Now for my computer issues. Craigslist

[DammitJanet]

Okay since I am posting, I havent been killed...lol.

I posted an ad on craigslist about 2 weeks ago for an Ovation guitar case. This is not the first time I have posted something to sell so I had no qualms about doing this. I didnt put any personal info in the post including I didnt list a phone number. I also did the thing where they hide your email and use that craigslist auto emailer. I have no clue how anyone could find out who I am through that ad ... but they did. I got one email where someone responded to the ad saying something odd about case like...ovation case? Is it blue padded? I responded back saying yes it was the blue padded case. I heard nothing else until I got all these very weird emails from people using my whole Name..first and Last, saying stuff about either they wanted to get back at their spouses by cheating with me, or that I sounded like a sexy woman in my ad, or that we used to chat online together and it was time to renew our life online...or other stuff. All of these included links to their websites with photo's, phone numbers, and other assorted info. I didnt click. I showed all this stuff to Tony and I am not sure he believes me that I have not been talking somewhere I shouldnt be even though I showed him the ad I placed on craigslist.

I want to know how they got my name off craigslist. I wouldnt wonder so much if they werent referencing the craigslist ad and it wasnt coming in under that ad. it is definitely coming from there...it has THAT heading. It comes in RE: Ovation guitar just like it does from craigslist.

If I have to close out that email address it is really going to be a pain. That is the main address that everything goes to. Maybe I should just see what name is listed on it...I dont know. Anyone get email from me at my fibro email? Does it come with my fullname?

 

[klmno]

I think it's when you respond back- that isn't anonymous and that would list your name however it lists your name whenever you email anyone, in general.

 

[buddy]

I think so too. Maybe set up a hotmail account for any future stuff and only do it on the web. then you can just close the account if you need to. I suppose there could have been a virus or other thing that took your name and or contacts.

That's kind of disturbing but at least it is just email.... hopefully they didn't get more. I hope someone here can reassure you of that...you dont need that stress..


on the other hand, you have posted some issues, were you really looking for a good time??? (sorry, snicker)

 

[DammitJanet]

Well I just changed my aim mail but...I only responded to one person and they arent the one who has been responding to me. These others are definitely coming straight through craigslist and using my name. If it was only the one person who I had emailed back using my name, I would see that.

 

[buddy]

The person who wrote to you may have had a virus that stole your name and sent it to his contacts.... dont open any of it, you have good anti viral stuff anyway you said so run a scan just to make sure and you will probably be fine.

 

[InsaneCdn]

<sigh>
1) the original message may have been an "intercept" by a virus or other malware, when the sender sent it to you... and the return addr was direct to malware site...
or
2) the original sender has malware problems, and your address got picked up by that.

Either way - its a mess.

Change your email profile - do NOT include full name, or address, or phone or anything else. First name and initial, state but not city, absolutely minimal info. Anybody who knows you, doesn't need more than that. Anybody else - doesn't need to know.

Do not open any emails with attachments - malware emails come from people you know (but they didn't send them).
Let your friends and family know that you're not accepting attachments right now... at least, not unless they tell you ahead of time that they are sending... e.g. msg today saying "sending family pics tomorrow" and then msg tomorrow with pics attached... OK, that's what you are expecting, you can open it.

 

[DammitJanet]

I did change my name and I have never given my location except here and fb. Even Skype lists my location as my original hometown. That was my fault because I answered the question wrong...lol. But I guess it was for the best. They werent very clear in my opinion. If you ask for your hometown, that means to me where you were born, not where you currently live.

I dont think my current phone number is anywhere except places you have to put it to send your credit cards. And I never open attachments. No one I know sends me any. Well thats not completely true. Billy recently sent me one with the contents of some papers he had scanned for me and I do email myself some pictures off my camera sometimes but thats it. I havent even downloaded the papers he sent me...lol. I stuck them in my saved folder for safe keeping. I have deleted the post off craigslist so maybe this will stop. I will wait a bit and see if it stops. Maybe I will post it on ebay as a pick up only in my area. Its way too large to ship. A guitar case would hardly be worth the cost of shipping I would think. Or maybe I will wait a few weeks and post this again on craigslist with less words and sound more like a man. less wordy. Hey...got this guiter case for sail. $50 buks or best offar. Is a Ovation. Dont need it anymore. email me.

 

[LittleDudesMom]

Janet, what a pain! I actually had an episode about two months ago that was strange - I am really careful about opening emails and/or downloading content - I have a mac which gives me an extra layer of comfort. But I came home from work on day and went to check my email - there were like 30 emails and they were all those "returned/rejected/no good email address" ones. But I didn't send out a mass email! And the ones that were returned were to folks that I haven't emailed in years! Probably the reason so many came back is that folks have changed their email address over the years. The awful thing about it, when I opened one of the emails to see what was going in, it was a sexual link sent out to my entire address book!!!!!!!

I immediately went in the "back door" and did a security run on my mac (which a HP Mac rep taught me about a year ago while we were waiting for printer drivers to install over the phone). It felt like such a violation and the worst part is that difficult child's teachers are on my email list so they got one of those sex site links! I was going to send a mass email letting folk know what happened, but figured people wouldn't open it anyway and most would probably know what happened........

I just wonder what satisfaction folks get out of doing that cr*p.......

Sharon

 

[Nancy]

Janet I thought I mentioned this in a post recently but in case you didn't see it we have a string of murders that was done by a middle aged man and his 16 year old accomplice through craigs list but placing an ad for a bogus job and killing the people who responded.

I will never answer or place a craigs list ad. I did want to try to find the gps that some jerk stole out of difficult child's car after breaking the window so I made an email account just to look at ads placed on craigs list and then I deleted the email account.

Nancy

 

[DammitJanet]

Yeah I heard about that one and of course the famous one up in was it Boston? The medical student who got his rocks off killing hookers?

I take precautions of not meeting people at my house if I can help it. For small things I meet at malls or parking lots. Recently when I gave away a dryer that didnt work on freecycle I made sure Billy was home. I have no clue how to sell this stupid thing if I cant sell it on craigslist.

 

[Star*]

I watched that recent CL murder in HORROR because one of the people that was murdered was very close to my hometown. My Mom had told me about it and up until last year when I had my own CL scare? I had used CL too for selling items to supplement my income while unemployed.

I had an item for sale. I agreed to meet elsewhere in a neutral location, well lit, with electric - a popular, public, place. I took (as I always did, my extra large American Bulldog, fully dressed in spike collar) he is an ominous presence. If you mean me no harm? Then the open door of the car shouldn't bother you. If you do? You are lunch for a well-trained dog that will eat you alive because he only loves Mother, Daddy, and Jesus and you aren't either.

I sat in my car and a guy drove around, and around looking at us. He sort of fit the description that was vague of the man wanting to buy my item. The man also asked if I'd be alone - (red flags). Not really any of his business. I felt had I not had GIGANTOR with me that day? Something bad could have happened. It was the absolute last time I tried to sell anything. No one ever showed and when I called the number? The phone was no longer in service (an HOUR later). Hinkey.

So I'm done with CL - period. For anything.

My only thought for you Janet is that IF your full email did come up? He typed or googled fibro//////janet and searched another board to see what came up and did some digging. Its' a lot easier than anyone thinks.

Just my .03

 

[DammitJanet]

Star you should meet at your house. You are safer there. If anyone can get past those 5 dogs, it was meant to be.

 

[klmno]

I wonder if he was scared to meet you unless he knew you'd be alone. A lot of people are getting concerned over stuff like this. When I was selling all that domestic stuff before giving up my home, I used different strategies for different things- depending on size/weight and if I thought the person was a female coming alone or a man. It did make me feel safer living in a neighborhhod where houses are close enough that if I screamed, someone would hear me.

 

[Star*]

I never met anyone at my home.....
As far as screaming? Yeah - they would have heard him. But see, for us out at our house? No one would have heard him. SO it was better we met at the Pilot.

 

[InsaneCdn]

I have no clue how to sell this stupid thing if I cant sell it on craigslist.

Well... I don't have experience with THIS site directly...
It is supposed to be the US version of KIJIJI - which is what we use A LOT up here... In our area, if you don't want to pay for a classified ad in the paper, you put it on KIJIJI - they do not charge for private ads, just for business ads.

We've bought and sold various things on that site, with no issues.

US version appears to have been "re-branded", and is now found here:
eBay Classifieds (Kijiji) - Post & Search Free Local Classified Ads.