Avoiding scams and fraud     Personal Safety Tips

You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:

• DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on AdsList.ca.
   
• NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
   
• FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
   
• ADSLIST.CA IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
   
• NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
   
• AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.

Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?

• RCMP Scams Frauds

If you suspect that an item posted for sale on AdsList.ca may be part of a scam, please email the details to "abuse@adslist.ca". Be sure to include the URL (or eight-digit post ID number) in your message.

Recognizing scams

Most scams involve one or more of the following:

• inquiry from someone far away, often in another country
• Western Union, Money Gram, cashier's check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a "guarantee"
• inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before consumating transaction

Examples of Scams

1. Someone claims that AdsList.ca will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, OR claims that AdsList.ca will handle or provide protection for a payment

• These claims are fraudulent, as AdsList.ca does not have any role in any transaction.
• Scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from AdsList.ca, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services -- all such emails are fakes!

2. distant person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier's check

• you receive an email (examples below) offering to buy your item, or rent your apartment, sight unseen.
• cashier's check is offered for your sale item, as a deposit for an apartment, or for just about anything else of value.
• value of cashier's check often far exceeds your item - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service
• banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases!
• scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc)

3. Someone requests wire service payment via Western Union or MoneyGram:

• Scam "bait" items include apartments, laptops, plasma TVs, cell phones, tickets - but could be almost anything
• Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is FALSE, once you've wired money, it is GONE.
• Common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Netherlands - but could be anywhere
• Apartment listing may be local, but landlord/owner is "travelling" or "relocating" and needs you to wire money to them abroad
• Deal often seems too good to be true, price is too low, rent is below market, etc

4. distant person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money:

• this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience - the cashier's check is FAKE
• sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not
• scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check
• deal often seems too good to be true

5. distant seller suggests use of an online escrow service.

• most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT, operated by scammers
• for more info, do a Google search on "fake escrow" or "escrow fraud"

6. distant seller asks for a partial payment upfront, after which he will ship goods

• he says he trusts you with the partial payment
• he may say he has already shipped the goods
• deal often sounds too good to be true

7. foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers, then wiring funds

• foreign company may claim it is unable to receive payments from its customers directly
• you are typically offered a percentage of payments received
• this kind of "position" may be posted as a job, or offered to you via email

Actual scam emails sent to AdsList.ca sellers:

Hello ,

I'm Mr. Marc Lauren I'm highly interested in your Item for the price it's ok by me,beside I will be paying you extra

() for you to get the advert deleted from the website cos it matches what I am in need of.sorry if I may ask, is this

your personal property because don't want to involve myself with stolen goods for sale. What is the condition like?I am

currently not in the country, to be precise I'm in UK, and I will handle shipment of it to my base in Republic Of

Benin,You'll be receiving your payment as soon as possible through my client who's in US. I'll instruct him to issue out

Cashiers Check in your name, you'll receive it as soon as possible, Immediately you get this Cashiers Check i want you to

take it to your bank, cash it immediately and deduct the total amount of for your item and also deduct for your

running around, the excess is for my shipper for shipment of the items alongside some other Items i placed order for in

care of my shipper.They will also use the funds to settle some customs problem and transport their selves down to your

place with immediately effect. And you'll wire the remaining balance to the shipping agent through Western Union Money

Transfer for them to come for the pickup in your place 48hours after receiving the payment from you, without giving you

any stress. so, I do hope i can have your trust about the excess which is meant for my shipper. Note; that you are not

going to give the shipper anything.I am going to responsible for that..So i will want you to send me the following

information for the process of the payment.
NAME........
ADDRESS............
CITY......
STATE....
ZIP CODE........
PHONE # BOTH HOME AND CELL.....
I await your this info so that I can fax it down to my client that will send u the payment.
THANKS

=========================================================================

Hello teacher,
How are you doing today ,i can read your description and i am very impressed and interested in your lesson ,my son is coming for an holiday pension in your area ,he is 14 years old, he know a little about this lesson, so i don\'t want him to be less busy in the time of the day , so i have decided to let him attend your lesson , so he will be coming 2 hours in a day (9 am to 11 am) or time that you will be convenient with ,so i want you to calculate the cost for 4 weeks and send me the total cost , i will be paying you with cashier check , so get back to me with your cost . i will like to hear from you soon.
regards

=========================================================================

This email is sent from Nigeria:

My name is Henry Clark, an Artist and also the Manager of Houseofbliss art gallery and i live and work here in United Kingdom, Would you like to work online from home and get paid without affecting your present job? Actually i need a representative who can be working for our company as online book-keeper. We make lots of supplies to some of our clients in the USA/CANADA for which i do come to USA/CANADA to recieve payment and have it cashed after i supply them raw materials. Its always too expensive and stressful for me to come down and recieve such payment twice in a month so i therefore decided to contact you. I am willing to pay you 10% for every payment recieved by you from our clients who makes payment through you.Kindly get back to me as soon as possible if you are interested in this job offer with your:

FIRST NAME......................
LAST NAME.......................
ADDRESS.......................
CITY.........................
STATE......................... ..
ZIP CODE........................
COUNTRY....................... ...
PHONE NUMBER (S)....................
GENDER........................
AGE.....................

=========================================================================

Another scam email:

Hello Seller,

How are you doing? And also how is business? I have a client who saw your advert on the website and picked interest in your advert. We are a marketing consultancy agency based in Europe. We help our prospective clients in purchasing and follow up the goods purchased by our clients to their final destination. I will want you to update me with the present condition of the item. A picture of this item will be appreciated for further assessment. What is your final asking price for this item.

I will want to state very clearly that we have a shipping agency that handles all our shippings so, you are not to be bothered about shipment. My client will be making payment to you inform of UNITED STATE CERTIFIED CHECK OR UNITED STATES POSTAL MONEY ORDER, which can be cashed at any cashing point around your vicinity. The payment that will be mailed out to you will include-cost of the item bought, shipping agencies funds and also my commission.

If you agree with all this terms, your contact address for issuance of payment will be needed so that payment arrangement could begin in earnest. Your contact address will include your FULL NAME, POSTAL ADDRESS, ZIP CODE AND PHONE NUMBER.

Thanks in anticipation of your favourable reply and i hope to do business with you.

=========================================================================

Another scam email:

Hello Seller,
I am interested in your ad posted on adlist I am very pleased with it and i do wish to seal up the deal as soon as possible, Kindly let me know the final price. The item will be picked up from your location and i will send the shipment details and informations to you in my subsequent correspondence .before we can proceed. I want you to get back to me with your contact informations which includes your name, address and phone number so that payment can be sent to you, My preferred means of payment is money order. Get back to me with the requested informations and have a splendid day.
Regards
B.Hicking