lists the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre as a reporting option. Craigslist says local police should be contacted when fraud involved an in-person transaction. A police report may be useful after theft, threats, or non-delivery during a face-to-face exchange with a local seller or buyer in the community.
What to do and where to report
When money was sent because of a Craigslist listing, contact the payment provider promptly and ask whether anything can be done to reverse the transaction. FTC advice is to use the provider’s own contact route. Explain whether the loss involved a nonexistent item, deposit demand, or overpayment check, rather than unauthorized account activity.
If a Craigslist contact sent a fake account sign-in page, secure the affected account through the real website instead of using the listing conversation. The FTC advises changing exposed passwords and any reused passwords, then enabling multifactor authentication. When personal information was misused, use IdentityTheft.gov and retain the deceptive link with related messages.
An unsolicited offer to recover a Craigslist deposit for an advance fee creates another warning sign. IC3 says it does not partner with law firms or crypto services to recover lost funds. Review the recovery-scam advice and contact the original payment provider directly. Do not make another payment based on recovery promises from an unfamiliar person.
The FBI describes IC3 as its central reporting hub for cyber-enabled crime and fraud. IC3 says it will never contact a person directly to seek money or information. Be skeptical of anyone claiming to represent IC3 while requesting a fee, cryptocurrency, account access, or an authentication code after a fraud complaint.
Fake checks, wires, and cash-transfer requests
A counterfeit check can look legitimate. Craigslist says fake certified checks are easy to produce and can appear to clear before being returned unpaid. Early access to deposited funds should not be considered confirmation that the check is valid. It also does not confirm that the sender has a genuine reason for the payment.
For fake-check scams, the FTC identifies the FTC, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and state attorneys general as reporting channels. Retain images of the check, the mailing envelope, tracking records, the listing, and all messages. This information can help show how the request was connected to an online ad and how delivery occurred.
After a wire transfer, contact the provider quickly using verified customer-service information. The FTC provides fraud-reporting contacts for MoneyGram and Western Union. Give the provider the transfer details and explain that the request followed a suspected listing scam, rental deposit demand, or unusual payment instruction included in an online marketplace conversation.
Craigslist identifies gift-card payment requests as another scam sign. Do not purchase cards, disclose their numbers, or send photographs showing card details for an item, rental, delivery, or verification request. Gift-card instructions turn an otherwise ordinary sale into a high-risk transaction, especially when the person also asks for a code or account information.
Practical checks before replying to a listing
Start by considering whether a message addresses the actual item, job, service, or rental in the advertisement. Craigslist includes this focus in its description of a good interaction. A response that ignores listing details but seeks a phone number, email address, code, or payment information should not be treated as normal buyer interest.
When possible, keep messages inside Craigslist’s mail relay. The relay preserves a discussion record and provides reporting links for suspicious email. Moving immediately to private texting, personal email, or an unfamiliar app may give a scammer more opportunities to send phishing links, collect codes, or evade the site’s reporting tools.
Examine every link before opening it. A message can name a familiar company while directing the recipient to a different website. Go directly to the known company site to check payment activity, account status, or ad information. An urgent demand for verification is not a reason to open a link sent in the message.
Set a clear boundary before posting: strangers do not receive authentication codes, bank details, login credentials, or a Social Security number. This practice can prevent several forms of Craigslist scams before money moves. A legitimate local exchange should center on the advertised item, a public meeting, inspection, and an agreed payment arrangement.
Questions and answers
Why would a buyer ask for a Google code?
The FTC says a supposed buyer may use a code to create a Google Voice number linked to the seller’s phone. The claimed identity check is a pretext. Do not share the code with the person who requested it, especially when the request begins with an unsolicited text message.
Does meeting locally remove every risk?
Craigslist recommends local, face-to-face dealings and a safe public meeting place. That approach reduces exposure to distant payment schemes, but each person should still inspect the item, avoid secluded locations, and reject requests for codes, sensitive information, shipping arrangements, or unusual payment terms.
Is a cashier’s check safe to accept from a stranger?
Craigslist says certified-check fakes can look real, appear to clear initially, and bounce later. A request to deposit a check and return part of the money is a major warning sign. Do not wire any apparent overpayment, because the transferred money can be difficult to recover.
How can a suspicious Craigslist posting be reported?
Craigslist asks users to flag scam postings and emails. Its reporting page identifies the FTC, IC3, and state attorneys general as U.S. reporting routes. Preserve the listing, messages, payment records, and phone numbers before deleting anything that could help document the suspected fraud.
Can a bank reverse money sent to a Craigslist scammer?
Contact the bank or payment provider immediately and explain that the transaction followed deception connected to a Craigslist listing. Craigslist warns that wire transfers are difficult to recover. The provider may explain available options, but delay can make it harder to stop or trace a payment.
What should a Craigslist seller do after giving out a Google Voice code?
The FTC explains that the code can let a scammer set up a Google Voice number tied to the seller’s phone. Follow Google’s instructions to reclaim the number, stop replying to the requester, change exposed passwords, and retain the messages for reports.
Where should identity theft linked to a Craigslist listing be reported?
When a Craigslist contact obtained a Social Security number, a bank login, or similar details, secure affected accounts through their real websites. Craigslist says to flag the related posting and email. U.S. users can also report the incident to the FTC, IC3, and a state attorney general.
Should a Craigslist scam victim pay a recovery service?
Be cautious of any person who claims they can recover a lost Craigslist payment for an advance fee. IC3 says it does not work with law firms or crypto services to recover lost funds. Contact the original payment provider directly and preserve the recovery pitch for reporting.
I received a Google Voice verification code scam message. What should I do?
Do not read the code to the sender or forward the text. The FTC says a verification code is used for two-factor authentication, and anyone asking for it is a scammer. Stop communicating, save the messages, and report the suspected fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
I gave a Craigslist verification code to a buyer. Can I reclaim my number?
Google says a claimed linked number can be recovered through voice.google.com. Go to Settings, select Linked numbers, choose New linked number, verify the number with a six-digit code, and click Claim when prompted. The FTC also directs people who shared a code to Google’s recovery steps.
Why would a stranger want a verification code from my phone?
A stranger may claim the code confirms that a seller or renter is real. The FTC says Google Voice scammers use this tactic to link a Voice number to another person’s phone number. The requester can then use that number while concealing their own identity.
Is a Craigslist verification code ever needed after I post an ad?
Craigslist says it verifies phone numbers only when a person is creating a posting. Any other verification request is a scam. Do not rely on a caller’s explanation that the request is required for account security, buyer screening, payment approval, or listing visibility.
How do I check a Craigslist account message safely?
Craigslist advises going directly to accounts.craigslist.org/login rather than clicking a link in a text message. Messages that ask someone to log in, complete a form on another website, download an attachment, or send a code can be phishing attempts.
Are shipping and movers warning signs in Craigslist scams?
Craigslist says to beware of offers involving shipping or movers. A distant buyer may use that story to introduce a payment request, an overpayment check, or a request for personal details. Local discussion of the specific item and an in-person public meeting are safer alternatives.
How can I check whether a rental listing is real?
The FTC recommends searching the address with the owner or company name and checking the rental company’s own website. Scammers may copy real listings and replace contact details. Do not pay for a home that has not been seen or a landlord who has not been met.
What payment methods should I avoid for a Craigslist rental?
The FTC identifies demands for wire transfers, gift cards, and cryptocurrency as rental scam warning signs. It says credit cards give the best protection. A landlord generally does not need a Social Security number or credit score before a renter agrees to rent.
Sources
- Avoiding scams · Craigslist
- Scams · Craigslist
- Phishing · Craigslist
- Email Scam Examples · Craigslist
- Phone Scam Examples · Craigslist
- Reporting scams · Craigslist
- Reporting scams · Craigslist
- In Person Transactions · Craigslist
- The Google Voice verification code scam · Federal Trade Commission
- What's a verification code and why would someone ask me for it? · Federal Trade Commission
- Reclaim your Voice number · Google Voice Help
- Find your Google Voice number or username · Google Voice Help
- Rental Listing Scams · Federal Trade Commission
- Avoiding rental listing scams · Federal Trade Commission
- Rental scams hit home with $65 million in reported losses · Federal Trade Commission
- Internet Crime Complaint Center · FBI IC3
- How To Spot, Avoid, and Report Fake Check Scams · Federal Trade Commission
- What To Do if You Were Scammed · Federal Trade Commission
- How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams · Federal Trade Commission
- Refund and Recovery Scams · Federal Trade Commission