Friendly reminder to always be ware :)

[wout]

I found a cheap scandalli on craigslist and emailed the guy. A very adept one. He asked me first when I would be able to pick it up and if I wanted to see some more pictures. I said yes and he asked for my email cause craigslist didnt let him(warning one). Then I wanted an video of him playing but he said he is not a player (warning two). Then I got an email from craigslist (@craigslist-uk.org, so very similar to the real one) with a very real looking purchase ticket. I didnt believe it because I know (correct if I'm wrong xD) craigslist doesnt offer an escrow service with buyer protection. Take a look at the picture I send. Just be warned!

 

[Geronimo]

Interesting that the money is to be sent to a German bank account at a renowned institution. It may be worth contacting them.

The street address of the bank seems legit (probably required for an International Transfer to work) but is just a small outlet of the Postbank.

You can try

Postbank Berlin
10866 Berlin

(yup: no street address: they have their own ZIP code) as the local bank responsible for the account, or

Deutsche Postbank AG
Zentrale
Postfach 40 00
53105 Bonn

for their central agency (this address is a post box). In this age of connection, either address would likely work.

I also find

Online security: +49 800 100 89 06 (free of charge)

as a contact phone number on their web pages. This may or may not be just for corporate customers. It's quite possible that the account and owner are real and that he has been duped to act as a mule, receiving money on his inconspicuous account and forwarding it to some Western Union or similar account (minus "processing fees") from where it cannot be retrieved any more, with his contacts dissolving into thin air once the police knocks at his door.

And forward this to Craigslist, of course.

 

[debra]

It looks deceivingly real indeed.
I wonder what would happen if you were to insist on collecting it (you did say "pick up") and paying cash after trying the instrument there. Surely if not legit the seller would not agree to that? And if he did I would go with one or two strong friends who stayed in the car with the cash until you call them to come out when it is ok...

 

[Geronimo]

It looks deceivingly real indeed.
I wonder what would happen if you were to insist on collecting it (you did say pick up) and paying cash after trying the instrument there. Surely if not legit the seller would not agree to that? And if he did I would go with one or two strong friends who stayed in the car with the cash until you call them to come out when it is ok...

The seller would not strictly disagree but there would be last-minute impediments intervening every time a meeting would get close. Also contact would not provide a landline for contorted reasons and the instrument might already be packed up and similar. And maybe youll get offered a discount for not making things more troublesome. People might be talking to you via mobile phone and they will be convincing enough: they need good enough people to convince their mules for accepting and sending money on, after all.

In short: you wont get a straight no but things would drag on until you might decide to just bite the bullet and do things in the proposed manner. Of course you might sue the mule for getting your money back, but those guys tend to be poor sods believing in a make money easy scheme and will more likely than not have to declare bankruptcy when the shit hits the fan.