Classifieds is the platform par excellence when it comes to selling used items. But not every buyer or seller has good intentions. TECHBOOK introduces you to 4 “fake” rip-offs you should know about.
With around 30 million users, Classifieds is one of the most popular online retailers for second-hand goods. But the virtual marketplace should not be used without hesitation. An ad for a holiday home in the Black Forest or a user with 500 followers could also be an attempt at fraud. But a fake buyer or a fake advertisement on classified ads can no longer be recognized at first glance. A total of four typical forms of “fake” rip-offs are distinguished.
1. Fake buyers on classified ads
In the first form of “fake rip-off,” users express their interest in buying in classified ads under a false name. Imagine advertising your brand new MacBook for 950 euros. Just a few minutes later, various users get in touch: Connor, Carl, James and a Neil Martinez. The special thing is that they all speak English and use almost identical salutations. These names are “fake” profiles, which were usually created recently.
Connor, Carl or James now want to buy your MacBook and ask for the lowest price. They approach the interested party and agree on a sum. The buyer confirms and wants to send you the money via bank transfer from abroad. For further communication, he asks for your email address or phone number. All alarm signals must light up at this point! Because: Anyone who has honest purchasing intentions uses the secure communication and payment methods that classified ads provide. In this case, they are scammers who want to cheat you out of your MacBook with false information and dubious payment methods – clearly a “fake rip-off” on classified ads. Also, do not give out any sensitive information about yourself.
Also check the shipping address via Google Maps. Is it a residential building or perhaps a car wash? Sometimes this test can help you discover unlikely addresses and get on the trail of fraudsters. Under no circumstances should you get involved in payment methods that do not protect you as a seller.
Also read: With this trick you can recognize phishing emails at a glance
2. Fake sales contracts
Another popular scam is “fake” purchase contracts. When private individuals conclude purchase contracts with one another, caution is generally advised. In a particularly nasty classified ad rip-off, sellers take advantage of unsuspecting users’ ignorance of legal issues.
For example, you see an advertisement for a luxury watch at an unbeatable price and write to the seller because you want to take a look at the watch. He then explains to you that he lives too far away from you, but is sending the watch to his brother-in-law, who happens to live in your area. However, there are valuable transport costs for shipping to your brother-in-law, which the seller would like you to pay in the form of a deposit of 50 euros. You agree and will then receive an email with confirmation. But be careful! The email states that you have agreed on a purchase price and that you should now pay the deposit. There is no mention of transport costs or viewing the watch.
This is where you as a buyer fall into the trap. Because you unsuspectingly transfer the amount with the subject “Deposit”. You then receive the address of the supposed brother-in-law and upon inspection you discover that the watch is damaged and in poor condition. The first reaction: “I won’t buy that!” After you have told the supposed brother-in-law this in person and the seller over the phone, the seller plays his trump card. He demands immediate payment of the purchase price and acceptance of the watch. The reason: You have concluded a purchase contract, which can be proven by the “deposit”.
Ultimately, you actually have to pay the price because legally there is a sales contract. Even if you had not shown up for the purchase, the seller could have invoked this purchase agreement and obliged you to pay. In such or similar cases, read everything carefully before confirming or transferring anything.
3. Fake advertisement on classified ads
In addition to fake users and fictitious sales contracts, there are also fake advertisements on classified ads that promise interested parties a dream house or a ticket to the Rihanna concert. Ultimately, these are “fakes” that cost you a lot of money and they don’t see your house or concert.
property
This is a popular scam during the holiday season. In the advertisements, the fraudsters lure people with tempting photos of holiday homes and cheap rental prices. Separate websites are even being set up for this purpose, on which actually existing holiday homes are offered. They take the photos from the real holiday property websites. When booking, the supposed landlords often require a deposit of 50 percent up to the full amount of the rental price as an advance payment. The injured holidaymakers usually do not realize that they have fallen for a fraudster until they arrive at their holiday destination. Only when they don’t find a holiday home (available for them) at the address mentioned will the fraud be discovered.
ticket
In this scam, the fraudster buys a ticket to a concert, exhibition, football game or similar. He pays by direct debit or credit card, receives the tickets by email or post and then puts them up for sale in classified ads – often with the justification that he cannot take part in the event and does not want to let the tickets expire. The buyer pays for the tickets, receives them from the supposed seller and therefore does not raise any suspicions. In the meantime, however, the fraudster canceled the payment to the ticket provider, whereupon the tickets were blocked as invalid in the organizer’s system. However, the unsuspecting buyer finds out nothing about this and stands at the entrance to the event without a valid ticket.
4. Payment
The payment fraud is actually easy to see through. In any case, the fraudsters want to avoid paying through classified ads. A common method is to make a direct transfer to the fraudster’s account before receiving the goods. But payment by cash on delivery and fake payment receipts are also popular fake rip-offs on classified ads. Classifieds users should be particularly careful when dealing with trading partners from abroad.
Also read: The 6 most common scams on Ebay – and how to protect yourself
Payment by cash on delivery
Some sellers only want to send the goods cash on delivery because that is supposedly the safest way. Only when the buyer has received the shipment does he pay the amount due directly to the postman. The catch: Very few people check whether the content is actually correct. The postman usually gets the money and the package is only opened when he has left. Scammers often fill such packages with scrap or stones to deceive the buyer. However, he only notices this when it is too late.
Tip: Always open cash-on-delivery shipments in the presence of the postman and before paying him.
Fake bank account
Here, fraudsters create online bank accounts using non-existent or even stolen names. It is not obvious at first glance that there is anything wrong with the accounts. Because there are usually well-known banks behind them and the IBAN also looks real. The fraudsters take advantage of the anonymity of online banks, which users enjoy to a certain extent. Instead of opening an account in person at a bank branch, it is much easier to do this from home using video or photo identification.
If buyers transfer money to such an account, they fall into the trap. The banks are not liable in such cases of fraud. It is also difficult for classified ads to distinguish fraudulent advertisements from genuine advertisements. The advertisements are often only online for a few minutes to hours. If users report suspected fraud, it is often too late. That means the money is gone and the goods you bought are not there either.
Fake payment receipts
With this fake rip-off, the fraudsters insist on communication outside of classified ads – for example via SMS or WhatsApp. They intend to give sellers the illusion of a quick deal outside of the platform. The goal: The seller should ship the goods as quickly as possible without first (or ever) receiving payment. The fraudsters want to lull the seller into security with alleged payment receipts that are supposed to show that the money has already been transferred. However, these are fake screenshots from Paypal or bank transfers – fake payment receipts.