I always add the following note to my Craigslist ad -
"PLEASE NOTE: No trades (except for cash) and no, I won't hold it for your assistant or take a cashier's check. Phish elsewhere, thank you. Scammers will be given incorrect information and directions, and if you ask me to send info to a different E-mail address than you sent from, no matter how good your story is I'll consider it spam and delete it."
There are 3 red flags I look for in a response to my ads that signal probable Phishing or spamming. 1-when they refer to what you're selling as "the item" as in "Is your item still for sale" 2- When they tell you to respond to a different e-mail than they sent their reply from. 3-When the story doesn't quite match the item you're selling, like the one person that said after his wife's chemotherapy they would be in my area with cash that day...for my huge and heavy pedicab. All they needed was my phone and address mailed to a different E-mail account.
Another stated that they were a marine biologist working offshore and would gladly pay with a cashier's check plus 20% if I gave them all my information and removed the ad. Their people would then come and pick up the item. I told them to have their people cash the check at a local bank and tip themselves the extra 20% and to lat me know when they have the cash. They get a tip, I get cash, you get the item. It's a win/win.
Never heard from them again.
I've said it before, Craigslist is worth every penny you pay for it.