Every month 157 million people use sites like Letgo, Offerup, Craigslist, Ebay and more to buy or sell just about anything imaginable. These peer exchanges are an amazing resource, especially since the the average U.S. home as more than 50 unused items worth $3,000 just lying around. I mean who couldn’t use a little extra money and it’s also good for the environment. So why not?
Well, like anything else, where there are people exchanging money there are criminals looking to take advantage. The anonymity, lack of security, and sometimes the policies themselves make it ripe for scams of all kinds.
Our last post involved tips on how to make money and stay safe using exchange sites, but we wanted to dive a little deeper into the methods these scammers set up to separate you form your hard-earned cash.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. You’ll see these thieves are creative if nothing else.
So as a general rule: If it feels off walk away and look for another deal.
Let’s dive in.