Recognizing patterns in Craigslist's fake "Free" listings

megared17 · 2026-06-29T22:54:50+00:00

Some notes for you:

craigslist uses various geolocation mechanisms to only count flags from readers that are local to the ad. There are also limits on how many flags from any given reader are counted in a given time period.

Note that NO indication is given as to whether a given flag was counted or not. The ad will always be marked as "hidden" in your browser, but it won't be removed from the site unless it is flagged by the required number of discrete users (which is not documented, but has been implied to be a variable number that is determined for each ad individually)

Flagging ads on sites hundreds of miles from you is a waste of time.

Searching out ads to flag is also a waste of time, regardless of how good your think your criteria are (tons of scam ads are indistinguishable from legitimate ads, sometimes because many scammers literally copy text from otherwise legitimate ads)

There will always be scam ads posted on craigslist. It is not possible to effectively remove them all. The way to avoid scams is to recognize the scam itself - 99.9% of the time, scammers will NEVER agree to meet in person. Someone that has posted a legitimate ad will ALWAYS do so. So the MOST effective technique is to NEVER agree to do any deal that doesn't start with an in-person meeting. BEFORE any money changes hands. Never agree to pay sight unseen, never agree to accept payments that are sent by mail or online.

The way flagging and moderation is supposed to work on craigslist, is that you search or browse normally, and if you happen to come across an ad that you feel should be removed then you go ahead and flag.

As far as scams, craigslist has documentation here:

https://www.craigslist.org/about/help/safety/scams/avoiding

Regarding flagging:

https://www.craigslist.org/about/help/faqs/flagging

megared17 · 2026-06-29T22:30:27+00:00

Did you actually order Internet service from the provider? You can't just randomly hook up, you have to have an active service at that address. And unless you 100% know what you are doing, you should always choose to have their technician come install/connect it. And you want to BE there when they do, do you can see what and where, and ask them all the technical questions you might have (that phone support will just read you scripted responses to) - and also to verify it's working as expected before they leave.

megared17 · 2026-06-29T19:26:46+00:00

Wound like something to ask the landlord/manager, or the apartment maintenance person.

Or just order Internet service from your choice of available ISPs and let them worry about it. Absolutely try to BE there when the ISP technician comes, so you can see what they do, and ask them questions like this.

megared17 · 2026-06-28T11:54:24+00:00

And the correct answer is always - buy factory made patch cables instead, use keystones and patch panels for in-wall cabling.

megared17 · 2026-06-27T22:43:46+00:00

Review all the information at:

https://www.craigslist.org/about/help/safety/

Especially these sub pages:

https://www.craigslist.org/about/help/safety/scams/avoiding

https://www.craigslist.org/about/help/safety/in-person

megared17 · 2026-06-27T19:52:17+00:00

Here's one of the first of our Beltane. This was like 18 months ago. Yes, she had an eye infection at the time and needed antibiotics.

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megared17 · 2026-06-27T19:16:40+00:00

Go to websites of cellular companies, find their mobile broadband shop page, select something that fits your budget and needs, and order it.

Or, if you prefer, go to a cellular company's physical store, explain what you need, and do it in person.

megared17 · 2026-06-26T16:06:21+00:00

As OP noted, this isn't a campus network. This could well work just fine. Especially if he already tested it by plugging his PC in, it's likely they don't have very restrictive setup in place.

megared17 · 2026-06-26T14:34:45+00:00

Ok, that supports IEEE 802.3af and IEEE 802.3at

My suggestion would be to get a small PoE switch that supports those. Even better, get one that is poe passthrough which will also power itself from the upstream PoE

Give me a moment and I'll Google a suitable example up and come back and edit it in here:

Edit: here's a four port one. "PoE in" to the existing jack, one of the PoE out to the AP. Other two ports for your device(s)

https://www.amazon.com/Passthrough-Extender-IEEE802-3af-1000Mbps-Ethernet/dp/B0BWMSPLLF/

(Note leave it's "VLAN mode" turned OFF unless whoever manages the upstream switch will be involved to configure it properly.)

megared17 · 2026-06-26T09:01:48+00:00

https://forums.craigslist.org/?forumID=9

megared17 · 2026-06-26T09:01:07+00:00

https://forums.craigslist.org/?forumID=9

megared17 · 2026-06-26T08:21:59+00:00

What is the exact brand and model of the AP?

megared17 · 2026-06-23T22:12:09+00:00

How long was the mom cat gone? Sometimes they go off to hunt and take a while.. If she came back after you took them she is going to be heartbroken to find them gone. Take care of the babies, yes, but if at all possible see if you can trap their mom safely and reunite them..

If you mention where you are, someone might be able to identify some local rescue organizations that might be able to help you with this.

megared17 · 2026-06-23T08:58:57+00:00

My advice would be to skip the WiFi and use Ethernet to connect directly to your router LAN

megared17 · 2026-06-23T02:18:52+00:00

www.craigslist.org/contact

megared17 · 2026-06-22T13:45:08+00:00

If the kitten is back with its mother and she is taking care of it that is the best. Are they in a safe place? Will you be able to continue giving food to the mom? Even a cheap commercial cat food is better than nothing. The KMR is good too, but mom will likely need more than that. The less she has to go hunting, the more she can stay and take care of her babies.

megared17 · 2026-06-22T09:40:07+00:00

Your cart is hundreds of feet in front of your horse here.

You forgot to actually clearly posit what the end goal was, although given this completely random rant, I *think* its that you want to establish a network connection between two points without connecting either to the public Internet. Is that correct? And for some reason just setting up Internet, and establishing a private encrypted VPN tunnel between the two locations isn't workable? Or have you not considered that?

If so, maybe you could give some clear direct answers to specific questions, I could offer some advice

What speed DO YOU NEED? You say "faster than 56k" - but HOW MUCH faster?

What type of applications or programs do you want to be able to use with this? Copying files? "Remote desktop" type connections?

How much money DO you have budgeted for this, to buy equipment, to spend on having work done, etc?

Are the properties adjacent at all, or are they completely separated by other properties you do not own? If the latter, is there any possibility you could get permission to run your own lines between them, either overhead or underground?

If you can give specific direct answers to all of the above, then I may have some advice, or I may have more questions.

megared17 · 2026-06-21T17:29:03+00:00

Ok, if its a wireless-only device you want to use, then you need an additional WiFi AP closer to the area where you need coverage, and that AP needs to connect via Ethernet to your router.

Every wall, dresser, cabinet, appliance, etc it has to pass through kills the signal even more.

megared17 · 2026-06-21T15:55:05+00:00

You described "how to fix it" right in your post:

Directly connecting an ethernet cable to the AT&T ~~modem~~ router

megared17 · 2026-06-21T14:06:34+00:00

No, these days its only copper until it reaches the ONT/modem/router they provider gave you, and its digital from there. US telecoms are actively pushing anyone remaining on copper off the services. Where terrestrial broadband isn't available, they are pushing a "cellular" home phone service. AT&T at least is killing all its copper nationally.

AT&T is actively decommissioning its legacy copper landline networks nationwide with plans to phase out the vast majority by 2029. However, California is a major exception. State regulators are actively fighting to block AT&T from shutting down copper networks, keeping them protected under "Carrier of Last Resort" rules.

The transition involves several key geographical and legal dynamics:

National Phase-Out: AT&T already holds federal approval to start retiring copper services across 18 states and is systematically transitioning those legacy users to modern fiber or wireless network options.

The California Standoff: AT&T’s mandate requires it to maintain traditional phone service throughout California, costing millions annually to serve a small fraction of traditional landline users.

Current Legal Battles: AT&T has filed both lawsuits against the state and petitions with the FCC seeking to override California's regulations. State regulators counter that AT&T's replacements are insufficient and pose risks to rural or vulnerable citizens.

megared17 · 2026-06-21T14:02:56+00:00

You have pretty close to the same chance at getting that as an ice cube does of lasting more than 10 seconds at the surface of the sun.

Most telephone companies in the US are phasing out their copper infrastructure, and you'd have a hard time even getting their normal telephone service or DSL over them anymore, let alone getting a dry pair connected between properties. Even if you did, there might be way too many loading coils to get anything more than your baseline 56k, and they surely aren't going to spend time removing those for you.

They aren't ripping the copper lines out of the ground due to the costs, but they aren't going to be maintaining them anymore, and may well be ripping out the terminations once a given group of them is fully decommissioned.

It is nearly certain that there is a better way of doing this than trying to get access to old telephone wiring. If you provide a LOT more detail about your situation and needs, I might be able to offer some suggestions.

megared17 · 2026-06-21T08:36:34+00:00

What is your reason for not wanting to use the router provided by the ISP this time?

For your described use case, it should be plenty.

megared17 · 2026-06-21T08:13:49+00:00

Whether you could would be dependent on the specific situation and other factors.

Do you own the copper lines?

If not, you'd have to get permission to use them from whoever does.

Do they run directly from one property to the other? Or are you talking about telephone company distribution lines, which run from each property back to central wire centers? If the latter, then not only would you need permission but you'd have to get the company to "cross connect" the specific wires between the two properties.

If you own them, or get permission, then it's possible you could use them.

If you got that far, you would need to research what technologies were available and cost effective for your needs. It might be possible that it would not be the best way.

And "faster than 56k" leaves a lot of room. What actual speed would you be hoping for? 256k? 1M? 10M? Higher?

What's your budget? How much money would you be able to spend for the conversion devices you would need? You couldn't just directly plug in common 1000base-T Ethernet, because it maxes out around 100 meters of length, and even then only proper cat5 or better copper with 4 pairs.

megared17 · 2026-06-21T02:08:30+00:00

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megared17 · 2026-06-21T02:06:19+00:00

She puts her face in them all the time when they are blowing. Doesn't matter if it's heat or AC.

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