Craigslist scammers posing as "marketers"

The current state of the economy is obviously hitting everyone very very hard. For those in the field of marketing, communications and PR, we're all watching and waiting with baited breath to see what will happen next (or which shoe will drop next).

So it is very unfortunate that scammers are taking advantage of those who can least afford to be taken advantage of. Particularly, these are scammers posing as marketers on the popular Web site Craigslist.

I received a telephone call this morning from a gentleman (I won't give his name) who responded to a letter of inquiry I sent recently. The ad was in the "Marketing/PR/Ad" category. He tells me that he runs a marketing company and he's regularly posting on behalf of another company on Craigslist, and since he can only post once a day, he's "hiring" people to post similar ads on his behalf.

Here's the s--- kicker, he wants you to cough up $25 daily, upfront, to post the ad on his behalf, then he will reimburse you that $25 on the back end, plus allegedly pay you another $25, daily, into a PayPal account.

It reeks of scam. Nothing at all involving "marketing" or anything legitimate. It stank to high heavens.

And that's not to mention the weight loss scam that's also floating around Craigslist. There's a scammer targeting people who are trying to lose weight and will allegedly pay you $1,500 as part of a weight-loss study. Easy money, right? Who couldn't use a quick $1,500?

What they don't tell you is that you have to purchase "weight-loss drugs" that have not been evaluated by the FDA, pay only the shipping and handling (which after further investigation, they continuously bill your credit card even after the first shipment for future shipments, even if you do not want the product) and no one is paid this $1,500 at all. No one.

And this one was almost easy to fall victim to because I'm in the middle of a weight-loss program (through diet and exercise), and I could use a quick $1,500 right about now.

Lessons to be learned...stay off Craiglist for one. Do not trust scammers posing as marketers. Legitimate marketing executives will hopefully shun this site so that those who are looking for legitimate employment will have a better amount of success.

E.C. :)