@Eddie1978 The information below is from the Done Deal website. The scammer MrsIngrid falls into the group trying to get an e-mail and arranging payment through paypal. Avoid text and email scammers Communicating with potential buyers by using DoneDeal’s SafeMail system is the best way to keep yourself safe from unscrupulous rip-off merchants Have you ever noticed that your email address isn’t visible on your DoneDeal ad even when you’ve included it in the contact details? Well, this is part of the DoneDeal SafeMail system. We do this to stop any non-genuine people getting your email address. Your email address is not shown in an ad when you enter it into the email field above when placing an ad Of course there’s a but; despite our efforts, there are scam artists out there who will do anything to get hold of your email address. Beware of texts One of the latest ways of doing this is to send a text message to the number provided in your ad asking you to email them directly with more details. One reason for doing this is to try to find a way around our SafeMail system, from which they’re already blocked. The reason we use SafeMail is to try to protect DoneDealers from people who make a living out of ripping off other people. Common scams There are many different scams about but the main focus of them all is to persuade a DoneDeal seller to part with their goods for sale or their money by promising payment or delivery. Two common scams 1. A DoneDeal seller receives a text asking for their email address. They then receive an email saying the buyer wants to pay by money transfer (Western Union or PayPal), is based abroad and will arrange transportation costs. The seller loses the goods for sale and doesn’t receive any money 2. A DoneDeal buyer is asked to pay for goods by money transfer (Western Union or PayPal). They receive confirmation from a fake shipping company with a professional-looking website that the goods are en route. The buyer loses their money and doesn’t receive any goods In the first scam, the perpetrator is texting DoneDealers because they’re blocked from the SafeMail system because of scam number two. Avoid the trap If in doubt – isn’t everyone excited to get communication from a potential buyer offering good money – we recommend the following: 1. Don’t text them your email address 2. Text back the person asking them to email you through your ad and you’ll send them the details there. Any genuine buyer will be happy with that Online safety There are a few other things you can do to keep yourself safe when buying or selling goods online. Sellers • Give as much detail as possible in the ad. See our articles on writing effective ads, using photos and using video • Don’t put your email address into the ad description. Place it only in the contact field (pictured) and only reply to emails using our SafeMail system • Try using the ‘no private numbers and no texts’ line • Accept cash or bank draft only Buyers • Collect the goods you’re buying in person. Do not rely on post, courier or shipping promises • Pay by cash or bank draft only. Never pay into a person’s account or use PayPal/Western Union or anything else Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, it’s no harm to: • Meet in a public place • Bring someone with you Full scam details are on our help section: http://help.donedeal.ie/info/scam-watch-texts-asking-you-to-email-more-photosinfomation http://help.donedeal.ie/info/shipping-company-scam
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