Marketplace Safety Tips

Overview

Most people using our newspaper classifieds have positive stories to tell about their experiences with buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords, job searches, etc. We do, however, receive occasional reports of individuals who do not use our classified listings service in accordance with our stated policies. We are providing some tips below to help you use our classifieds marketplace safely. This list is by no means exhaustive. Please use common sense and caution when conducting any transaction.

Principles of Marketplace Safety

• Keep the transaction local: Please consider that local buyers and sellers are more likely to be reliable marketplace participants given your ability to inspect or require proof of ownership. Some non-local online inquiries may be scams.
• Use secure payment channels: Wiring funds to a distant buyer, via Western Union or any other carrier, may not be a wise choice given the distance and your ability to check up on the buyer.
• Be cautious in the use of escrow services: Be wary if the other party demands or requires the use an escrow service.
• Do not give anyone personal financial information: Do not give out personal financial information (checking account number, SSN, credit card information, eBay/PayPal info) to anyone.
• Use common sense: Trust your instincts, and always remember the most important rule -- buyer beware! And in the context of classified marketplaces, sellers need to beware as well!

Password Protection

Stay safe online by protecting your account password. Whether you are on- or offline, take care of your password as you would care for your savings account passbook, passport or other important information. If your password falls into the wrong hands, your identity may be stolen and someone else may access your account.

You can take a few simple steps to help ensure that your password is protected:

• Make sure to create a different password for each online account you hold.
• Create a more secure password by using a combination of letters and numbers. We already require this format for your account with us.
• Change your password frequently.
• Do not share your password with anyone.

OnGuard Online

The Federal Trade Commission and the technology industry have teamed up to create a set of tips, articles, videos and quizzes designed to help you guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer and protect your personal information. Learn more.

Contacting the Seller

Buy with confidence by using the 'Reply to this Ad' feature to get answers before you buy. Before you buy any item or service, it is important to have all of your questions about the item or service answered. All listings in our classifieds marketplace include a link to the "Reply to this Ad" feature. Using this feature is an easy way to make sure that all your questions are answered before you buy.

Postal Money Orders

There are scammers using counterfeit checks, commercial money orders, and postal money orders to "pay" for items then leave sellers empty handed. Avoiding this scam is relatively simple:

• Never accept an overpayment for any item. One of the most common signs of a fraud about to occur is the request to accept an overpayment and provide "change".
• Familiarize yourself with the security features offered by various forms of payment. Postal Money Orders offer easy to recognize security features that counterfeiters have been unable to replicate.
• Make certain you understand your bank's funds availability policy before you release merchandise to the buyer. Never give or send merchandise to a buyer BEFORE the check clears the bank. While some checks take only a couple days to clear, others can take several weeks.

If you are not sure if a postal money order is authentic, play it safe. Contact your local Postal Inspection Service office. The Postal Inspection Service is the federal law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service.

Foreign Cashier's Checks

Some sellers of high priced goods receive requests from potential buyers in foreign countries (often in Africa) to accept foreign cashier's checks as payment for their items. Some of the requests offer to "overpay" for an item, and ask the seller to wire the overpayment back to the buyer through services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. We urge all sellers to use extreme caution when accepting foreign cashier's checks for high priced items, as such foreign checks may take weeks or months to clear and may be counterfeit.

Note: Some checks may appear to be from a US bank but, upon closer inspection, include foreign country or city names.

Furthermore, sellers should never accept overpayments from buyers for items where the buyer is asking to be reimbursed for overpayment.

To learn more about this type of fraudulent activity, please visit the following web site:
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/africa/naffpub.pdf

Who should I notify about fraud?

• FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
• FTC online complaint form (www.ftc.gov)
• Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
• Internet Fraud Complaint Center (www.ifccfbi.gov/)

We are not responsible or liable for any fraudulent transactions by users of our newspaper classifieds, as indicated in our stated policies. By sharing these tips with you, however, we hope that we can help you avoid many of the traps used by scammers in fraudulent transactions so that your experience with our service will be a positive one. If you suspect that an item posted for sale on this website may be part of a scam, please email the details to Member Services.