PSA: A good way to avoid a scam (Google Images)

[Bigmoose]

I'll start this off by saying the obvious...always use a secure form of payment, like PayPal for purchases. If the seller doesn't want to use it due to the fee, offer to pay the fee, its worth it.

However, sometimes you might want to take some risk if its an item that's hard to find and the seller won't use PayPal. Or you still use PayPal and want to be extra careful. First step, check their profile. Are they an active user or did they just join? What have they posted recently?

Other forums require the seller to post a piece of paper with their username in the photo of the item.

Without this there is another good way...Google Images. You can upload an image and google will search the web to determine where else this photo is found. Most scammers don't actually have the item and rely on stealing a photo from the web.

Those nice lights that look too good to be true...just found the identical photo on a different forum from a few years ago.

Here is how to use it:

Step 1 - Go Here:
https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&ogbl

Step 2 - Click on the "lens" icon

Step 3 - upload photo to check:

Step 4 - Once your image loads click the search button under your image. You will see either on the bottom or right side of the screen your results. If the photo was used elsewhere on the web it will show here. This is not a 100% guarantee, but it is a very good verification.

To test I have attached a photo of Baja LP6 lights that were for sale on this forum. Feel free to download this photo and use it to test. You should see a forum post come up from a different forum from a few years ago. Notice the picture is identical. In my case the ad wording was identical as well.

Happy and Smart Shopping

Sponsored

 

[Lak34ers]

I'll start this off by saying the obvious...always use a secure form of payment, like PayPal for purchases. If the seller doesn't want to use it due to the fee, offer to pay the fee, its worth it.

However, sometimes you might want to take some risk if its an item that's hard to find and the seller won't use PayPal. Or you still use PayPal and want to be extra careful. First step, check their profile. Are they an active user or did they just join? What have they posted recently?

Other forums require the seller to post a piece of paper with their username in the photo of the item.

Without this there is another good way...Google Images. You can upload an image and google will search the web to determine where else this photo is found. Most scammers don't actually have the item and rely on stealing a photo from the web.

Those nice lights that look too good to be true...just found the identical photo on a different forum from a few years ago.

Here is how to use it:

Step 1 - Go Here:
https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&ogbl

Step 2 - Click on the "lens" icon

Step 3 - upload photo to check:

Step 4 - Once your image loads click the search button under your image. You will see either on the bottom or right side of the screen your results. If the photo was used elsewhere on the web it will show here. This is not a 100% guarantee, but it is a very good verification.

To test I have attached a photo of Baja LP6 lights that were for sale on this forum. Feel free to download this photo and use it to test. You should see a forum post come up from a different forum from a few years ago. Notice the picture is identical. In my case the ad wording was identical as well.

Happy and Smart Shopping

Agree. Also if it is too good to be true...it is! Selling stuff too cheap!

 

[2020FordRaptor]

I'll start this off by saying the obvious...always use a secure form of payment, like PayPal for purchases. If the seller doesn't want to use it due to the fee, offer to pay the fee, its worth it.

However, sometimes you might want to take some risk if its an item that's hard to find and the seller won't use PayPal. Or you still use PayPal and want to be extra careful. First step, check their profile. Are they an active user or did they just join? What have they posted recently?

Other forums require the seller to post a piece of paper with their username in the photo of the item.

Without this there is another good way...Google Images. You can upload an image and google will search the web to determine where else this photo is found. Most scammers don't actually have the item and rely on stealing a photo from the web.

Those nice lights that look too good to be true...just found the identical photo on a different forum from a few years ago.

Here is how to use it:

Step 1 - Go Here:
https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&ogbl

Step 2 - Click on the "lens" icon

Step 3 - upload photo to check:

Step 4 - Once your image loads click the search button under your image. You will see either on the bottom or right side of the screen your results. If the photo was used elsewhere on the web it will show here. This is not a 100% guarantee, but it is a very good verification.

To test I have attached a photo of Baja LP6 lights that were for sale on this forum. Feel free to download this photo and use it to test. You should see a forum post come up from a different forum from a few years ago. Notice the picture is identical. In my case the ad wording was identical as well.

Happy and Smart Shopping

Agreed. Very helpful.

 

[Visitor]

It is *always* worth if to pay the PayPal fee. Always.

That means no Venmo, no Zelle, no Cashapp, no PayPal Friends and Family... none of those. Period. PayPal Goods & Services is the only online person-to-person payment that offers you any protection for purchased items.

If the seller doesn't want to accept PayPal - regardless of who pays the fee - walk away. There's no reason for them not to accept PayPal for an online transaction. The money they receive is the same whether there are fees or not.


IMPORTANT NOTES!
1) PayPal Protection does not cover certain categories (notably, vehicles) and does not cover in-person transactions. If you meet up with someone to buy an item you paid for with PayPal and later get home and find out it doesn't work, you're likely on your own even if you paid the PayPal fee.

2) Per PayPal terms, a seller cannot ask a buyer to send money as a gift or ask the buyer to add on additional costs to cover the PayPal fee. When I sell an item online, I list one price for cash pickup, and list another price for PayPal and shipping. I don't charge extra for PayPal fees, but I tend to overestimate my shipping charges by about 4% of the value of the item. Weird how that works.

It's so simple to be safe online. PayPal is so buyer-friendly, especially when it comes to dispute resolution (well, mostly...) Just pay the dang fee!

 

[SubmarineNuke]

Lots of times, face to face transactions are ideal.

NEVER take a check...my god NEVER EVER take a check. There is no such thing as "I'm going to email you a check and you use mobile deposit" /facepalm

Also staty away from things like CASHAPP. They're so bad that my credit union won't even let you link your account to them because of the scams and fraud that have come from it.

I prefer Zelle, but again IN PERSON because even then you can still get scammed if you don't know the person.


Edit: also with some quick browsing of the forum I found a multiple number of threads by the person in question. It seems that his account may have been compromised. He had been a member for some time and posted in many threads etc. But no activity since late November and then posted a bunch of stuff for sale. So had he had to prove himself, there wasn't really much anyone could do. Even forums that require you're a member for a time period or have a certain number of posts would've been beaten because he had been a member for a while and had quite a number of threads. So I do think it was a compromised account.

 

[Felix808]

It's a shame we have to go through such lengths these days. Anyone remember when "my word is my bond" actually meant something?

Good advice guys

 

[Bigmoose]

It's a shame we have to go through such lengths these days. Anyone remember when "my word is my bond" actually meant something?

Good advice guys

Back when eBay was new you had to send people money orders for payment.

 

[scottsil]

Great tips here. Just wanted to add that I got scammed the other day here and the Google image search did *not* work for any of the items he was selling (a few things were posted at once, which probably should have been a warning sign for me). Scammers evolve and likely getting smarter based on threads like these…

 

[BroncoAZ]

It is *always* worth if to pay the PayPal fee. Always.

That means no Venmo, no Zelle, no Cashapp, no PayPal Friends and Family... none of those. Period. PayPal Goods & Services is the only online person-to-person payment that offers you any protection for purchased items.

If the seller doesn't want to accept PayPal - regardless of who pays the fee - walk away. There's no reason for them not to accept PayPal for an online transaction. The money they receive is the same whether there are fees or not.


IMPORTANT NOTES!
1) PayPal Protection does not cover certain categories (notably, vehicles) and does not cover in-person transactions. If you meet up with someone to buy an item you paid for with PayPal and later get home and find out it doesn't work, you're likely on your own even if you paid the PayPal fee.

2) Per PayPal terms, a seller cannot ask a buyer to send money as a gift or ask the buyer to add on additional costs to cover the PayPal fee. When I sell an item online, I list one price for cash pickup, and list another price for PayPal and shipping. I don't charge extra for PayPal fees, but I tend to overestimate my shipping charges by about 4% of the value of the item. Weird how that works.

It's so simple to be safe online. PayPal is so buyer-friendly, especially when it comes to dispute resolution (well, mostly...) Just pay the dang fee!

I won’t/can’t take PayPal anymore since moving to MA in 2020. The limit for income tax reporting here was already $600, not $20K like other states were before 2022. After I sold a rifle scope last year PayPal is demanding my social security number before I can accept anymore incoming transactions. Nope, I don’t need them reporting my online sales of goods I bought and paid tax on to the IRS so I can get taxed again as income with a 1099-K.

As part of the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” the threshold for reporting online payment activity to the IRS was reduced to $600 nationwide starting in 2022. I think many people are in for a rude awakening when filing their taxes next spring. Now you know what those 87,000 new IRS agents are for…

https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/irs-form-1099-k-600-dollar-reporting-threshold

 

[helifino16]

Only did the one transaction with another user and in that case, I met him with Cash. Since he showed up with a Bronco (a nice one at that), I knew he was legit. Trusted him so well that I didn't even open the box to confirm the contents. It all worked out for me. It's a wild world out there - be careful.

Sponsored