Buying or selling online? Beware!
Websites like Facebook Marketplace, Bazos.cz and Bazar.sk make it easy to buy and sell secondhand goods. Unfortunately, they often attract scammers who target your money. Here are some of the typical tricks they use to rob you.
Most common scam tactics you should watch out for
Fake Delivery Services
Most secondhand marketplaces like Facebook Marketplace , Bazos.cz or Bazar.sk do not offer any kind of delivery or payment services. Scammers quickly offer to arrange shipping with prepayment through a supposedly reputable delivery service like DHL, DPD, or GLS. As part of the arrangement, they send a fake link asking you to log in to your bank or provide your card details — the goal is clear: to steal your money.
❗Never log in to your bank through a link someone sends you — such links are often manipulated, and you could end up giving scammers full access to your account.
❗Never enter your credit or debit card details via a link someone sends you. Only use legitimate, trusted payment gateways such as GoPay, PayU, PayPal, or your bank’s official website.
Fake Payment Confirmations
Scammers often claim they can’t pay in cash and offer to transfer the money instead. They then send a fake confirmation email or screenshot claiming the payment is on its way and pressure you to ship the item before you’ve actually received the money. But the payment never arrives.
❗Never ship any items before receiving the payment.
❗Never enter your card details or online banking login for receiving a payment. Simply give the buyer your account number via email or SMS and wait until the payment actually arrives in your account.
Low Price of Non-Existent Goods
Some scammers advertise products at very low prices to grab your attention and pressure you into acting without thinking twice. They often demand upfront payment, usually via bank transfer or another irreversible method. Once they get the money, they either disappear or claim they never received it. The best way to protect yourself is to use platforms that offer buyer protection and handle payments for you — for example, Vinted (although there are also many scam attempts on this platform, which will be covered in a separate blog post), which holds the payment until the buyer confirms the item has been received, or eBay , which offers a Money Back Guarantee on most purchases.
❗Be cautious if you're asked to pay in advance. Only make upfront payments to trusted sellers - never to unknown ones with few or no customer reviews. And remember, even reviews can be faked.
Fake Tickets
In some cases, scammers sell items like concert tickets that are fake or unusable. Even if they look real, they might be counterfeit or already sold to multiple buyers, meaning only the first person to use them will get in. While you can sometimes verify a ticket on the official website, it’s nearly impossible to know if it has been duplicated.
❗It’s always best to buy from the official website or use platforms specifically designed for selling such items with buyer protection in place.
What You Should Always Do
- Never enter your bank or credit card details into any link sent by strangers. Always slow down and think twice before providing your login or payment information. Is the request really legitimate? Or could it lead to your account being drained by a scammer?
- Use servers with buyers/sellers protection and sellers reviews in place.
- If payment in advance is required, never enter your card details or online banking login. Simply give the buyer your account number via email or SMS and wait until the payment actually arrives in your account.
- You can also exchange goods for cash in a public place, handing them over directly, but always avoid deserted areas for your safety.
- Be cautious of offers that seem too good to be true.
- If you're suspicious of a seller or buyer, you can try to look them up in sites like Podvod na bazaru (for CZ), Online podvody (for SK) or Watchlist Internet (for AT). Here you can search for bank accounts, phone numbers, emails, URLs, or shops that are associated with different kinds of scams.
What We Can Do for You
- We offer Safe Surfing — an easy-to-use, lightweight VPN on our Redamp.io platform that filters harmful URLs like fake payment gateways, fake bank portals or fake delivery service websites.
- We’ll notify you about new and ongoing scams in your area with short alerts, helping you stay one step ahead of the scammers.
Want to learn more? Contact us!
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