Today I show you the most common scams that exist on the site the good corner.
Who does not know The Good Corner , number 1 in France for online classified ads?
This is the bargain site where you can find really cheap items of all kinds.
The problem is that there are many scams there and we don't necessarily know it!
I myself have been defrauded by methods that I did not even suspect.
Since then, I have done my little investigation into the main scams and I now know how to outsmart them.
Discover the 23 most common scams on Le Bon Coin and my tips for avoiding them. Watch:
A bargain at a really low price unfortunately often hides a scam.
When I say very low, it's a completely crazy price or really out of step with what is being done.
So don't answer the siren calls!
You risk buying a faulty or counterfeit item.
And that's also true for real estate as you can see in the image above.
Find out about the value of the object before buying and do not succumb to prices that are too attractive.
Avoid them altogether!
Often ads are written with mistakes.
That doesn't mean it's a scam, not everyone has perfect spelling.
But a pro of the scam who writes correctly, that, it runs the streets less!
Generally, these badly caring people make a lot of mistakes in the ad.
“you see what I want to say”. If you receive this type of email on your outlook, beware.
And then, often, scammers use unusual formulations.
This is particularly the case for persons acting from abroad.
So beware; to be sure, contact the seller by phone.
Some scammers offer the sale of a so-called new item.
And obviously they ask you to pay for the item before opening the package.
Otherwise, the object loses its value, because the packaging is open.
That's their excuse. They tell you that they can't sell it again at the same price after opening.
Don't fall for the trap!
Very often, it is not the object you are buying that is in the package.
Or else it's this one except that it's defective.
Worse; crooks don't hesitate to put stones or bricks in the package!
That way, they get proof of shipment for you to validate the payment.
These are the most well-known types of scams for home deliveries.
If a buyer uses the formalization "firm price" or "final price" , it doesn't smell good...
This is a scam jargon widely used abroad.
Try answering his email and he'll tell you about Africa or PayPal.
Real buyers will ask you if the price is negotiable or you offer a sum.
But in no case do they use these kinds of words.
Dealing with a matter only by email is really to be avoided!
When a buyer asks you to respond only by email or SMS, stop everything!
This is the sure trap.
Favor telephone contact or face-to-face meetings.
Do not send anything by post, Chronopost, TNT, Fedex, UPS, DHL or other if you do not know the person.
The smart guys will try to have the object sent to you against an advance fee.
They will even offer to increase the selling price on the pretext that they urgently need the product.
Well no!
Even if you receive an e-mail from PayPal saying that an amount is waiting for you, it is purely a fake!
The pledges are only for the Telethon; by no means on the right corner.
Scammers are rich in imagination.
It's a bit like the cash advance scam. They will try to soften you up.
I'm stuck at my job, my mother is dying, etc.
Do not let yourself be fooled; the buyer is trying to lull you with extravagant stories.
Don't send anything. In truth, if you have any doubt, stop everything.
It's simple Africa =possible scam !
If the buyer tells you he wants to please his uncle (or someone else) in Africa, run away!
Be aware that a large number of scammers are based in Nigeria or Ivory Coast.
They want you to send money or items to Africa and even promise to pay you more!
Nicknamed "the grazers", they are specialists and accustomed to emails from cybercafés.
These scammers send payments by bank transfer, PayPal or check.
You then send the object except that a few days later, you notice the fraud.
The international transfer is either cancelled, or either the PayPal or the check is faked. This is the scam.
Also watch out for "The Nigerian Scam"
It's one of the oldest scams around.
Scammers based in Nigeria are offering real estate rental or selling video games.
These bogus African sellers have a network of accomplices in France.
To avoid attracting attention, they ask you to deposit funds in an account in France.
That way you are more confident; because sending funds to Africa might have aroused your suspicions.
Once the sum is paid, the account holder, for a fee, sends the funds to Africa.
Of course, the rental or the object for sale does not exist.
This is one of the most elaborate vacation rental scams out there.
Real owners post their ads.
False vacationers abroad claim to be interested, book and pay the full amount of the stay.
But they get the wrong amount and pay too much money.
Our honest owner reports it to our bogus tenant who requests the return of the overpayment within 24 hours.
The owner returns the amount overpaid, except that the scammer has meanwhile canceled the international transfer!
Result.
Not only do you no longer have the money in the account, but you have also sent an overpayment!
Western Union (Ria, TransCash, etc.) =Scam.
This is another great method practiced on Le Bon Coin.
This is how our famous grazers ask you to pay by cash transfer.
Already because they very often do not have a bank account.
But above all, because cash mandates leave no trace.
They collect the cash and you have no recourse.
Simply ban Western Union from any means of transaction.
Few know it, but the sale of counterfeit phones (iPhone, Galaxy, etc.) is very present on Le Bon Coin.
And I know what I'm talking about; as I told you, I got screwed!
And we see only fire! The counterfeit is super well done.
The packaging, the accessories, the IMEI, the operating system:everything is identical.
But the power is by far the one indicated!
Months for example, I recovered a Samsung with 1 GB of memory for 16 indicated.
Worse, the phone only had 1 megapixel for 12 displayed.
Hello good deal!
A word of advice, don't buy a smartphone on the right corner.
Prefer low cost but trustworthy sites like Rakuten, Black Market or others.
In any case, it is your intention to buy a phone, ask for ID and proof of purchase.
And above all, take a good look at the phone.
Be aware that most counterfeits are made in China.
So if you see Chinese acronyms everywhere, beware.
Ah, that dear wooden cheque! The deception is simple.
The seller sends you a check to pay for the purchase.
You deposit the check at the bank and the money appears in your account.
Except that it disappears a few days later!
When the bank notices the seller's insufficient funds, it rejects the check.
And in addition, it can charge you rejection fees! A shame.
In fact, the fake seller never had the money in their account to pay you.
These checks often come from fraudulently opened accounts with false identity cards.
And don't rely on legal action for reimbursement...
They are expensive and complaints are not very effective on this kind of business.
In short, do not accept checks!
Watch out for PayPal! I explain the scam to you.
You plan to sell something to someone who is actually a scammer.
You then receive a fake email from him telling you that a payment has been made to you.
Anyone can create an email address like this “[email protected]”!
But even if the logo or name appears, there is no evidence that it comes from PayPal.
In fact, the email address must always end with "@paypal.com" or ".fr".
If this is not the case or if there are faults, it is a guaranteed scam.
The best way to avoid any scams is to log into your own PayPal account.
This way you can check if the money is really paid.
If the seller cancels several appointments for various reasons, be careful, it does not smell good!
You may be dealing with an airhead, or especially a crook.
He hits you with his “foot in the door” (watch this video on the subject it is very instructive).
His intention is to make you believe that he has had real obstacles repeatedly and to waste your time.
In a hurry to close the deal, you let your guard down and the scammer takes the opportunity to ask you to send him a deposit.
And that's it.
To put it simply, too many canceled appointments, go your way!
You are not sure of the authenticity of the object or you doubt the seller?
Ask an expert.
He checks the quality or functioning of the object before buying it.
This is especially important for an expensive car or device. Think about it!
The scam is simple.
The buyer asks you for your bank details to pay by bank transfer.
So far everything seems fair, right?
But wait; it all starts when you send your RIB...
You have no more news, but your scammer is acting.
It uses your RIB to set up direct debits for example at Orange or other.
How can it be?
Banks do not verify the signature when you request a direct debit.
The debtor (example Orange or other) accepts direct debits from another account.
You are therefore debited for a subscription that you have never subscribed to!
Morality; do not send your RIB.
Prefer a secure site like PayPal (by checking emails) or Lyf Pay.
You have found the apartment of your dreams on the right corner and of course, it's the deal of the century...
You join the renter who obviously does not live on site.
This renter (in fact the scammer), will tell you that he is not going to move for nothing.
He wants to be sure you take him.
Do you see where I'm coming from?
Too many candidates before have done the trick to him. Here!
Also, he asks you to prepare the documents for the visit.
But above all as a guarantee of an unsuccessful trip, it asks you for a money transfer by Western Union.
Generally, it is the amount of the deposit and the rent.
But as I told you before, WESTERN UNION=SCAM.
And I'm not even talking about spelling mistakes in the exchanges.
More generally, never pay money to someone you haven't seen.
As long as it's fun to steal from you, our scammers are resourceful.
How do fake SMS from the right corner work?
So you are putting an item up for sale.
Shortly after, you receive an SMS.
This tells you that your item has been sold and paid for.
All you have to do is send your object!
Unfortunately, this SMS was bogus. Your item is gone and you have not been paid.
And yes, it does exist.
Our bandits send you e-mails or text messages pretending to be le Bon coin.
So far so good, no one is asking for money. We don't have to be suspicious. Well so rightly.
This email or SMS directs you to a fake site or fake app.
Without being suspicious, you then save your bank details and lots of personal data!
How can you spot this type of fraud?
Check the URL address of the site you are on.
The address must be leboncoin.fr or on the app the publisher must be "LBC France".
To avoid all this, never click on an email or SMS link. Go directly to the Bon Coin website.
Even stronger!
Faced with the number of frauds, Le bon Coin has created its own payment interface.
Well, our crooks manage to copy the secure payment system of Le Bon Coin.
Yes yes, I assure you; they manage to do that!
In fact, their intentions are to steal your credit card number and your secret code.
It's so well done that you can't see it. You save your information with confidence...
But there is a way to defeat this scam.
Never click on links in emails or SMS to pay.
Go directly to the site and your notifications.
Valuables attract criminals.
So pay attention to the photos you put on the right corner.
We tend to leave clues, street name and number.
Easy in these conditions for scammers to pay you a little visit...
Your nickname can also leave traces if you use the same one on all sites.
Your phone number is sometimes associated with your address in the directory.
Your email address can also identify you on Google.
So avoid leaving traces on the Bon Coin.
Write neutrally without saying too much.
Did you know?
The photos you take with your phone import GPS data that locates you.
And this GPS data, guess who is trying to exploit it? Scammers of course.
Easy to come and rob your car or your beautiful ring for example.
And if you don't believe me, give it a try.
Upload a photo taken with your phone to pic2map.com.
You will immediately see where it was taken!
The parade ? When you take the picture, just disable geotagging.
It sounds silly, but the scam I'm going to present to you is common.
We feel a little embarrassed to count the amount in front of our buyer, don't we?
He is very often thought to be honest.
Except that in reality, he can try to forget a ticket...
And if it's 50 euros, it hurts.
I know what I'm talking about, it happened to me too.
I sold a bike and the buyer presented me with a wad of cash.
I did not recount in front of him; result, money was missing.
And when the buyer left, it was too late of course.
Morality:no state of mind in business; recount the money in front of the buyer.
Why don't we give ourselves a little reminder so we don't get fooled?
3 golden rules are to be respected on the Bon Coin:
- Deal in person and in cash.
- Don't trust anyone, you don't have a good friend.
- Never click on links sent by email or SMS
