It’s important to stay alert and educated about how to stay safe.
It’s important to know what the average cost of the item you’re looking for is in comparison to the ad you’re viewing. If it looks too good to be true, it’s probably not true.
If you’re buying an item, get to know what normally comes with it and make sure that all the parts you’ll need are there. For high-valued items, it’s also important to know what replicas look like and how to tell if it’s genuine.
If you’re looking into a service, job, or anything offered by a business, look up the company online. Make sure that their address and phone number check out. If available, look up some online reviews.
Don’t give out your personal details, identification, passwords, or banking details.
Where ever possible, meet in person and inspect the item before you make any money payments. We recommend that you meet during the day in a busy, public location.
Many forms of money transfer can be faked or are hard to reverse should anything go wrong. If you can’t use cash, use safer methods such as bank transfer or PayPal and make sure that the payment has been processed before trading the item.
If it doesn’t feel right, walk away. You are not obligated to follow through with a transaction even if you’ve already agreed to a price.
