With Amazon’s most recent “Prime Day” happening earlier this month, everyone from fraud watch groups to news channels have been issuing warnings about online retail shopping scams. By now, most online customers know that scammers often use a fake website or use a fake ad or coupon to lure people into giving them money for items they will never get. Shoppers know to always go directly to the known website address of the store they want to buy from, only use coupon codes found on that site, and call customer service if they have any questions about site addresses and coupon codes. But many people let their guard down when shopping on resale sites, where one person is selling an item they own to another person. It’s difficult to picture someone in our own hometown scamming us, if for no other reason than we might know someone they know, and they can be easily discovered or stopped. But local, resale scams do happen, and are reportedly on the rise for summer 2023.
The first type of scammer to look out for is the information gathering scammer. These scammers may indeed have the item listed on the online marketplace for sale, and they may be offering a reasonable price. But the reason they are selling the item is not to gain a little spending money, prevent waste, or pass the item on to someone who can use it. The reason they are selling the item is to gather information about others that can be used for dangerous purposes like identity theft or robbery. The telltale sign of this type of scammer is fishing for overly personal and/or unnecessary information about you. A person making small talk is nothing to be concerned about. It is perfectly normal for the person selling you a dog crate to ask about what type of dog you have, or for someone selling you a swing set for your kids to strike up a conversation about how much fun their kids had with it. Beware of the person who asks for or seems to be fishing for information about where you live, where you work, where you or your children go to school, your finances, or your schedule. Absolutely nobody needs your credit card or bank information to accept cash from you for an item they listed on the internet. The stranger selling you a set of luggage does not need to know the exact dates of your upcoming trip, or that both your big dogs will be boarded while you’re gone.
“Bait and switch” scams are particularly prevalent this summer. In this scam, the seller carries on with the sale in a safe and reasonable manner, until immediately before it is time to hand over the item. At this point, the seller insists that the item they listed on the online marketplace has just been sold, but they have a similar item you might want to purchase instead. Were this a genuine situation, a reputable seller would either cancel the sale and let you keep your money or offer you the other item at a greatly reduced price. If they are asking you to purchase something you did not agree to buy, at the same price or at a price that is just slightly lower than the original, it is a “bait and switch” scam. The person you are dealing with is either using stolen photos and never had the item in the first place, or they own the item, but they had no intention of selling it.
Nearly anyone who tries to sell anything uses some type of emotional manipulation to do so, whether that be a planned, professional advertising campaign for a major brand, or the guy across the street creating a fun display with balloons and tablecloths for his yard sale. People who use emotional manipulation as a scamming tactic take it to an unreasonable level. This type of scam involves sharing personal problems, often exaggerated or invented ones, in an attempt to get potential buyers to pay significantly more for an item than it is worth. The seller may repeatedly reference personal struggles, continually stress that they are selling the item to deal with specific personal issues or ask outright if you can pay more for the purchase to help them out. Should you decide you do want to help, one way to screen the situation is to offer to help them find other resources. Someone in genuine need who has already asked you for help will likely accept your alternative assistance. The person who is not truly coping with the issue will insist that only a large amount of cash from you will make things better for them.
Perhaps the most dangerous resale scammer is the one who becomes offended or insulted when you attempt to arrange the sale in a safe manner. Like the scammer who is advertising items for sale to gain access to your personal information, the one who is demanding you brush aside safety concerns for them is likely to be looking to isolate people in order to commit a far more harmful crime. This is the person who behaves as though they are greatly inconvenienced or offended when asked to meet in a public, populated place during the daytime, and insists you come to their private home or meet them someplace alone. They may become upset if you insist upon waiting for a roommate, parent, or spouse to get home from work and accompany you or accuse you of judging them unfairly if you refuse to come alone to their private home. Never give in to these types of demands. Someone who is safe to be around will appreciate that you are making these arrangements for the safety and comfort of everyone involved.
Scams run by those claiming to be simply cleaning out their storage area or raising some spare cash may not get as much attention as scams run by organized rings impersonating Amazon and other major retailers, but they can be just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, to those who fall victim to them. Watch out for yourself, and for your family and friends.
