I never had this happen to me before:
I wanted to reply to a CL ad and it took a few tries to get the computer to "notice" what I wanted to do. (I have Outlook Express, and usually a window with a e-mail ready to have the message "inserted" appears. Address and sender are already filled in.) HOWEVER, this time a small box appeared at the edge of my screen with a question (what type of software do you use for your e-mail?) followed by a list of choices, and also a list of what type of "e-mail service" will the message be sent by?
The ad was for a pretty nice '86 Nissan pickup that the seller says used to belong to his 91 year old grandfather who can no longer drive. Frankly, the interior didn't look like it belonged to a 26 year old truck....it looked brand new, but the outside looked decent.
The questions about the e-mail have me "spooked". Any idea what is going on that this "pop-up" should appear? Am I just a bit too much of a novice...even tho I've been using computers for nearly 10 years?
Truck in question had 180 thousand miles on it, and the asking price was $1,000. I figured it would be a good candidate for an SR20 swap.
Step 1: Open your normal email.
Step 2: Hit "Compose"
Step 3: Copy the email link in the CL ad.
Step 4: Paste in the "To" bar.
Done.
Javelin:
That was actually one of the choices that this "drop-down" gave me. I was just a bit spooked because it took a few tries for my computer to get a response when I hit the "Reply by e-mail" button in the ad....the only way to reply.
I was also spooked because, as I said, the interior pix of this truck looked too good to be true, tho the outside looked only "decent". Price asked was only $1,000 because the 1st and 4th cylinders are low on compression (engine is probably original, and quite tired.)
I can't afford an e-mail scam...yet I am currently so broke, what more could I lose?
The drop-down was probably just Windows, but don't do that.
I'm saying open your actual email first. Then open your browser, find the CL ad, and copy/paste. Then you know for sure.
When you click the "Reply to this Ad" button in CL it has changed. It gives a list of common email programs and at the very bottom is the direct address and it says, "Or copy and paste into your email:"
Sounds like Windows' mail client selection (which from what you've described already has Outlook Express set as the default so it shouldn't have popped up), but it could be that this guy has found a way to be clever with the email link on Craigslist and launched a little identity-stealing web frame that looks like Windows' default mail client selection window in an attempt to get your email credentials...so to be safe just follow Javelin's instructions.
That was pretty much what up I thought might be happening (GameboyRMH's reply). Normally (as it pretty much for the last 5 or 6 years, anyway, hitting "Reply to e-mail" brought the Outlook window to the ad.
