She says that thousands of great deals happen everyday; this is why online classifieds are so popular. “However, there is always the risk of encountering scammers, but with a little caution, you can protect yourself and enjoy the benefits of buying and selling online.”

She warns, “You won’t always recognise scam artists by their strange accents or obvious disguises. Scammers have become more sophisticated and convincing, which means that Buyers and Sellers need to be vigilant about the risks so that they can transact safely and successfully.”

Scammers used to limit their scams to people interested in electronics and animals; but Johnson says that they are now moving to other categories as well. “Trailers and farming equipment are the latest targets for scammers who are experts at playing on the trusting nature of South Africans,” she says.

She adds that as online classifieds becomes more popular and scammers get more sophisticated, online security is an on-going concern, which OLX takes very seriously.

“While online classified advertising has revolutionised consumer purchasing, bringing convenience into our lives by enabling people to buy or sell just about anything via the Internet, it has also created a huge opportunity for criminals who are scamming people with illicit products, services and committing crimes. Therefore, South Africans need to be cautious,” Johnson explains.

Scammers are experts at tapping into emotions of the buyer. “A scammer connects with a need that he/she identifies and uses this to lure their victims,” she says. “They tie in on an emotional level and, as you converse, you give them more and more information to pull you in. They are experts at manipulation and use multiple techniques to quickly gain your trust.”

Johnson warns online buyers and sellers to be realistic and think logically and remember the old adage, “If something seems too good to be true it probably is.”

Scam Tactics

A favourite tactic with scammers is to con many unsuspecting individuals by getting them to pay a deposit to ‘secure their purchase’ or a ‘courier bill’ and then they collect many of these smaller amounts from unsuspecting individuals. “Never give a deposit on goods,” advises Johnson. “Only pay cash for goods you have checked in person. If a person insists on a deposit to keep the goods before you’ve had the chance to see them, walk away from the deal – no exceptions.”

She points out that users also need to be aware that often scammers use real cell phone numbers and have conversations via cell phone messaging apps. “They are clever and convincing. They also use bank accounts that actually do exist but as soon as the money is deposited, the account is closed.”

She also warns that, it is not always the Seller who is the scam artist and that more advertisers are being conned by fraudulent Buyers. “They even send fake SMS messages impersonating the bank, to convince Sellers that the cash has been received. In this case we advise the same that we do with cheque payments – first make sure that the money has cleared in your account (this usually takes up to seven working days), before you release the goods.”

Customers read about fraud and think it is limited to categories like electronics or animals. They also have a pre-conceived idea that the scammer is a particular stereotype, who is easy to identify and has a dodgy accent or poor grammar. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” says Knowles. “Scammers come from all cultures and some are very well educated. If they were obvious to spot, there would be fewer stories of people falling victim to scams.”

OLX takes a zero-tolerance approach when moderating the placement of ads and does everything to protect their shoppers from scams and fraud daily, using strict moderation interventions by a dedicated team who read every ad before it is published and block thousands of scams and fraud daily.

But this is not a fool-proof system. “At OLX, we do everything we can to protect Buyers from adverts that are scams and fraud,” says Johnson. “However, since the Sellers are contacted directly by Buyers who respond to their ad, we cannot protect our Sellers in the same way. We advise all people to use their good judgement when buying or selling. If you have doubt or suspicion – rather walk away from the deal. We also respond to fraud or scam reports very seriously and Buyers or Sellers are able to report ads as scams from OLX or by emailing [email protected].”

Payments – follow seven simple rules

“While we delete and blacklist obvious scam or fraudulent advertisers, and phone sellers to confirm their authenticity and notify crime prevention units where applicable; OLX and other online retailers do not have any control once the buyer and seller meet and the actual payment transaction process takes place, therefore people need to act with caution,” advises Johnson.

She says that buyers can protect themselves against scams when doing the payment exchange by following some simple rules including:

- If the scammer gives one a physical address to collect the goods from, have a look on Google maps to see if the address actually exists;
- Call the bank when receiving a payment confirmation via SMS and ask them to confirm that the transaction is legitimate and that the money has cleared;
- Research via the Internet to see if there are any fraudulent reports that have been reported. There are some very useful websites you can go to including www.reportacrime.co.za, www.cybercrime.org; www.saps.gov.za and www.crimeline.co.za;
- Don’t carry large sums of cash when going to meet a seller. If one is buying a big-ticket item, rather go with the seller to the bank and draw money or do an electronic fund transfer (EFT) once both have agreed to the sale;
- Whether one is the buyer or the seller, always arrange to meet the other party in person, in a public place. Don’t invite strangers into one's home, when one knows that they know that you are likely to be carrying a large amount of cash;
- If one is buying an item that carries some kind of ownership or authenticity certificate such as a car or a diamond ring, make sure that one gets the certificate at the same time as the item itself. Never allow the seller to persuade one with promises of sending it later; and
- Only make purchases on secure websites: Look for a valid certificate such as VeriSign and use a secure payment system such as PayU. One will also note that when it comes to adding one's private payment information the http:// in the address bar will change to https:// when the site has the required security in place.

Don’t be a victim of a scam:

- Look out for the odd use of language in ads - (syntax, grammar, phrases and selling may look odd). This is not an indication of fraud by itself, but when added to other signs of fraud, might give one reason to be suspicious.
- Make sure the photograph and the description of the item are the same. Some scammers use pictures they find online because they don’t actually have the item they are advertising; or they offer a picture but the description is about something else.
- If possible, verify the identity of the Seller or Buyer. Get a copy of the person’s ID and if one is buying a cell phone or another high-risk product, get proof of purchase (the original box the item came in and the receipt of purchase) from the seller so that one doesn’t experience any trouble further down the line.
- If one is searching for jobs, look out for strange requests regarding meeting places and instructions to secure the position (such as a registration fee) – if anything doesn’t sound right it is probably not.
- Fraudsters will try to convince one of their trustworthiness and will sometimes play on one's emotions and a need to make one believe them. One can usually spot this when they give one too many details that have nothing to do with the sale. Sometimes they pretend to be religious leaders or charity workers to elicit one's trust.
- Be careful when buying an animal online: if the animal is advertised as a pure breed, ask to see the licensing information of the pet and ask for proof that the advertiser is a legitimate breeder. Also ask to see proof that the pet has had the correct vaccinations.

If one is at all unsure if an advert is legitimate, email [email protected].

For more information, vist www.olx.co.za. Alternatively, visit the Facebook page or follow @OLX_ZA on Twitter.