Safety

Avoid Being Scammed

1) Deal with local sellers/providers that you can trust, locate, or meet face to face

2) Be aware of sellers/buyers using third parties as a guarantor for payment or delivery of goods or services.

3) Be aware of fake cashier checks or money orders

❖ If you are accepting them as a method of payment, wait for the check clearing date and personally call your bank to ensure that the check/money order has been cleared successfully and the funds are available before shipping of goods or rendering of services.

4) Be aware of promises to pay upfront with checks/money orders without meeting you in person or offers to pay more than the stated price

5) Avoid distant vendors asking for partial payment upfront before shipping goods.

❖ Don’t fall for “Cash the check/money order and send the excess amount to me.” It is fraudulent.

6) Don’t transact business with a person you cannot talk to through phone or face to face.

Scammers prefer using phone numbers that only receive text messages only. They mostly communicate through email only.

Truthfully the internet has turned the world into a global village and is making business transactions easier. But scammers are using all these advantages that come with the internet. Therefore be careful!