User safety is Gumtree’s #1 priority. However, while we do everything we can to ensure the safety of our users, we ask our users to stay vigilant and look out for tell-tale signs of fraud.
In this blog post, we will look at buyer and seller scams and discuss phishing scams that users could encounter on Gumtree or other places on the internet.
What is a Buyer Scam?
A buyer scam is any scam that is perpetrated by the buyer.
This could be in the form of:
- A buyer sending a fake proof of payment to the seller
- A buyer depositing an invalid cheque
A common tactic of a scammer would be to direct the conversation to WhatsApp. If you are unsure about a user, please send a snapshot of the conversation, contact number or email address used by the buyer to our helpdesk.
What Are the Buyer Scams You Need to Watch Out For?
The buyer sends a driver to pick up an item:
The scammer insists on making an EFT payment. After agreeing on a price, the buyer will send an EFT SMS notification to the seller’s phone showing that the funds were transferred. However, the SMS notification is fake. Once payment is made, the scammer sends a driver, which could also be via Bolt or Uber, to collect the item.
What to do:
- Do not hand over an item unless the money is reflected in your account. With EFT payments, this could take up to a day to reflect. A tactic that scammers use is to ask what financial institution you are with, knowing that same bank transfers are quicker.
- Check with your bank to verify the legitimacy of the SMS/POP notification received and if any payment was made.
- If possible, ask the user to meet you in person.
The buyer pays with a cheque:
In this scenario, the funds will reflect in the seller’s account. However, the payment will later be declined.
What to do:
- Contact your financial institution to confirm that the payment is legitimate
- If payment was made by cheque, please wait until it has cleared before handing over the item
- If possible, avoid cheque payments entirely and insist on EFT/Cash payments
What is a Seller Scam?
A seller scam is any scam that is perpetrated by the seller.
This could be in the form of:
- A Seller advertising an item at a price far below market value
- A Seller is asking for a deposit to keep an item for you
What are the Seller Scams you need to watch out for?
The seller is asking for an upfront deposit to keep an item for you (a physical meet up not possible).
A common tactic of a scammer would be to direct the conversation to WhatsApp. They would ask your location to ensure they mention a location far away to make a physical meet-up impossible. The seller would suggest making a deposit payment via a payment service where reversals are difficult (Bidpay, eWallet, Western Union, PayPal, Money Gram and EFT). If you are unsure about a user, please send a snapshot of the conversation, contact number or email address used by the seller to our helpdesk.
What to do:
- Do not make any deposit payment to hold an item for you. If a seller is committed to the sale, they would not require a deposit to secure an item they are selling
- Use Gumtree Messenger to communicate. The chat helps keep your personal information safe and is never shared with the seller or anyone else.
- Gumtree encourages face-to-face, local trading - When you find an item you'd like to buy, ask to meet in person to see the item or vehicle and exchange money in a safe public place.
- Flag suspicious messages through the "Report Conversation" option or reach out to our helpdesk.
What is a Phishing scam?
The main purpose of any phishing scam is to obtain personal information from a user e.g. Credit card details, Gumtree login details, ID or Physical address etc.
What are the Phishing scams you need to watch out for?
- WhatsApp/Text messages sent to sellers indicating that funds for the item they are selling have been paid to them through a Gumtree shipping and delivery service. Sellers are then asked to enter their credit card details to receive the funds.
- Emails telling users that their accounts have been deactivated/unread emails will be removed. The emails state that customers’ accounts will be suspended if they do not follow a link or that they will lose all their emails permanently.
Gumtree will never ask you for any personal information such as banking, credit card information, or login details over the phone, WhatsApp, text or email. Gumtree will not suspend any user account that adheres to our policies.
How to spot phishing scams:
- An unfamiliar or strange-looking email address
- Urgent requests for you to click a link to verify or update your account information (or for any other reason)
- Instructions to download an attachment, open a document or view a screen capture/image
- URL links in WhatsApp messages to enter Credit card details
- Urgent requests for you to provide sensitive information about yourself
- Spelling or grammatical errors
- Unusual or unexpected words or phrases
