RED FLAGS

• The buyer wants to send a friend, family member or driver to collect the goods. ‘It’s a means of covering their tracks,’ says Estelle. ‘They might be a legitimate buyer, but we urge sellers to proceed with caution.’ • ‘Cheque deposit’ appears on your statement. ‘The credit raised on the account is merely confirmation of the deposit and not available funds,’ Kalyani stresses. • A buyer who asks to pay via money transfer services like Western Union, MoneyGram or PayPal. • The buyer ‘accidentally’ pays too much and asks you to refund the surplus. • Bad grammar and typos in payment notifications. • Confirmation emails that look like they’re from your bank. The address is almost identical except that .com instead of .co.za is used, or the address differs by one letter. And look out for emails that aren’t personally addressed to you and ones that have varying fonts. • Buyers who claim they’re based overseas (working on an oil rig or doing missionary work). Some might offer to pay with diamonds, gold or foreign currency.