[Janet H]

Classifieds use & cyber awareness

The classifieds section is available to all established members at no cost. Posts in this section of the forum may be removed if they don;t conform to forum guidelines. Old ads may be periodically removed.

Never post personal information in an ad, such as your email address or phone number. In addition to having your personal info harvested by spambots, you run the risk of being contacted by someone with criminal intent. People rightly may contact you via a comment at your ad or sending an email using the 'Contact member' link in your profile. Your email address is not disclosed to them until you reply to a 'Contact member' email.

The responsibility of completing the transaction is yours. Please remember to treat a potential buyer as a total stranger. Exercise the same wariness over payment method as you would with an anonymous responder to a newspaper classified. Be wary of a distant buyer who sends a shipper to pick up your item unless they pay you well in advance and your bank informs you that the check cleared (can take 2-3 weeks). You should never be talked into paying the shipper; this is a sign of cashier check fraud.

Cash is safest! Consider taking the buyer and any personal check, certified check or cashier check to your bank during lobby hours -- and RELY on the bank's opinion whether that payment method appears reliable.