Craigslist buyer or seller: how to tell if they're real

By the Authentk team  ·  Published November 2, 2026  ·  Updated November 2, 2026

On Craigslist, a real buyer or seller is someone who will meet you in person, in a public place, and pay or get paid there. A fake one needs something before that meeting: money up front, a shipping address, a check for more than the price, or a "verification code" from your phone. If a stranger needs any of those first, you have your answer.

What Craigslist itself tells you

Craigslist's own advice fits in one line: "Deal locally, face-to-face," which it says avoids "the vast majority of scam attempts." Its help pages add a short list of things that are scams every time: requests to wire money, to pay with gift cards, or to deposit a cashier's check. It warns that escrow and "guaranteed" payment services can be scams, and that you shouldn't hand over bank details, payment-app logins, or personal information like your Social Security number. A good interaction, in Craigslist's words, uses the site's mail relay to talk about a specific item and arranges "to meet in a safe, public place."

Most of that is about money. The people part is shorter, and it's where the newer scams live.

The "verify you're a real person" scam

One line on Craigslist's list deserves its own section: requests for a "code" or "verification" are "always a scam." It usually goes like this. A buyer messages about your listing, says they've heard about fake listings, and wants to make sure you're a real person. Then a text arrives with a code, and they ask you to read it back.

The FTC describes the same script. The code is from Google Voice, and with it the scammer creates a Google Voice number linked to your phone number, then uses that number to cheat other people, so the trail leads back to you. The FTC's advice is blunt: don't share a verification code with anyone who contacted you first. "That's a scam, every time."

Notice the trick: it borrows your own caution. "Are you real?" is a fair question on Craigslist, which is exactly why scammers use it. The safe rule is that real proof never needs anything from the person being asked to check it. No code, no payment, no account.

Other red flags on Craigslist

• Shipping or movers. A buyer who can't come but will send a mover, or a seller who'll ship once you pay. Craigslist lists both as a warning sign.
• A check for more than the price. The FTC: "Never deposit a check for more than the selling price." A fake check can show up in your balance before the bank finds out it's fake and takes the money back.
• A payment app from a stranger. The FTC also says not to accept a mobile payment from someone you don't know. Fake payment notices exist to get you to hand the item over early.
• A rush to leave the relay. Craigslist lists requests to call or email for more information as a warning sign too. A real buyer asks about the item in the relay; a script wants your number or address first.
• A deal that only works if you don't see it. Rentals are the worst case. A 2016 NYU study of 2 million Craigslist rental ads found about 29,000 scam listings, and Craigslist caught under half of them (via the BBB's rental scam study).

Checks that work, and their limits

• Meet in public. A busy place in daylight, or a police safe exchange zone if your town has one: a marked spot at the station with cameras running. The limit: it lowers the stakes, it doesn't tell you who's coming.
• Cash or an in-person payment, counted on the spot. Removes the check and payment-app tricks. It does nothing about who shows up at your door if you meet at home.
• Ask a question only a real buyer or seller can answer. Measurements, a scratch, why they're selling. Bots and copy-paste scripts tend to dodge specifics.
• Search the listing photos. A reverse image search catches photos copied from another ad. It can't tell you anything about the person behind a real photo.
• Bring someone, and tell someone. Especially for large items picked up from a home. Not proof, but it changes the odds.

For pickups at your address, our longer guide covers the meetup itself: Facebook Marketplace meetup safety. The same buyer questions come up there too: see how to tell if a Facebook Marketplace buyer is real.

Where a signed selfie fits

Because "verify you're real" is a known Craigslist script, it matters how proof works, not just whether it exists. With Authentk, the person proving takes a selfie in the app, and their iPhone signs it at the moment it's taken. The person checking needs nothing: they open the link or scan the QR code to see when it was taken, then upload the photo they were sent. They see "Photo Matches" if it's the signed original and "Photo Does Not Match" if it was changed or swapped. No app, no code, no account for them. See what a verified photo looks like.

You can also send a request so a buyer or seller takes a live photo for you. That's a bigger ask: they need an iPhone, the free app, and a sign-up with their phone number. On Craigslist, a stranger who won't install an app for a $40 chair is being sensible, not suspicious, so use requests for the bigger moments, like someone coming to your home. Either way, it shows a real, current photo; it doesn't prove who someone is legally, it isn't an ID check, and it says nothing about whether the deal is honest.

Questions

Sources

• craigslist, Avoiding scams, help pages.
• craigslist, Scams, help pages.
• Federal Trade Commission, The Google Voice scam: How this verification code scam works and how to avoid it, consumer alert, October 2021.
• Federal Trade Commission, Selling stuff online? Here's how to avoid a scam, consumer alert, July 2022.
• Better Business Bureau, Is That Rental Listing Real?, scam study (cites the 2016 NYU study of Craigslist rental ads).
• San Mateo Police Department, Safe Exchange Zone.