Scammers

Recently there's been an addition to my daily routine -- CRAIGSLIST. My dad's birthday is coming up and I'd love to take him to the UT vs. Texas Tech game; he enjoys watching UT football and is an alumni who never has attended a game. I've been obsessivly looking for tickets. Background complete ... now, on to the scam...

These are craigslist criteria for watching for scams. Is it a problem when my situation meets 3 out of the 6 criteria? I think yes. (Curtosy of Craigslist)

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:
DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on craigslist. (Strike one -- my contact lived in Arizona)
NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer. (Strike two - I was sent an "ebay invoice" that asked me to wire $$ through a Western Union agent in London, UK)
FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
CRAIGSLIST IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION. (Strike three - my contact said "ebay will send the funds to me only after sending them the confirmation that I received the tickets and they are real)

Needless to say, the fact that my contact also yelled at me through email and called me a "TIME WASTER" didn't help the circumstances.

Good News: I didn't get caught up in the scam and actually reported the incident.

Bad News: I'm still on the hunt for tickets. Wish me luck!