How to spot a dodgy deal in the online marketplace

ONLINE marketplaces can be a great place to grab a bargain, with sellers offering an array of services and second-hand and new items.

But can you spot a great deal from a dud? July is Scams Awareness Month – and classified marketplace Gumtree has carried out research among people who have fallen victim to online fraud.

Gumtree says it is working with various organisations to tackle online fraud and help keep people safe. Here’s what we can learn from the ways fraud victims say they were tricked:

Think twice before buying. Gumtree’s research found the desire to bag a bargain often overrides people’s sense of caution. More than a third (35%) of scam victims who thought an advert might be a fraud, still went ahead.

Fraudsters often pitch their price cleverly, making it cheap but not too cheap. Scam items tend to cost slightly less than others available for sale, but not so far below the rest of the market as to arouse suspicion – making victims think they have spotted a good deal.

While there are many friendly and honest sellers, the research found fraudsters can initially use seemingly kindly behaviour to lull people into a false sense of security – for example, offering to travel to a victim’s house to exchange goods for money.

Consider asking to see or try out an item before you buy it – 17% of scam victims in the survey had been encouraged to pay for an item without seeing it first.

Beware of sellers wanting to take the conversation away from the website. One in six (15%) victims surveyed had been persuaded to continue their discussion off the website they were using.

Don’t cave in to pressure. More than a quarter (27%) of victims had been pressured to complete the transaction quickly.

Read any previous reviews or ratings a seller has received from other buyers carefully before making a final decision.

More about Scams Awareness Month at tiny.cc/scams