You’ve qualified for a free pink iPad 2! Most consumers who see such “deals” online know they are too good to be true, but some bad deals masquerade as real ones. Even worse, these fake deals are usually designed to take advantage of the unwary and can cost trusting deal-seekers a lot – even their lives.
The popular website Craigslist.com can be a great way to buy and sell goods services, if used correctly.
Recently it was exploited in a case that led to the death of at least two men, with a third man possibly linked to the deaths and a fourth man wounded.
A seemingly-innocuous advertisement on the local Craigslist purported to be looking for a farm hand near Akron, Ohio. The position would pay $300 a week, which sounded like a fairly good deal for the men who responded.
However, no such farm exists. Instead of finding bucolic cows and pasture land, the men who responded were lured to the area and killed with the apparent intent of robbing them and stealing their identities.
Although consumers should be aware of the dangers associated with using a site such as Craigslist, there are ways to help ensure safety with the offers on the site, Frank Fernandez of Public Safety said.
“Above all, you have to do your homework,” Fernandez said. Simple safety precautions such as background checks and a little online research can save students the hassle of a bad deal and, in the most extreme cases, could even save their lives.
Fernandez recommends checking any business opportunity with the Better Business Bureau to make sure the business checks out. Another safety precaution, depending on the type of employment offered, is to call local authorities to make sure the offer is real before approaching the employer.
When purchasing items through sites such as Craigslist, many sources recommend seeing the item in person prior to exchanging money. This protects the buyer from purchasing a non-existent or faulty product.
Other sites, such as eBay, add an extra layer of security for the consumer. EBay charges the seller for posting items, which increases the security for the consumer because people are less likely to post fake items when it costs money to do so.
This does not remove all risk, however. Thoroughly researching the source as much prior to purchase will help keep buyer’s remorse at bay.
Not everything on Craigslist and other similar sites is fake or intended to be a scam. Most of the items and many of the jobs listed are excellent deals and great opportunities, as long as they are being listed by reliable sources.
“Having a second opinion on a deal or a job offer is always wise, and in the case of the farm hand, it is crucial,” Mackenzie Schuler, a senior at Capital who has both purchased items and sold items through Craigslist, said.
Schuler also offers the advice that “if you find something on the site that is truly intriguing in concern to a career, make sure to go to an interview in a public place, and ask someone with extremely sound judgment to accompany you.”
One reliable site that Capital students can use to find possible jobs is Crusadercareers.com. A full list of possible sites and sources for job opportunities can be found in the career development office, located in the basement of the campus center.
