There are some dodgy sellers (and buyers) out there who will attempt to to rip you off. You must be vigilant and be aware of some of the signs:

If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

* Marketplace 4 Us is not an intermediary and does not arrange any payments or transactions.
* If you are contacted by someone who claims to be from Marketplace 4 Us and asks you to transfer money for an item for sale consider this as fraud. Whether thru comment on your advert post or email, this will be fraudulent. Do NOT follow any of the instructions contained in the email. Marketplace 4 Us will announce any special information via its blog -Xtra.
* 99.9% of fraud is carried out by people who won’t meet you.You wouldn’t advise your friend to send money to someone they don’t know so why are you going to do it!
* Never transfer money without having first received the goods. Seller and Buyer must swap payments and goods at the same time.
* Be wary of sending money to Western Union to people you dont know.
* Never pay in part for goods that are supposed to be in transit
* Be careful when dealing with overseas sellers and you only have an email address.
* If using escrow services make sure the escrow agent is legitimate.
* Even if you are a seller, there are scammers awaiting you.
* Be careful when buying expensive items like mobile phones, laptops, plasma tvs, airline tickets and even tickets for shows/gigs.
* Meet the seller face to face and ask to see their ID. It is in everyone’s best interest to let someone know where you’re going and who you’re meeting.
* Fraudsters dont meet people, as this is how they get caught! We advise only buying and selling with people you can meet. It is much better if someone is with you when you meet the other person.
* If someone asks you to open a bank account to deal with them (usually Barclays), this is 100% sure to be a scam – do not enter into an agreement like this!