How to Stay Safe from Online Scams
At Sell Your Horse, we are dedicated to making your buying and selling experience as secure as possible. To enhance your safety, we’ve implemented two new systems designed to protect our users.
The first is an advanced moderation system that automatically identifies and removes scam ads and fraudulent dealers before they go live on our platform. The second is a monitoring system that reviews messages sent to sellers, helping to filter out spam and potential scams.
These measures ensure a safer and more enjoyable experience for all our users.
Whether you’re searching for horses, trailers, horseboxes, or selling on Sell Your Horse, always stay vigilant and steer clear of any deals or offers that seem suspicious. While we work diligently to prevent scammers from operating on our site, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or authenticity of any advertisement or the reliability of potential buyers and we do not take any responsibility or liability of any sale or purchase.
Avoid using money transfer services, like Western Union or MoneyGram for transactions. These services provide instant access to transferred funds, making them a favorite tool for scammers. Some fraudsters may even ask you to prove you have funds by showing a receipt for a transfer made to someone you trust. However, this receipt contains a tracking number, which is all they need to withdraw your money.
Treat any request to use money transfer services with extreme caution, as many scams exploit the immediate availability of cash these services offer. Remember, these platforms are not intended for transactions between strangers and should never be used to pay for items listed on classified ad sites.
Never share your personal information, including bank account details, credit card numbers, or login credentials. Sell Your Horse will never send emails requesting personal details, such as bank information. If you receive an email claiming to be from us asking for this information, do not click on any links or provide any details to the sender.
Do not agree to arrange or pay for a shipping agent yourself. Scammers may offer to pay you for both the item and shipping costs, then request that you organize shipping through a specific agent. This so-called shipping agent is often part of the scam. While the initial payment may appear to clear, it will later be reversed, leaving you at a financial loss.
Be cautious when dealing with overseas buyers. If someone from abroad expresses interest in your item without seeing it in person, it could be a red flag. Scammers often use tactics like those mentioned earlier or invent ‘hard-luck’ stories, such as a family emergency, to manipulate you into sending them money. They may claim to pay with a cheque that initially clears but is later reversed, leaving you out of pocket for the amount you refunded to them.
Top Tips for Avoiding Scams
- Avoid money transfer services: Platforms like Western Union and MoneyGram allow instant cash transfers and should never be used for transactions between strangers.
- Protect your financial details: If someone contacts you asking for your bank or credit card information, do not share it.
- Be cautious with unusual requests: If a buyer asks you to ship an item abroad without seeing it first, approach the situation with skepticism.
- Watch out for shipping payment scams: Be suspicious if a buyer offers to pay for the item and shipping costs but asks you to handle the shipping and pay the agent yourself.
- Be mindful of overseas buyers: Since Sell Your Horse is a UK-based platform, exercise caution when dealing with individuals outside the UK.
- Don’t trust cheques or bank drafts blindly: Even if your bank clears them initially, they could still be fraudulent, leaving you at a loss.
- Trust your instincts: If a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is.
Stay alert to protect yourself from potential scams!
What to do if you’ve been scammed
If you believe you have been a victim of a scam or fraud you need to report the incident to the police as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Sell Your Horse cannot intercede on your behalf as the transaction is between a buyer and the seller, whether either party is a scammer or not.
