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Old 21 December 2017, 11:22 AM   #143
tbonesteak
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Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: New York
Watch: me go broke!
Posts: 1,657
A lot of the stuff (with all due respect) is common sense. JRS146 laid out a decent playbook to avoid being scammed. While the rules and advice page provides some info, maybe it would be best to pin a simple straightforward thread in the for sale section strictly with tips to avoid being scammed. These scammers are such lowlifes, they’re so pathetic, and luckily they’ll die without a nickel in their pathetic pockets.

I’d welcome others to add, but here is my tip list, I guarantee following this reduces your chances of being scammed by 97%:

1) DO NOT buy internationally! Your odds of being scammed def go up in this method. The prices being paid in your country are the prices you have to pay.

2) FaceTime the seller, a lot harder to deceive in video, if the seller isn’t open to this, walk.

3) When FaceTiming the seller, ask to see their license on the spot, if they won’t show, walk. Who doesn’t have a license on them? Ask other questions, things that will catch a scammer off guard... what kind of car do you have? Can you show me your insurance card that matches the car? Stuff like this so you can absolutely identify the individual. Where do you work? What’s your LinkedIn profile? Okay, I’m sending you an invite now while we FaceTime, please go to your computer and accept while we are FaceTiming... Can you also send me an email from your work handle?

I get it, everything there sounds insane, but you’re wiring someone 5 figures worth of money, you need to thoroughly establish who they are. You should also FaceTime them while they’re at their office, make them flash the camera around.

The whole point of above is so you can absolutely 100% identify who you’re doing business with. By the end of all of the FaceTiming, you should think; “in a doomsday scenario, am I 1,000% confident I can identify the individual?” If the answer isn’t yes, walk.

I’m on my phone so I didn’t proofread this post, but I think it gives you an idea. Might sound nuts, but a scammer will prob move along to an easier target. It’s your money, and if you’re wiring it, you have the right to know this stuff.

From a sellers standpoint, I have Lifelock and have no issue sharing everything excluding with my SS with a buyer... If a seller won’t give you the important info (within reason), never send them money. Not a box of pretzels we’re talking about here.
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