Avoiding scams
Avoiding scams
While most borrowers trade with the best of intentions, there are instances of attempted fraud. We advise you to always close your business in person and on the spot.
Please observe the following instructions:
Do not disclose your personal data. Never give out your personal or bank details (for example. your credit card number) through the internet. We recommend that you meet the buyer/seller if possible.
No payment by check or Western Union, cash on hand!
Be careful with requests sent from abroad or with requests sent in a foreign language.
Be careful with offers that seem too good to be true.
We advise you to be careful with advertisements, where the price seems too low, the offer sounds very tempting....Be especially careful when trading expensive products, such as mobile phones, laptops, TVs...
Be careful with phone numbers, especially expensive numbers or SMS services.
Supposedly free phone numbers can lead to expensive numbers. On the platform of Reklama5 contact can only be established between the buyer and the bidder. Reklama5 not a fiduciary service. Reklama5 will never provide you with invoices for the products offered. If necessary, check the credibility of the bidder.
Are you a victim of an internet scam??
Please report any attempted abuse by other community members. We advise you to report such cases to the police.
How do I recognize a scam??
In most cases of fraud comes one of the following criteria:
Questions from abroad or by email.
Request for prepayment.
Using Western Union or paying by check.
Refusal for a personal meeting
Tips for buyers
Do not transfer money in advance. Most of the time, fraudsters ask for payment in advance. Personal payment is the safest way to trade for sellers and consumers, because fraudsters don't ship the goods after you've made the payment. Trust your instinct.
Don't be shy about backing out of an offer. To place an ad, the seller does not have to register on Ad5. Therefore, you have no data about your trading partner. That's why we recommend local trade because through a meeting you will be able to make sure of the identity and seriousness of the seller.
Here is an example of a known scam:
You write to the offerer and show interest in the product. Receive a confidential email with a resolution proposal.
You receive an email again in which the seller explains why cash payment is not possible. You will be asked to make the transfer in advance. The bidder in turn sends the alleged goods. Although you have made a payment, you will never receive the product.
Tips for sellers
Do not ship your product. This way you will prevent the most common methods of fraud.
Personal payment when picking up the product is the most secure way of trading for both the seller and the buyer. Do not accept payment by check. They are mostly fake and can later prove to be invalid. Banks take no responsibility and will not return your money. If this is required of you, it is usually a fraud. Fraudsters send fake evidence of funds paid. Emails in English or other languages usually come from scammers.
Here is an example of a known scam.
You receive an e-mail, in which you receive an offer price including shipping costs. You receive a fake e-mail confirming that a charge has been made, probably from a bank or you receive a fake check, or a higher amount than agreed and you are asked to return the difference. Then you will be asked, for example, to send the product. The check and receipt are showing as invalid. Most of the time, the product and the refunded amount are lost before the fraud is detected
What we do for your security?
Our highest task is to protect you from fraud.
For this purpose, we have set up a system to recognize fraud attempts, with the help of which we can keep the large number of fraudulent ads away from our site, which is constantly renewed.. A whole team of collaborators checks new ads and reacts to your submissions. For this purpose, we count on the help of our users: Please report suspicious or fraudulent content! For that purpose, there is a link for registration on every advertisement page and in every e-mail. On each advertisement page you can find a link to our safety guidelines with important information and warnings on this topic. Also, as soon as the user receives or sends a request through our system, we give him important instructions, for example not to transfer money in advance and trade locally.
Of course Reklama5 also cooperates most closely with the authorities in investigative proceedings.
