Craigslist scam... guy contacted me about my stolen bike... anyone else had this?

I put up a Craigslist post last night because my bike got stolen, and I offered a cash reward to try to get it back. Today, I got a call from this guy who claimed he’s a truck driver who bought my bike while he was passing through town and took it back home 2,000 miles away. He said he wanted to help me get my bike back and would send it to me. I got a bit suspicious since that would be expensive, and he asked for my name and address so he could mail it. He wanted me to send him money for shipping, and I said I’d be happy to pay but would only call the bike shop directly to make sure it was legit. Then I asked him to send a photo of the bike to confirm he had it, and he refused, saying, ‘No, it has my fingerprints on it!’ Then he just hung up. Could he do anything with my name and address? That’s all I told him before it hit me this was a scam. Anyone seen something like this?

Hey, just a heads up to everyone posting here… scammers are known to send direct messages offering ‘help’ to recover money or items for a small fee. They often claim to know a hacker or a recovery specialist, but it’s all part of a scam called ‘recovery scams.’

Never trust private advice when it comes to scams—keep everything out in the open here on the forum, so everyone can help spot the real from the fake. If you get private messages offering help, be cautious.

Make sure to also follow the forum’s rules on privacy (no personal info) and respect toward each other. And report any ‘recovery scammers’ or other shady behavior here by using the report button.

Your name and address aren’t really useful to him—those are generally public info anyway.

He was likely trying to pull the advance fee scam where he asks for money upfront, then vanishes. Sounds like he gave up when he realized you weren’t falling for it.

@Flippa
Thanks for the info! Weirdly, another guy called me later, saying he knew where my bike was and asked for $100 to tell me the address of the person who had it. By then, it was obvious it was just another scam, so yeah… never offering a reward like that again on Craigslist.

@Flippa
The advance-fee scam is pretty common. It’s usually where they get you to pay something upfront in return for something you’ll never receive, like a fake address for your stolen bike. They often start with a small fee and sometimes even keep asking for more with random excuses.

Best thing you can do is cut off all contact, try to get your money back if you paid anything, and block them. They usually just move on if they see you’re not buying it.

Classic scam! You were smart to ask for a photo—that’s usually where they fail if they don’t have the item.

That’s pretty much a ‘recovery scam.’ He doesn’t have your bike and just wants to get you to send money. Once you do, he’d probably disappear.

These types of scams are so low, trying to squeeze money from people already upset about losing something. They do this to people who lose pets too, which is even worse.

Don’t worry too much about him having your name and address. He’s probably far away and only cares about his next target.

Imagine if two shady guys stole the bike, saw your Craigslist post, and figured it was easier to try and get money from you by pretending to ‘return’ the bike. But maybe one of them got nervous about being identified at a bike shop, so they bailed. Then the other one, desperate for cash, tried to sell out his buddy for $100.

In any case, they were just hoping you’d send money right away before checking. It’s possible they were connected, but who knows.

I posted on my local Craigslist that my bike was stolen last night and offered a cash reward if anyone had it.

That’s like leaving a jar of honey out in a bear’s den—you’re bound to attract trouble.

Your bike got stolen last night, and today someone calls you claiming they already bought it and drove 2,000 miles? That’s like 30 hours of nonstop driving. Seems pretty fishy!