Fraud on classifieds portals is not uncommon. But false advertisements and supposed sellers cannot be recognized at first glance. The triangle scam in particular is considered a popular trick. TECHBOOK explains how you can protect yourself.
Since April 2023, Ebay classifieds has been officially renamed classifieds and also has a new logo. However, nothing has changed on the marketplace itself, nor on the scams that scammers use to rip off customers. Many people sell products on the portal that they no longer need, i.e. mainly second-hand goods. From toys and furniture to cars and real estate – there is an ad for almost everything. But beware: not every ad is genuine. It may be an attempt at fraud. The triangle fraud is considered a particularly perfidious scam. There are a few pointers you can use to spot classified ad scams and protect yourself as a buyer or seller.
How does the triangle scam work?
In order to spot classified ads scams, you need to understand how they work. As the name suggests, triangular fraud involves three people: the seller, the fraudster and the buyer. The scam could work as follows: A seller advertises a MacBook on classified ads, for example. The scammer becomes aware of this ad and creates an identical ad for this MacBook with the same sales conditions. Meanwhile, he signals his interest in buying to the actual seller and asks for his payment details.
The actual scam begins the moment a prospect responds to the scammer’s fake ad and wants to buy the MacBook from the scammer. The interested party also asks for the payment details, but the fraudster does not transmit his own payment details, but rather the payment details of the original seller on classified ads.
The unsuspecting prospect pays the amount and informs the scammer, who forwards the information to the actual seller. The seller does not suspect anything and sends the MacBook to the address provided by the scammer. After a while, the unsuspecting buyer calls and asks about the shipping status of the MacBook. But the scammer has since gone into hiding with this one.
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Fallen for classified ads fraud – what to do?
Have you paid for an item on classifieds that hasn’t arrived and the seller seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth? Then you may have become a victim of classified ad fraud. But don’t panic: the seller usually bears the damage, since the unsuspecting buyer is entitled to a refund of the purchase price.
If you spot a scam, you should immediately report it to Classifieds and ask for clarification on your case. If you paid with PayPal buyer protection, you have the option of getting the money back via PayPal if the seller does not provide proof that the goods have been dispatched. Since the fraudster has long since disappeared with the goods, there is no proof and you usually get your money back. The one who suffers in this case is the actual seller, who now receives neither the goods nor the money.
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What does Classifieds do to prevent fraud?
While Classifieds cannot check every ad for possible fraud, the platform offers ways to safely buy and sell goods.
“Pay Safely” feature
In October 2020, to protect buyers and sellers from fraud, classifieds introduced its own payment system. Similar to PayPal buyer protection, “Pay Safely” offers protection to the buyer or seller. The buyer pays a fee for this depending on the agreed purchase price. The seller can use the function free of charge. “Pay Safely” ensures that the buyer gets the money back if the goods do not arrive or differ greatly from the description.
In the case of the MacBook sale described above, both buyers and sellers are protected from fraud on classified ads. The money is paid to the seller only after the buyer has confirmed receipt of the goods. Another plus: the payment details of those involved remain secret throughout the transaction – buyer and seller do not have to disclose them to each other.
Recognize and protect yourself against fraud on classified ads
Fraud on classified ads is not obvious at first glance. So you should protect yourself as best you can. This includes:
Recognize reputable providers
Sellers who refuse personal contact or want to communicate via other channels (e-mail, messenger apps) should immediately be suspicious to you. Fraudsters reduce contact to a minimum and do not want to process the purchase through classified ads.
Therefore, we advise you: communicate only through classified ads and check the sellers carefully to protect yourself from fraud. How long has he or she been on classifieds? Call the number provided to verify that it really belongs to the seller.
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Choose secure payment method
Pay with buyer protection – whether via the “Pay safely” function or Paypal. This is how you can protect yourself as a buyer and seller from fraud on classified ads. Basically, if the classifieds seller wants to receive a payment confirmation (e.g. by e-mail), you should always check the receipt of money directly in your respective account or in the respective app. Scammers often send fake proof of payment.
Sellers should rule out personally picking up the goods, since the handover cannot be reliably proven in this way and fraud is made easier. Even cash in an envelope should neither be used as a payment method nor accepted by sellers.
Identify forged documents
ID cards, employment contracts, bank transfer slips – all easy-to-forge documents that look forbidden and genuine. Therefore, be suspicious until the authenticity has been proven. You should first check company details in service or job advertisements using Internet search engines. In the case of concrete job offers, it is important to check all the information for plausibility. What is the work order? Does the task make sense and is it logical? Is the specified payment for it proportionate?
protect data
Do not give out bank details, ID card details or account details carelessly. You should also never transmit copies of this data to others. If it is a fraud attempt, your information can be used to open bank accounts or online accounts that are misused for illegal activities.