Safety precautions when buying or selling: Difference between revisions

Line 13:

* If you can't get someone to agree to meet at a bank or the police department, but they still seem legitimate, tell them that you will not be able to bring cash to the first meeting. Tell them you want to check the title, [[What do I need to know about buying a used bike?|check the VIN]], and see the bike first. At least you'll know that the bike exists before risking your money or your life.

====Craigslist scams====

There are lots of Craigslist scams out there. Here are a couple ways to avoid some of them while selling.

First of all, the Craigslist site states: NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.). Here is a link that will tell you more: [http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams]

Here are some specific things to watch for from some of our members:

Don’t take Paypal. There’s no reason to for a local sale. Anyone wanting to Paypal you may be up to no good, such as stealing your account info.

Never use the same email address for Craigslist as you do for eBay or Paypal. You can set up a separate email account that you use only for Craigslist at any of the online email providers (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.).

Ask for a phone number with any reply emails and delete any that don’t include their phone number. Sample ad intro:

If this ad is up, the (insert name of item) is still available. To prevent spam and scam, all emails without a phone number will be deleted without reply or consideration.

Beware of anyone using more than one email address. If you receive an email from someone and it has one name and email address in the From line, but when you reply to the email it changes who the email is going to, it’s a scammer. The first thing to do when you receive an email from someone wanting information about the item you have up for sale is to hit reply. If the contact names don't match up, don’t reply, and then immediately delete their email.

Beware of any language or wording that doesn’t sound quite right. They may be using a form scam letter and modifying it to fit your particular item. If it sounds hinky, be suspicious.

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 * If you can't get someone to agree to meet at a bank or the police department, but they still seem legitimate, tell them that you will not be able to bring cash to the first meeting. Tell them you want to check the title, [[What do I need to know about buying a used bike?|check the VIN]], and see the bike first. At least you'll know that the bike exists before risking your money or your life.
+====Craigslist scams====
+There are lots of Craigslist scams out there. Here are a couple ways to avoid some of them while selling.
+First of all, the Craigslist site states: NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.). Here is a link that will tell you more: [http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams]
+Here are some specific things to watch for from some of our members:
+Don’t take Paypal. There’s no reason to for a local sale. Anyone wanting to Paypal you may be up to no good, such as stealing your account info.
+Never use the same email address for Craigslist as you do for eBay or Paypal. You can set up a separate email account that you use only for Craigslist at any of the online email providers (Gmail, Hotmail, etc.).
+Ask for a phone number with any reply emails and delete any that don’t include their phone number. Sample ad intro:
+If this ad is up, the (insert name of item) is still available. To prevent spam and scam, all emails without a phone number will be deleted without reply or consideration.
+Beware of anyone using more than one email address. If you receive an email from someone and it has one name and email address in the From line, but when you reply to the email it changes who the email is going to, it’s a scammer. The first thing to do when you receive an email from someone wanting information about the item you have up for sale is to hit reply. If the contact names don't match up, don’t reply, and then immediately delete their email.
+Beware of any language or wording that doesn’t sound quite right. They may be using a form scam letter and modifying it to fit your particular item. If it sounds hinky, be suspicious.