Craigslist fraud attempt

From http://report-online-scams.com/how-do-craigslist-scams-work/ (I did the bolding):

"The most common Craigslist scam is the fake check. Many people selling top dollar items will not accept checks at all, even if they are cashier’s checks. This is something that you should consider doing yourself, once you are aware of the fake checks now being used to rip unsuspecting sellers off. It usually starts with someone showing sincere interest in a high price item you have listed. Sometimes they may haggle with the price to appear to be a legitimate buyer, but often they will simply accept your asking price. But, they will have some excuse as to why they cannot just come purchase the item directly from you.

Some may say they are on vacation or away on business, while others may just say they live in another area or another state and would like to send you a check and have the item shipped to them. Or, they could claim to have someone else come pick the item up later.
Next, they either send you a fake check for the item that will eventually be rejected by your bank after they have taken the item, or they will request that you give them your name, address, and phone number so they can fill out a cashier’s check to you.
In this first case they are trying to get the item for free. The fake check will eventually be dishonored by your bank, leaving you with an overdrawn account and no item. In the second case, they are not interested in your item at all. They want your personal information to use for illegal purposes. Escrow companies are now becoming a popular Craigslist scam. Many people have been using escrow services as a way of ensuring transactions dealing with larger amounts of money are safe for both the buyer and the seller. The problem is many of these little known escrow companies are owned by the scammer on one end of the transaction."

I played this game once on evilbay. I even let him send me a US Postal money order. (I had been buying a fair bit on evilbay, and was very familiar w/ USPS MO.) My "buyer" had been very patient and understanding - until I got his money order. He sent me $375.00 too much, which was "travel money" so his brother could get an airplane ticket and come to Atlanta to pick up my item. He was very insistent I go IMMEDIATELY to the bank and cash the money order and send the $375 to his brother. I turned the MO over to the post office, and never heard form anyone again. I got a couple of emails from the crook, threatening to have his attorney contact me for the full amount, IF I did not send the $375 "RIGHT AWAY!". I finally got tired of playing with him and just deleted his emails.

I promise if you play his game, he will send too much, and want you to mail the change back.

Remember, you will get a check for more money to send to someone else. Of course, the MO is drawn off a stolen checking account. So when you deposit your sale money and send them the extra for a ticket, you'll find out your out the extra when the police or bank calls you wanting to know why you took money from somebody. That's why the bad guy wants the money sent back fast - before the victim figures it out. Don't do that or you will create another victim.

If you have time to mess with his head, give him a name like U.R. Ananus and list the local FBI office as the phone number. When he emails back complaining, tell him his name came back on the no-fly list and he'll have to pay a smuggling fee. Tell him your Malaysian and he will need to covert the currency before sending it.

These things always result in you sending some money - presumed his money. If that happens and you can play a sucker real well, you could instead ask him to verify the address and tell him that's not where you sent it. I sent a scammer in Jamaica on a wild goose chase trying to find an envelope full of cash. I told him I sent it to the wrong address, but that somebody named I.P. Freely called me and agreed meet him at a bus station (100 miles from the original address) for a small fee. After he called very angry that he was stood up, I waited a week then I told him Mr. Freely sent the money back to me but kept half of it. He said he would "settle" for that and I sent him an envelop filled with monopoly money and a note that said to let me know when I won the lottery again and we would play treasure hunt some more.

DISCLAIMER: This can be risky. If Situational Awareness is not your strong suit I would avoid this.

While I know the effort is not worth it to many, these people are so greedy they will follow your directions for quite a while if they think you are stupid enough to send an envelope full of cash.