Internet Fraud Prevention Tips Buyer Safety, Seller Safety, Spoof Emails, Internet Scams, Report Suspicious ActivityQuick Tips:
#1Use extra caution if the price is unusually low. If an item is listed significantly below the manufacturer's suggested retail price, take extra steps to verify the seller's claims.
#2Be cautious with international Sellers. If a dispute arises in the transaction, United States laws may not apply to the international seller.
#3Traderonline and Trader Publishing Company suggests you use a reputable escrow service such as Escrow.com to provide a secure way to buy or sell your vehicle
#4Verify the Seller's Name, City, Email, and Phone. All should be easily supplied by seller.
#5Request Proof of ownership. Private parties selling a vehicle should be able to produce evidence of Title, Registration, and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for cycles 1981 and newer.
#6Request Proof of Possession. Request information or photos only someone in possession of the items could supply. One example is a specific photo not common to web postings or auctions (such as the bottom of the engine, the actual VIN marked on the frame, or a close up of a specific part).
#7Be cautious when seller is offering Free Shipping. Shipping a motorcycle or other vehicle any distance can be costly and should be reflected in a higher then average price.
#8Educate yourself about online scams by viewing our information on Internet Scams.Buyer Safety:Email and Call the seller- If the phone number listed is not accurate, use added caution to verify the seller has possession of the item. Pay by credit card because you can often dispute the charges with your card provider if something goes wrong. Never send money orders, cashiers checks, or wire transfers unless the item is already in your possession and verified to be exactly what you agreed to buy.
Read all Quick Tips Seller Safety:
Do not agree to accept any overpayment requiring a refund. A known scam has the "buyer" sending you a counterfeit cashiers check or money orders for more than your asking price, then asking you to "refund" the overage (usually by Wire Transfer) before your bank discovers the forgery. Use only respected and reputable escrow and shipping companies.
Traderonline and Trader Publishing Company suggests you use a reputable escrow service such as Escrow.com to provide a secure way to buy or sell your vehicle. If the buyer suggests an escrow service, verify that it is a legitimate company. Be cautious with international sellers, if a dispute arises in the transaction, United States laws may not apply to the international seller.
Read all Quick Tips Spoof Emails:We advise you to be cautious of email messages that ask you to submit information such as your credit card number or passwords. Senders of spoof emails hope that unsuspecting recipients will reply to a request or click on a link contained in the email and provide sensitive personal information such as passwords, social security numbers, or credit card numbers. We encourage you to:Use caution with responding to any email that asks for your personal information.Report suspected spoof emails quickly to take appropriate steps to maintain your account security if you think you've responded to a Spoof email with personal financial information. What if I've already provided information to the Spoof? Quickly complete these steps in the order listed.
1. Call your Credit Card company and tell them that your account may be compromised. Follow any instructions provided by your credit card company.
2. Call your bank and tell them that your account details may have been compromised and detail for them how this occurred.
3. Change your password on your email account.
4. Change passwords on the relevant sites. If you cannot log into your accounts, then the fraudsters may have already changed the passwords, go to the next step...
5. Contact the websites involved not only should you tell them that your account may have been compromised, but you should also include a copy of the email which led to the problem.
6. Make a report to the Police (yes, even though it is a time consuming process). We encourage you to review additional information about protecting your identity found on the Federal Trader Commission web site at:http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm
A known scam is sending counterfeit cashiers checks and money orders for above your asking price, with an agreement you will send (usually by Wire Transfer) your funds before the check clears your bank.
Spoof or "Phisher" emailsThese deceptive emails claim to be sent from respected or trusted web sites. The senders of these fraudulent emails hope that unsuspecting recipients will reply or click on a link contained in the email and then provide sensitive personal information such as passwords, social security numbers, or credit card numbers.
Identity Theft:Online and offline efforts to gain access to your private information such as credit card, bank account with the intent of stealing funds from as many locations as possible.
Other Resources:National Fraud Information Center (NFIC)A project of the U.S. National Consumers League, a private non-profit organization, which provides consumer information regarding telemarketing and Internet fraud and maintains a complaint database. http://www.fraud.org/Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC)
Internet Fraud Preventive Measures http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/strategy/fraudtips.aspFederal
Trade Commission (FTC)Information about "Spoof" or "Phishing" scams: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm
