First a bit of context: Things have been going well for Lana and me. We just purchased a new car this past weekend and we are excited to get rid of her car.

At first we were thinking about donating the car to a charity. However, we don't generally itemize our taxes and wouldn't end up gaining any financial benefit from the donation. When I looked online at the Kelley Blue Book value of our car I realized that we might get considerably more for our car than I thought. So, we have decided to see about selling the car on Craigslist.

This morning I took lots of photos and created the ad. I've been super careful to provide full disclosure about the car and I think I've asked a fair price for it. So, I sat an anxiously awaited the text messages to start coming in.

Let's review quickly here: Place an ad for a car on Craigslist. Wait anxiously for the text messages.

In short order I received a text from somebody who urgently wants to buy my car and wants to know if s/he can call me. Of course I tell the person to call. S/he sends me a message that says I should enter a two digit code when I receive the call because s/he is using a google app. When I got the call I entered the code and followed the prompts and then (finally) got a sense that something was amiss. I googled for some information right away and came up with these helpful links.

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/voice/w3G384KPh7k

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/65ze35/craigslist_google_voice_scam_i_fell_for_it/

I have followed the instructions in the first link and I have reattached my cell phone to my google voice number, so all should be good on my end now. In fact, I think the scammer had already removed my number from the google voice number.

Silly me! I let my guard down out of excitement. I hope my experience can prevent somebody else from making the same mistake.

Tagged with: Google Voice two digit code scam, Craigslist text scams

Even with this embarrassing experience, I still want to finish with:

I give thanks to the Universe for the abundance it provides me. I surrender and am open and ready to receive.

Bhavatu sabba mangalam - May all beings be happy