28/05/2021
⚠️ Please be careful when buying / selling goods online using sites such as eBay or Facebook Marketplace. ⚠️
We've recently received reports of people offering items for sale through such sites where someone has agreed to purchase the item, arrived at their address to collect it and whilst there conducted a fake bank transfer to pay for the goods.
They show the victim a fake screenshot of the "payment" and when the payment fails to land immediately in the sellers bank account, the buyer gets frustrated with the delay and is allowed to walk away without actually paying for the goods.
👮♂️ Advice 👮♀️
✅ View the person's profile: learn more about the person you are buying from/ selling to. You can tap a person's profile on the product listing page to see the friends you have in common, their Marketplace activity and any ratings they may have received.
✅Use cash or person-to-person payment methods: We recommend using PayPal or cash. When selling an item, consider asking for full payment instead of instalments.
✅If you as the seller are happy to accept a bank transfer, wait for the funds to clear before handing over the goods.
✅Inspect the item: If possible, make sure to thoroughly inspect or test the item before buying it.
✅Protect your personal information: we strongly advise against sharing personal information, such as your payment login and password details or bank account info. Don't share your personal financial information to make or accept a purchase. If you're selling electronics, make sure that you've cleared any personal information from the device
✅Report a person: if you see activity from a buyer or seller that goes against our Community Standards, you can report them.
More site-specific advice can be found here:
🔗Facebook - http://orlo.uk/Gv4w2
🔗eBay - http://orlo.uk/D9O6u
