How Scammers Cheat Those Who Sell Things Over the Internet?

Nine popular divorce schemes and tips on how to get out of trouble.

Swindlers, thieves, and crooks love the Internet: there is where to roam, and almost everyone can be deceived. Online scams are safer than real-life scams: finding a user from the web is not easy, and many victims simply don't contact the police. We have collected the most popular fraud schemes and will tell you how to protect yourself from being cheated.

SMS fraud

1. "Your account has been blocked"

You posted a product on the free classifieds site and left your phone number. Instead of calls from customers, you receive a message that your account has been blocked.

The text messages look believable. They are sent to advertisers under the guise of official messages, posing as support. But these are scammers: if you send a response, the money will be debited from your account.

Here's what else they can write in messages:

"Confirm your ad number by sending 1577 to 3381. * Ad site name *".

“We ask you to confirm that you are not a robot. Send SMS (free) with the next 7624 to 6457. Otherwise, the system will delete your ad within 24 hours. Yours faithfully, * name of the site of announcements * ".

What to do: Don't reply to the message. Log into your account and check if it is really blocked. In any case, the issue of blocking must be resolved with the support service on the site, and not using SMS to a short number.

2. "Base of contacts for your ad"

You publish an advertisement for a sale and receive a message: “Database of contacts of users matching your request. Send a reply SMS with code 5 to get access. " This is cheating: you will be charged for sending a message, but you will not receive any customer base.

What to do: Don't answer. Ignore any messages other than those that come in your personal account on the ad site.

3. SMS with a link

After placing an ad for a sale, you can receive a message with a similar text:

When a user clicks on a link, malware is downloaded to the phone. It allows fraudsters to receive confidential data from your smartphone: bank card numbers, CVC (three-digit code on the back of the card), passwords, and personal photos. If this happens, the thief will steal money from the card, send spam from your account, and publish personal photos in the public domain or blackmail them.

What to do: do not follow the links in the messages, delete the SMS, and block the user.

Email Fraud

4. Sending fake emails

Another scam scheme is sending users fake letters from the "support service". It can warn about blocking ads, account, password change. In addition, it can be a "newsletter" and an email with an attachment. The message looks like a real one: it has a company logo, the letter is neatly laid out, and the sender's address looks like a real one. But this is a trap.

If the email contains a link, it may lead to a phishing site. This site is a clone of the ad site: you do not notice the difference and enter secret data there. Login, password, bank card details. The site was created by scammers who will take information for themselves and can steal money from your account.

If there is an attachment in the letter, a virus is waiting there. It will be downloaded to a computer or smartphone, and fraudsters will be able to access your data.

Find the best antivirus software to protect against fake emails.

Due to the threat of blocking, you may be lured out of passport data, scanned documents, login, and password from your personal account, or demand a fee for unlocking your account.

What to do: do not follow the link, do not open the attachment, do not tell anyone your login, password, passport, and card details. Go to your personal account and make sure that the problem really exists (most likely not). The following are signs to help you understand the situation.

Money transfer fraud

5. Counterfeit bills

A swindler buyer can make an appointment in the evening in a poorly lit place: on the landing, at dusk at the entrance to the staircase, in the yard. At the conclusion of the transaction, he gives the money in cash. They may turn out to be fake, and the seller will not be able to recognize a fake due to poor lighting. And it’s embarrassing to check and feel the bills in front of a person.

When the seller realizes that counterfeit money was slipped into him, the fraudster can no longer get it: he received the goods, turned off his mobile, and did not get in touch.

Of course, not everyone who pays in cash at night wants to cheat you. But it's better to play it safe.

What to do: Choose a crowded and well-lit place for the deal. Do not hesitate to check the banknotes, but rather walk with the customer to the nearest ATM and put money on the card together. If you sell an expensive product, then make an appointment near the ATM.

6. Hall of banknotes

It happens that the buyer wants to pay in small bills of 50, 100, or 200 rubles, and gives part of the amount in large - 1,000 or 5,000 rubles. If the item is expensive, then there will be a lot of bills. Be wary if you find yourself in such a situation: it is difficult to count a large wad of money, and you also need to monitor the buyer's hands.

During the transaction, swindlers can wring money: imperceptibly crush the bottom of the stack with their fingers and leave it with them. These are usually the largest bills that count first. Because the pack is large, the loss is not noticeable.

After counting the money several times, the seller makes sure that everything is in order. But, left alone with a bundle of bills, he realizes that he was cheated. The swindler is hiding, the phone is not available.

Prepaid Fraud

7. "Tell the card details"

The buyer contacts you. He asks about the product, praises it, and asks not to sell to others: they say, he is not in the city right now, but he will arrive in a couple of days. As a guarantee, he offers to transfer an advance payment. To do this, he asks to throw off the card number, name, expiration date, numbers on the back, and a confirmation code from SMS.

It seems silly to do this, but not everyone knows how translations work. Plus, you don't want to lose your customer - why not tell him what he asks for? But if you tell a stranger the three-digit code on the back of the card or from an SMS from the bank, the fraudster can steal all the money.

What to do: remember that the card number is enough to transfer - 16 digits on the front side. If the buyer asks for the expiration date of the card, CVC, or code from the bank, block the user and send his number to the blacklist.

8. "Throw in money for transfer/commission"

The buyer responds to the ad. The person warns that he is from another country and wants the seller to send the goods by mail. He is ready to pay for the delivery himself.

When the parties agree on a deal, it turns out that bank transfers to Russia are blocked, so the money will be sent through another payment service. He takes off the percentage for the currency conversion, so the buyer asks to transfer the commission amount to him so that he sends you the full cost of the goods and delivery, and does not deduct this money from the payment. When the seller throws off the money, the buyer disappears - this is the kind of income.

For example, if the commission is 10%, and you need 15 thousand rubles for the goods and delivery, then the seller transfers 1,500 rubles. 20,000 rubles - 2,000 rubles. If you cheat 5-10 people a month, you get a good increase in your salary. In the same way, a fraudster can ask to pay a fee for a transfer from a legal account.

What to do: Don't be accommodating if the buyer offers conditions that are not convenient for you.

9. Fake payment screenshots

A buyer from another city contacts you and asks to send the goods through friends: on a regular bus or train. It's faster than mailing, and you don't have to pay for shipping. So that no one deceives anyone, the scheme is as follows: the seller passes the package to the driver or conductor and says the number of the train and carriage. Having received the data, the buyer pays for the goods and sends screenshots of the payment from the mobile bank. For greater reliability, the buyer throws off a scan or photo of his passport.

The problem is, the payment screens and passport scans are fake.

Transfers from one bank to another can take several days, so the seller does not panic and does not feel a catch. Time passes, the goods reach the buyer, but the money does not reach the seller. But it’s too late to do anything: the fraudster disappeared with the goods and money and did not get in touch.

What to do: Only ship using official methods. For example, "Russian Post", delivery service or through special services of ad sites. Check the authenticity of the passport on the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If possible, transfer the payment within the framework of one bank or payment system so that the money arrives as quickly as possible.