Stay safe online
Just Landed works to prevent fraudulent and criminal activity on this site. However, please note we are not involved in any transaction, so cannot and do not guarantee any transaction you may enter into in any way. We do not provide seller buyer services or escrow services and will never send you emails advising you on transactions or guaranteeing them.
If you see a fraudulent ad, click on the ‘Report’ button above the ad to tell us about it. This helps us block criminal activity and get better at spotting it.
Advice
Please take a moment to read the following advice about how to stay safe online:
- Don’t provide your bank details, access to your account at an online payment provider (such as PayPal) or any other personal information unless appropriate. A request for a list of personal information is an indicator of a possible fraud attempt.
- Does the deal sound too good to be true? If so, be careful! Attractive fat commissions on money transfers, a new car for a thousand euros or a guaranteed loan at a low rate of interest may well be fraud. Almost believable great deals are the most effective scam.
- For free! A common reaction when offered something for free is to turn off common sense. This is exploited by scammers; especially with animals. The pet is offered up for ‘adoption’ to a good home. It may or may not be mentioned upfront that you will have to pay for the shipping. And – maybe once you have paid that – other export fees. The pet is imaginary and will not arrive.
- Be careful if you are asked to send payment by an instant money transfer service (such as Western Union or MoneyGram). There is a high chance you may be dealing with a fraudster. Fake ID is easy to get in some countries, so the cash is picked up with little risk to the criminal and this service is non-revocable (you cannot claim the money back).
- Anonymity is a warning sign. Free email is a real problem as millions of real people use free email providers like Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail, but these addresses give criminals cover so take this into account. Be careful with mobile phone numbers and virtual numbers; in the first case these can sometimes be a pre-paid card and in the second the call might be routed to somewhere else without you knowing.
Common scams
- A large problem for fraudsters is laundering money from bank accounts they have managed to get access online, so they recruit ‘mules’ to receive these payments (usually claiming they need a local presence to transact their business) and transfer the money on to them. If you get stuck in the middle you will probably lose out, as the transfer in will be reclaimed by your bank and you will not be able to reverse the transfer you made to the bad guys.
- If you receive a cashier check or a money order, be aware that it is possible that it could be forged or faked. Criminals take advantage of the fact that banks often immediately credit an account. Most people don’t know that the bank can take the money back later if the check is not genuine. If you have sent the goods in the meantime, you lose out.
- Money in advance: whether it be for a deposit for a flat, down-payment on a car or a shipping/administration/other fee. If this is sent with a money transfer service you will not be able to get it back. If you are renting a flat, make sure it exists and the person renting it is the person that owns it. Another warning sign is people operating in different countries; if they are in one country and renting a flat in another country, think about whether this makes sense.
- A common scam used with a fake check is to send one for an amount in excess of the agreed price. The buyer claims they made a mistake and asks you to send the excess back to them. You think this is strange, but when your bank credits you the money you send back the extra money. Of course, you will later lose out when the check is identified as false and the credit reversed.
- If you have not yet received an email from someone desperate to give you a couple of million dollars commission in return for helping them to transfer a pile of money, be aware this is a scam. There will be no money and you will lose any ‘fees’ you pay to help release it. If you are aware of this scam, think laterally – the criminals do – it can be adapted in many ways (gold, diamonds, etc.).