How To Stay Safe From Online Purchase Scams

Online purchase scams happen on classified websites where you’re looking to buy or sell an item, service or property and are tricked into believing that you’re dealing with a genuine contact.

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What you need to know

Avoid requests for unusual payment methods that are difficult to reverse like wire transfers or prepaid cards.
Be cautious if there is a lack of product information, unclear return policy or unclear terms and conditions.
Do your research and make sure you choose a reputable merchant when purchasing high-value items.

What's an online purchase scam?

Online purchase scams occur when a fraudster uses an e-commerce platform and trick victims into thinking they’re dealing with a legitimate person. This scam can happen in 2 forms: buy scams and sell scams.

What's a buy scam?

While people use classified websites to sell their items, fraudsters will use the platform to post fake ads to trick buyers into purchasing an item that doesn’t exist. The fake ads can be for any item or service, such as used cars, rental properties, or pets.

To make the fake ad more attractive to buyers, the item is typically advertised at a very low price. When purchasing the item, the seller will make excuses as to the reason the buyer can’t view the item, such as the seller is overseas, and their agent will deliver the item following the payment. Unfortunately, the buyer is left paying for an item they’ll never receive.

How a buy scam works

A product, service or property is listed online at a very low price
The listed item is available as a limited-time offer
Seller requests the payment to be made before the delivery of the product or service
Payment is requested to be made by wire transfer, check, pre-loaded card or cryptocurrency
Seller makes excuses to not meet the buyer in person, such as claiming to be too busy or too far away to show item

What's a sell scam?

When listing your own items for sale on classified websites, fraudsters may try to purchase your item and scam you out of money. The fraudster may ask for your assistance to pay for fake upfront costs, such as insurance, and will promise to pay you back.

Another common scheme is providing the seller with a fake check that’s for an amount higher than the sale price with the fraudster making up excuses for the overpayment, such as covering extra shipping fees or just human error. They’ll ask the seller to send the overpayment back to them, often through wire transfer, gift cards or using a digital payment platform like Zelle^®. Unfortunately, the seller sends the money back to the fraudster before the check clearing, so when the check bounces, the seller loses the money they sent.

How a sell scam works

Buyer makes excuses for not meeting the seller in person, such as claiming to be too busy or too far away
Buyer sends a check for more than the agreed upon price and requests to be refunded for the overpayment through wire transfer, check, pre-loaded card, cryptocurrency or by using a digital payment platform like Zelle®
Buyer is eager to make the purchase without concern for the details of the product or service

Stay safe with our tips

Don’t act quickly when purchasing items online. Do your research on the seller, product, service or property to ensure it’s legitimate, such as:

Compare the price to that of other similar listings. If the low price seems too good to be true then it may be a scam.
When looking for rental properties, look up the address of the property to check if the listing has been copied from another listing.
Research the seller online to find out if others have purchased from this person. If there are user profiles on the classified website, review their profile to check if the person has a history.

When selling your items, be sure that the payment is legitimate before giving away your item. If the buyer provides you with a check, make sure the check clears beforehand, especially if you’ve been overpaid.
Be cautious of paying by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or pre-loaded cards. These untraditional forms of payment are often difficult to trace back to the recipient, making it a preferred form of payment for fraudsters.

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Explore more about buy and sell scams

Internet Crime Complaint Center Opens in a new window.

Report fraud when it happens and track the latest data on fraud happening across the country.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Opens in a new window.

Read about the latest consumer and industry fraud alerts and how to protect your information.

American Bankers Association Opens in a new window.

Get connected with the resources banks use to help you identify, prevent and report fraud.

Protect yourself from online purchase scams

What you need to know

What's an online purchase scam?

How a buy scam works

How a sell scam works

Stay safe with our tips

Notice anything suspicious? Let us know.

Explore more about buy and sell scams

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