This type of scam is designed to trick online shoppers into believing they’re dealing with a legitimate person when purchasing via classified websites but there is actually a scammer behind the advertisement.
How it works
The advertisement could be for any type of goods or service such as cars, boats, caravans, puppies, livestock or even things like rental properties or accommodation. The advertisement may appear legitimate and can often contain pictures and/or information from a genuine seller’s own ad.
What to look for
If the advertised price sounds too good to be true, it probably is so it’s worth investing some time and effort into performing your own background checks prior to entering into any agreement for purchasing the goods or service.
If the suggested payment method requested includes things along the lines of a wire transfer, international funds transfers, pre-loaded currency cards or in cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, it’s an indicator to avoid proceeding with the transaction as it’s almost impossible to recover funds if sent via these means.
