Craigslist - is there a way.........

[Machelle]

to find out if a post is a scam or not? Is there any research that can be done on a particular post?

[felisdomesticus]

you can google the basic info in the post.

Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true...

[Irish]

CListers who have been doing their thing there for very long can usually spot a scammer a mile away, and they're not bashful about 1) flagging the offending post, and 2) letting the rest of the world know that it's a scam. Like Felis says, though, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Go with your gut on that, and then go with your head and check things out as thoroughly as you can.

Remember, too, a lot of spammers will list something popular for a ridiculously low price simply to get more email addresses to add to their lists. It's why I change the email addy I use to respond to CL posts every time I'm finished with a transaction or query.

If you're seeing an ad for a bird you're interested in, remember that if it's CITES listed, the difficulties and costs of bringing it into the country are prohibitive. Lots of scammers claim to be in Africa or similar places. If they were for real, they'd know that, and it wouldn't be worth their trouble and your cost, especially when you can find almost anything here legally born and raised in this country, already, for less cost than trying to bring something in from outside. Usually those scammers want you to send them a couple hundred bucks. If you do, it's the last you'll see of it, and you'll never see a bird--they never had one to start with.