The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Hard to see through: Beware of sneaky triangular fraud scams in classifieds

2023-06-06T09:41:56.910Z

Highlights: Triangular fraud in classifieds involves three people trying to steal expensive goods. Scam is more complicated than the usual scams in the online classifieds market. Users of classifieds have to look particularly closely in order not to fall for a triangle scam. Anyone who may have been a victim of fraud should file a complaint with the police. You should also be careful when shopping online, because fake shops could lurk behind low prices (kaskas) (Kasas is a German word for cheap goods)



With a particularly perfidious scam, fraudsters try to steal expensive goods from classifieds. You can read here what to look out for in triangular fraud.

Kassel – Whether furniture, cars or clothing: With classifieds (formerly Ebay classifieds), consumers can sell almost anything. Recently, the U.S. company Ebay withdrew from the online division. For consumers, apart from the name change and the new logo, hardly anything has changed, but fraud does not disappear.

Again and again there are reports of fraudsters who are on the move with classifieds and are targeting sensitive user data, for example. Now a new, particularly brazen scam is making the rounds. With a so-called triangle fraud, users are to be lured into the trap.

Classifieds
Foundation2009 (as Ebay Classifieds)
ManagementPaul Heimann
New listings per dayaround one million

Triangular fraud in classifieds: This is how the perfidious scam works

How does the scam work? As the name suggests, this method is not just about scammers and victims, but about three people, the industry magazine Techbook reported. In any case, this makes the scam more complicated than the usual scams in classifieds.

For example, let's say you advertise a smartphone in classifieds. The scammer feigns interest, asks for your payment details, and the money ends up in the account as usual. They send the smartphone or hand it over to the fraudster personally. But where is the fraud here?

Triangular fraud in classifieds: What consumers need to know

Only a short time later, a third person is likely to contact you and ask about the whereabouts of the smartphone. After all, the person had already paid. Meanwhile, the fraudster has placed an identical ad to the mobile phone in classifieds or another portal. For this ad, the third person has signaled their interest. The interested party asks for the payment details, but does not transfer the money to the fraudster's account, but to the original seller.

Users of classifieds have to look particularly closely in order not to fall for a triangle scam. © Antonio Guillem/imago

0

Also Read

Keeping ticks away: home remedies work wonders for humans and animals

READ

Organic waste bin full of maggots: Simple home remedies against the disgusting plague

READ

Haribo sounds the alarm and launches recall – do not eat popular cult candy under any circumstances

READ

Urgent candy recall at Rewe, Dm and Co.: Internal bleeding is imminent

READ

Rich or poor? This is what Germans earn in comparison

READ

Fancy a voyage of discovery?

My Area

The seller is not suspicious, sends or hands over the smartphone to the fraudster – the third person, on the other hand, goes away empty-handed. If, after some waiting, the latter contacts the actual seller, for example via the PayPal-mail, the fraudster is already out of the woods.

What can those affected do now? For example, if you didn't process the PayPal payment through friends and family, you can get the money back through buyer protection, Techbook reported. Then the third person receives their payment back, but the seller ends up without a smartphone and money. In any case, Classifieds recommends reporting suspicious or fraudulent content.

Classifieds scams: How to protect yourself against them

The online portal itself offers the option "Pay securely". Here, payment data remains secret during processing. In addition, the buyer protection comes into force and you will get your money back if the order does not arrive or deviates significantly from the description. The company also advises these tips on its website:

  • Seek telephone contact with the provider or interested parties and always communicate via classifieds
  • Use secure payment method; Never pay by Western Union, PaySafe, MoneyGram, cheques or cash in an envelope
  • Never send photos of identity documents or bank cards
  • Check receipt of money on the account before sending it
  • For PayPal payment: Send insured after receipt of money; do not accept pickup as PayPal's Buyer Protection Terms require proof of shipment from the seller
  • Save ads and messages with vendors/prospects

The North Rhine-Westphalia State Office of Criminal Investigation also advises checking reviews and the trading history of buyers and sellers. Anyone who may have been a victim of fraud should file a complaint with the police. In addition, listen to your gut feeling – not every offer is really a bargain. You should also be careful when shopping online, because fake shops could lurk behind supposed branded products at low prices. (kas)

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2023-06-06

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.