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The overwhelming majority of The Citrus County Classifieds users are trustworthy and well-intentioned.
With billions of human interactions facilitated through the internet, the incidence of violent crime has been extremely low.
Nevertheless, it's very important to take the same precautions online as you would offline.
When meeting someone for the first time, please remember to:
- Insist on a public meeting place like a cafe
- Tell a friend or family member where you're going
- Take your cell phone along if you have one
- Consider having a friend accompany you
- Trust your instincts
Taking these simple precautions helps make classifieds exchanges safer for everyone.
For more information about personal safety online, check out these resources:
Avoiding Scams and Fraud: Our scam reporting & questions forum can be found here: http://www.thecitruscountyclassifieds.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7
You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:
- DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on our site.
- NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
- FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
- The Citrus County Classified IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
- NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account numbers, social security numbers, eBay/PayPal info, etc.) Our payment gateways are secure but we have no control over private parties.
- AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.
Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
- FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
- FTC online complaint form (www.ftc.gov)
- Canadian Phone-Busters hotline: 888-495-8501
- Internet Fraud Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov/)
- Non-emergency number for our local Sheriff’s department 352-726-1121
If you suspect that an item posted for sale on our classifieds may be part of a scam, please email us the details through the Report Abuse link. Be sure to include the URL (post ID link) in your message.
Recognizing scams
Most scams involve one or more of the following:
- Inquiry from someone far away, often in another country
- Western Union, Money Gram, cashier's check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a "guarantee"
- Inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before consummating transaction
Examples of Scams
1. Someone claims that, The Citrus County Classifieds will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, OR claims that The Citrus County Classifieds will handle or provide protection for a payment
- These claims are fraudulent, as we do not have any role in any transaction.
- Scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from us, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services -- all such emails are fakes!
2. Distant person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier's check
- You receive an email offering to buy your item, or rent your apartment, sight unseen.
- Cashier's check is offered for your sale item, as a deposit for an apartment, or for just about anything else of value.
- Value of cashier's check often far exceeds your item - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service
- Banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases!
- Scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc)
3. Someone requests wire service payment via Western Union or Money-Gram:
- Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is FALSE, once you've wired money, it is GONE.
- Scam "bait" items include laptops, plasma TVs, cell phones, tickets - but could be almost anything
- Common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, Ukraine, Spain, UK, Italy, Netherlands - but could be anywhere
- Deal often seems too good to be true
4. Distant person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money:
- this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience - the cashier's check is FAKE
- Sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not
- Scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check
- Deal often seems too good to be true
5. Distant seller suggests use of an online escrow service.
- Most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT, operated by scammers
- For more info, do a Google search on "fake escrow" or "escrow fraud"
6. Distant seller asks for a partial payment upfront, after which he will ship goods
- He says he trusts you with the partial payment
- He may say he has already shipped the goods
- Deal often sounds too good to be true
7. Foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers, then wiring funds
- Foreign company may claim it is unable to receive payments from its customers directly
- You are typically offered a percentage of payments received
- This kind of "position" may be posted as a job, or offered to you via email
If you feel something isn’t right we encourage you to ask other forum members what they think, investigate fully and remember, 99% of all transactions on our site will most often be local buyers, a local bank is a great place to ensure real funds are being exchanged, cash is king, a personal check that clears the buyers account while you are present is the next best thing!
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