Online marketplaces have grown in recent years thanks in part to the wide availability of products available on them and usually lower product costs.
They are a great place to make extra money, however scammers monitor them also.
KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.
Back when the internet was starting in the mid-90s there was one place nearly everyone turned to online to post messages, look for jobs, and sell everything under the sun. Craigslist.
However, the internet and its users have continued to evolve and today there are a litany of different websites and apps specifically tailored to buy and sell everything from cars to cookies and much more.
Many of these transactions are painless for both parties but it’s also the perfect scenario for a scammer to make it appear that he or she is someone who lives locally, when they really don’t.
Pamela Hernandez of the Better Business Bureau in Springfield, Missouri has this advice when using online marketplaces.
“For example, someone who wants you to make that transaction outside of the marketplace. If they want you to go outside of the website where you listed it, or outside of the app, maybe work by text message.
You’re going to lose any protection that, that platform has in place. So don’t do that, that is a red flag for a scam.”
Pam also recommends never to accept checks or money orders as payment. And to follow the guidelines that are provided by the platform that you’re using.
Following the guidelines means the platform is better able to offer assistance should anything go awry.
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