Tips for Avoiding Scammers on Craigslist Personals

If you?re looking for a fast dirty hookup in Craigslist Personals, there are a number of tactics you?ll want to employ before replying to an ad. First off, know that Craigslist Personals are usually a cesspool of scammers, spammers, escorts, and other unsavory types. You can occasionally find a diamond in the rough, meaning an actual girl looking for a real date or hookup, but you?ll need to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Tread carefully and never give anyone a credit card number.

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A couple of things to note when answering ads.Some ads are BS and actually written by guys. They may send you dick pics and offer handjobs. Brace yourself for those shenanigans. Most real chicks who post on CL are looking for a quick date and free drinks because they?ve got nothing going on that weekend. Don?t go into relationship mode in your email. Just keep it casual. Avoid sending a picture of your private parts. Don’t be that guy. Also, it?s okay to fudge your age or other details to get responses. CL is the Wild West and that?s understood on both sides. You can always correct the details later.

Watch out for terrible English. If the ad reads like it was written by a Nigerian with terrible English, that?s because it was. These are easy to spot. Don?t bother replying to them. You want an ad with some detail and halfway decent grammar and punctuation. If it sounds like it came from a real person looking for a date, it is.

Ask for a photo. This is the basic criteria that everyone uses. If you strike up a conversation, insist on 2-3 recent photos. This will help to cut down on escorts. Plus, you want to make sure she?s not BBW when her ad says she?s petite!

Ask for details. To really separate out the chaff, ask a simple question such as what her favorite color or food is. Many scams are automated bots, so when a bot replies it won?t answer the question. I go so far as to ask the recipient to place the answer to the question in the subject header of the next email. Example: ?Just so I know you?re for real, please put your star sign in the subject line.?

If you don?t get an accurate reply, trash it.

Ask a detail about your city. Many scammers and marketers are posting ads from different parts of the world. Ask a question that only a native would know, such as what her favorite bar is in a certain neighborhood. My favorite is to ask what high school she went to. Obviously some weird Bulgarian spammer isn?t going to get that right.

Next step: Facebook. If we?ve exchanged a few emails and it seems like she?s legit, I?ll go to the next stage, which is exchanging Facebook profiles. Once I see a real Facebook profile, I know she?s the real deal. From there I just run basic online and text game until I close the deal.