Scams to avoid on Gumtree in South Africa – Playing it Safe…
Overview
Gumtree, one of South Africa’s largest classifieds services has over the years adapted to the changes in the digital age. More people are accessing it online nowadays.
Gumtree makes it easier for people to buy and sell items and to access details of these items online at all hours of the day.
Gumtree receives well over 4 million local visitors each month.
While the internet has made it much easier to access a number of services, it also comes with some inherent dangers. There are various individuals who run a range of scams online. More people have become increasingly aware of various scams, yet despite this, scammers have become more sophisticated in their efforts to swindle internet users out of thousands of Rands.
Gumtree offers its users warnings to help them avoid scams.
Scams to avoid on Gumtree include:
Payment for import duties scam
Gumtree is designed for local, face-to-face trading, so there is no need to pay brokerage fees, import duties or other fees.
I overpaid you scam
With this scam, the buyer or seller sends you a cheque that is worth more than the value of the items for sale and asks for the surplus money to be returned to them. What you don’t realise is that the cheque is fraudulent and won’t be processed by the bank. So if you receive an overpayment, return it to the sender and ask for the correct amount.
Property rental scams
With property rental scams, scammers take photos of a property which they have no control over and advertise the location as available to rent. Before proceeding with such a deal, it’s important to make sure that you confirm who owns the property.
Scams to avoid on Gumtree, further Tips:
- Only transact face-to-face on Gumtree
- Never send your item before receiving the money
- Never provide your banking information to anyone online
- View advertised properties in person
In short, if some deal on Gumtree sounds to good to be true, then think about it twice, it probably is! Be safe guys, and always meet in a public space when doing a handover of goods, good luck!
