Anyone Get Scammed by Craigslsit

That isn't scamming, they didn't take anything from you, they just didn't follow through with giving you stuff.

Oh my! I remember you. You are pissed at humanity because they won't give you enough stuff so you don't have to work.

No one is ever going to just 'give' you anything for free.
If a deal sounds too good to be true - it IS too good to be true.
If you're hoping you'll get a better 'deal' than the next guy then YOU'RE the scammer.
It's better to have faith in hard work than it is to have faith in goodness.
(Though it's not really 'goodness' you are looking for so much as you are looking for 'giveness'.)
I recognize begging when I see it.
There are begging sites out there but this isn't one of them.

I don't use Craigslist, but if I did, it would be to give, not to take. I didn't know you could do that.

Were you hoping someone here will give?

I don't want to sound insensitive but you decided to have 7 kids. That is a HUGE financial responsibility. You don't go on Craigslist to get "help". You buy and sell things there. You have asked this before and got good advice. I'm sorry you are having financial issues right now but frankly, it sounds like you have other issues going on as well. If you don't have the money to buy Christmas presents, and you are not getting any "help", then you sadly tell your kids its a tough year this year and they won't be getting as much. Your actions, or lack thereof, have consequences and unfortunately, this is one of them. Good luck.

Please don't give your kids' info to random strangers on Craigslist. That strikes me as incredibly reckless and irresponsible. If you need help, contact local churches - if they can't help you, they will tell you who can. But Craigslist is ripe for scammers and you're out there asking for it.

ETA: I agree with other posters who said you've been asking for help for a long time - something here isn't computing. I realize you can use public computers at libraries, but instead of using your personal (or public) computer to post these questions here - use it to look for actual help or for getting a job or an education. I'm all for helping people, but this has been going on for a long time.

Your question history is one of wanting a lot of things from other people. Craigslist is the LAST place to go for this (besides parenting forums like Mamapedia, maybe). Even people who are selling things on Criagslist have to watch for scammers - so if you are asking for charity from a completely unregulated cyber world like CL, you're going to get EVERYONE who wants your address and personal information. Going on line, particularly to unsecured sites, can make you vulnerable to hacking. You've also basically posted your children's info including their ages and I don't know what else (address? names?) to people who may be predators! This is highly dangerous and also incredibly inefficient.

Everyone on Mamapedia has, in the past, advised you to go to legitimate charities in your area and to state and municipal agencies that can evaluate your situation, assess its validity, help you prioritize your needs, and get you directed to and signed up for services for which you qualify. If you are going to places like Craigslist, you aren't taking the advice and you are putting yourself at risk. You also may be portraying yourself as someone who is just "on the take" and I'm sure you don't want that.

I'm not sure why your kids are heartbroken. This was avoidable if you had not involved them in adult matters! You had them picking out things on line from strangers? Really? Do you really want them to think that's the way the world works? No, you are the adult - YOU go to churches and Family Services and Welfare and Goodwill and YOU do the legwork, leaving them out of it. They are kids. They should not be burdened with adult problems.

Please - force yourself to get off the computer and into an organized search for appropriate agencies. If you are this destitute, it's about a lot more than Christmas presents - it's about food and rent and medical care. Please take a really good note pad and start making calls in your area. Write down the name of the agency, the phone number, the name of the person you talked to, and what the advice or referral was. Do this for every call you make. Visit local agencies as well - it's more personal. Don't ask agencies to help you with things beyond their area of service or expertise. Get some counseling offered by family services to help you organize your thinking and work on ways to shield your children from the financial pressures. I'm sorry your faith in goodness is gone but really, you aren't looking at all the parents on Mamapedia who have taken the time to give you good advice and direction. If that's not goodness, I don't know what is.

idk R., you've been asking about Christmas help for a LONG time now, seems instead of putting all the effort into begging for a handout, you could have done something to earn some money(even if only $20 to spend on each child)... offer to clean a few houses/rooms, rake leaves, shovel snow, baby sit, walk dogs, address cards for a friend, crochet scarves and sell them, etc. there's ALWAYS a way to rub some pennies together to get some cash on hand - get creative, think outside the box, and teach your kids that it's not ALL about the gifts... I get that you want even an older child to have gifts, but you weren't "scammed", people just failed to follow through on something - you're no worse off than you were before. I do hope your family manages to have a Merry Christmas.

Reading other people's responses and going through your question history - it seems like there are questions of yours that were removed.

many of your posts are asking for help. I don't think this is the forum to ask for monetary help. if you want to ask how to manage your money - yes - but to ask for money - no.

No. I've not been scammed by craigslist or ebay or etsy.

Have you thought about DOING instead of waiting for things to fall in your lap? I'm sorry - but you sound like a 'victim' to me. You admitted in one of your posts that you quit your job, you made poor decisions. Now those poor decisions have consequences.

Try the Salvation Army. Goodwill.

Offer to clean someone's house for cash. Maybe wash the windows for cash...iron their clothes...barter with what you have to trade/exchange for what you want.

Your faith in goodness? Maybe if you DID instead of begged - all would be restored. I'm not trying to be mean. Those are the hard facts. People ARE willing to help. I'm sure there are people on here who HAVE helped you, yet you are back in the same boat. TRY SOMETHING NEW...DO...what's that old saying "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Albert Einstein

Instead of begging...try DOING.

My guess is that the people who agreed to help you worried that *they* were the ones getting scammed. Craigslist is full of pleas for help, and it's impossible to know if any of them are legit.

What information did you give? Personal info like social security numbers, bank account numbers, and such? That would be getting scammed.
If you gave Christmas lists and clothing sizes, you were not scammed, just disappointed.

No, around here people go to the government assistance programs, churches, Salvation Army, etc.

Craigslist is not the place to be asking for help. By doing that, you are asking for trouble. There are some things CL is good for but there are also a lot of crazies on that site and there is no way in he$$ I'd ever give out any personal information to anyone on CL, no matter what was going on in my life.

If you give out your personal information, you are risking your identity for theft, and most especially putting your children at risk by allowing someone to know where you are and have access to them.. What are you thinking?

I believe you should be thankful you are healthy and alive after exposing your family on CL. That would be goodness to me. The people who did do something for you probably feel like they were scammed by you.... You were not scammed... you were scamming others.

So now what it is the point you have to come here and ask this question? Are you asking us for handouts now? I believe I recall your name and location from a while ago for something similar to this. Your past questions all have to do with asking for help.

I don't mean to sound so rude but you were angry because you had to work. Well... if you don't work and put forth effort, how do you expect to provide for your children which are your responsibility, not ours or the governments. Get a job.

sorry - never been scammed on craigslist.

That is not the place to go to ask people for help.

ETA - I don't understand why a poster is asking you to re-write your question, it's clear as a bell what happened.

Are you soliciting people to buy your kids Christmas gifts on craigslist?

I'm not sure you can call that getting scammed. Scamming is when someone takes advantage of you, and you lose the item or money, or something. Having people say they will help and then backing out isn't something I'd call scamming. I'd call that the regular unreliability of people.

Make Christmas about experiences. Find some place you can take them that is cheap and magical.

sweetie it's not a scam. it's your thinking process. you decide to give birth to too many kids, and you decide others should help.
change your thinking process, get off the computer and go out there. clean houses, get a job as a cashier etc., and provide for your offspring.

I don't understand...
Usually, a 'SCAM' is when you pay money, either through your credit card or cash, and the seller does not deliver.

Wasn't it KIND that someone *tried* to help? I mean, do you not understand that these days, anyone can suddenly fall on desperate times? The fact that they actually had your kids pick out clothing online-- what? Was that a joke?

I'd suggest looking into social agencies which offer clothing closets, getting connected at a church of your faith, etc.

Failing to deliver on a gift is not a scam, that's just bad luck.

as for faith in goodness for your kids-- don't blame strangers. How YOU spin this/frame this is what's important. Sometimes, we have to give people credit for trying. Consider-- these were total strangers who were willing to help you and now you are telling us that THEY are ruining things?

?????

Where I am from people who need assistance need to go through the proper, registered agencies. That way everyone gets what they need. People who put out pleas for help online are considered suspicious, because it is seen as double dipping. If they are registered to receive a Christmas hamper through one agency, that information is shared with all other agencies so families cannot collect multiple hampers. I don't know if this is the same system as where you are, but I would suggest you contact a food bank or local churches. I've never heard of people being refused help because of children's ages, unless the children are adults.

What do you mean by "they took our info"?

Did you give money to people in advance without meeting them? If so, then you were absolutely scammed. Never, ever do that on Craigslist. Money is only exchanged upon delivery of goods/services.
For future reference, or to get help from authorities, see their page on avoiding and reporting scams: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

If these people backed out after saying they would provide some kind of help but they didn't actually take anything from you, then you are in the sad position of having relied on flaky people. That's not a scam, but it certainly is disappointing. :-(

FIRST OFF .. PREDITORS DO NOT LIVE ON CRAIGSLIST. Sheesh.

Second ... if you're looking for freebies then check the free section on craigslist. yes sometimes people "flake" on craigslist ... they say they'll meet you or they want to buy your item or whatever and then don't show. Welcome to reality ... that stuff happens ALL the time EVERYWHERE.

I have bought, sold, gotten and given away free stuff on craigslist .... ALL of my transactions have been fantastic with zero issues.

Thrift stores, goodwill, Salvation Army, churches, community organizations, the united way .... check with all of them. You never know where help might come from.

And for goodness sakes ... DON'T have any more kids.

Sorry, but I have no idea what you're saying/asking. Please use some PUNCTUATION!!!!

And if you're asking what I think you're asking, the first thing you need to do is stop having more kids. You sound like my sister - kept having kids because her husband basically forced her but then they had to be on public assistance because the lazy-a$$ husband wouldn't go out and get a job!

As for getting free stuff - go on freecycle.org and see if there's one set up in your county. You can request and offer things and everything has to be free. No money is allowed to change hands.

Good luck!!

Are you paying for this help? People on craigslist are usually there to buy and sell.

Please use periods in your posts. This is really difficult to follow.

Instead of Craigslist, check out Freecycle in your area. It is a much more serious group and you'd be very surprised at what you can get for free.

I use it several times a year, both to get and give items.

You can place a "Wanted" ad, and chances are if you're not too picky or too specific, your need will be filled.

Craiglist is not the place to ask for help, because you have no idea who you are actually dealing with. I am not sure what kind of help you need, but there are thrift shops for low cost clothing, also food banks, churches, shelters ect.

Craigslist people are notoriously flaky and it's not uncommon to be scammed.
I'm a little confused about what you need. How old are your kids? Do you just need clothes? Look for freecycle, facebook groups, or yahoo groups in your area that focus on children's resale items. Ask friends for hand me downs.
Maybe you could update your post, or put in a So What Happened and we can give better advice. I understand that you people didn't come through for you on craigslist, but can't give you good tips for better resources because your post is so hard to read.

If you're in need of assistance, you should contact organizations which were created to provide assistance.

The Salvation Army, local food bank, local churches, etc., are a good place to start.

If you don't qualify for assistance with organizations that help those in need....then I'd honestly wonder if YOU are the scammer.

Craigslist is for buying and selling. No, I've never been scammed.
When someone has something I want, I make arrangements to meet them in a neutral place, look at the item I'm buying, make sure it works, and then hand them cash.

Works every time.

If you are looking for free stuff, you should go to Freecycle.

I have never been scammed, though we had one scammer attempt it. I only ever buy/sell stuff though. Have you tried churches in your area? They can be a big help - or can direct you to it. Good luck!

I'm sorry. I just can't follow what happened. Maybe other people can? If you don't get answers that seem to make sense with your post, please re-write it. You know what's in your head, but we can only figure it out by the written word.

I have bought a lot of there, and sold a lot. My husband will only let me meet people though, nobody can come out to our place, he is scared they will case us. I have seen a lot of ads on there that are obviously fake and trying to rip people off. If it's too good to be true, then it is.

I agree with the others, it is not the best place to get free clothes.