Protect Yourself Against Fraud
There is no doubt that scams and fraud are the number one thing to be concerned with when you buy and sell on the Internet. We try our best here at Buy a Used Motorcycle to remove, stop, and block as many of these criminals as we can. It’s our top priority because we really don’t like to see anyone taken advantage of. To help protect your hard earned money, we have put together a few things that will help reduce the chances of you being scammed when you initiate a transaction through the Internet.
Buy a Used Motorcycle is a venue.
- Buy a Used Motorcycle does not get involved in transactions between buyers and sellers. We will never send you an email encouraging you to complete the sale of an item listed on our site or ask for payment information.
- Buy a Used Motorcycle does not verify information about buyers or sellers. We will never send you an email assuring you that a transaction is secure or that we’ve verified information about a particular buyer or seller. It’s up to buyers and sellers to their due dilligence before completing any transaction.
- Buy a Used Motorcycle does not offer escrow services. We are not affiliated with nor do we endorse any escrow services.
Common Scams:
Overpayment Scam – The most popular scam on classified websites. A buyer or seller will send you a check for more than the transaction amount and request that you send them the difference. Their check payment may take up to 30 days to bounce and when it does you will be out the amount you sent back to the scammer.
Fake Ads – We do a pretty good job at removing most fake ads. However, we don’t walk on water and we do miss a few fake ads. Fake ads usually have an item priced way below their market value to entice many ad replies. An ad can usually be determined to be fake once the seller tells you that they are out of the country. If this happens please discontinue contact with the criminal and contact us with the ad number.
Phishing Scam – You receive an email that claims to be from”Buy a Used Motorcycle” or another Internet brand requesting that you complete a transaction, you need to update your account, etc. Buy a Used Motorcycle will never send you an email requesting such things.
Fighting Back Against Fraud:
1. Whenever possible, meet face to face before completing any transaction.
2. Never send or wire money to buyers or sellers.
3. Never give out personal information such as SSN, checking account numbers, etc.
4. If you are a suspicous of a buyer or seller it never hurts to Google their email address. A lot of times if they’re a scammer, you will find that they have posted ads in different cities all over the internet.
5. Use your gut instinct. If you don’t feel comfortable completing a transaction, then don’t do it.
6. Watch out for motorcycles that are priced way below their market value.
7. Use more caution when communicating with buyer/sellers that use free email accounts.
8. Contact us and your local police department if you become a victim of fraud.
Additional Resources
Internet Crime Complaint Center
Advance Fee Fraud Wiki
Quatloos
