Scams and how they tend to work
How do the scams tend to work?
Scammers will contact a member, often through a private message. They will often request moving the conversation over to email so it is more difficult to track.
They may agree at first to use PayPal's Goods & Services (G&S) for payment, which gives you the ability to get a refund if things go sidewise.
Later they may come up with an excuse why PayPal G&S won't work - the bank will put a hold on the money, or they aren't receiving it, or it will be delayed.
They may offer to have a portion paid with with Friends & Family & the rest with G&S.
Or the scammer may request you send the money via Zelle.
Scammers tend to use pictures of gear from the internet. You can often reverse image search & find the image has been posted elsewhere.
They often have very few posts or activity on the forums.
Sometimes they write in broken english, but there are cases where their english is quite good.
Don't think it can't happen to you. People that are wary & have even required PayPal G&S have eventually gotten scammed as the deal was too good to pass up or the story seemed plausible.
If using the Market Place be advise that scammers may be lurking there. To avoid being scammed
1) Do not do any transactions via Private Message
2) ONLY use Pay Pal Goods and Services to pay for items. Never use Friends and Family or Zelle.
3) Check out who you are doing business with. Do they have other posts? Read them. Have done other business in the Market Place? How long have they been a member?
4) If a deal sounds too good to be true, assume it is a scam!
5) Report any suspected scammers to the admin or mods. They will investigate and take any necessary actions
