Please be aware and protect yourself from the following buyer/seller scam.
If you receive a call, text, or email requesting to immediately confirm or cancel an unexcepted order, verify the purchase by going directly to the merchant’s website and contacting customer service. Before you use buyer or seller websites, it’s important to make sure you are familiar with the services it offers.
- Scammers often use fake sites to lure people into paying for items that do not exist. Make sure you always check the URL before finalizing a purchase.
- Craigslist and many other similar applications and websites do not typically have buyers’ protection on items so if you receive an email or text message trying to sell you purchase protection, you’re looking at a scam.
- Be cautious when selling an item and accepting a check as payment, especially if it includes an overpayment, the check is likely a counterfeit item.
When buying or selling something on a website, keep your personal information to yourself. There’s no reason a buyer or seller needs to know your checking account number, your PIN number, or even your date of birth. If the contact is asking too many confidential questions, back out of the deal. It’s also important to never pay for an item with a money order or wire transfer because you will have no way of reclaiming your loss if the seller fails to come through with the goods. If the buyer directs you to pay with gift cards, you are likely being scammed. Gift cards are like cash, once it is used, the money is gone and you will not receive the expected goods or services.
If you believe you are a victim of a scam, contact Bethpage immediately at 800-628-7070.
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