Is the cashier's check fake? What happens if you meet them at the listed bank and ask them to convert it to cash right there?

Yes, the cashier's check is fake. And they will never meet you at the originating bank. I've even had cashier's checks mailed to me from my Craigslist ads. Called the originating banks and they verified over the phone that the checks were fake.

When I sell something on Craigslist, it's cash-only and they have to meet me at a public place and pick up the item in person. And I verify the bills are not counterfeit before I hand over the item.

This is what it's come to. Probably because the police can't be bothered with minor fraud nowadays, and the criminals know it.

Our local police station has a parking lot next to it with a big sign that says “online purchase transaction point” or something to that effect. There are cameras monitoring the lot. Just suggesting meeting at said location is usually sufficient to clear out the scammers.

That's fantastic. I've never heard of that.

Why would any reputable person be dealing with a cashier’s cheque in this century?

The last few times I've bought cars I used a cashier's check on a local bank. Car dealers don't like credit cards because they don't want to pay a 3%-5% fee on a $35K purchase.

Earlier in this century they were often required when signing an apartment lease in the NYC metro area.

I had to get one literally yesterday for my security deposit on a new apartment. This is in SF Bay Area.

You can find stories about this. I don't have the link, but we have Google for that.

Basically, the bank will cash it, and days later, discover it's fake and demand that YOU give them the money back. There's a time delay which the scumbags are exploiting.

Cops put "financial crimes" way down their priority list.

If the cashier's bank is from Wells Fargo and you meet them at Wells Fargo, surely WF is able to check the authenticity of their own checks immediately?

Why would you go through this ceremony rather than just making a bank transfer?

If you receive a wire transfer to a burner checking account that only accepts deposits and not withdrawals, that would be fine.

I think the only risk there would be identity theft leading to payment with stolen money, but they're almost certain to get caught so it's fine.

If that's a concern: If you make sure the transfer comes from a business checking account, they only have 24 hours to report the fraud before the business is on the hook for the stolen money and not you(I think). I'm not sure if personal vs. business are externally-distinguishable in an automated way, however.