A new twist on online shopping scams

East Kildonan

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/07/2023 (913 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I’ve discovered a new risk of online shopping and want to share my experience with you.

I frequently sell items online using Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji. Occasionally I purchase items there, too. I recently saw a beautiful patio set at a truly amazing price. My ‘Mom radar’ went off, however, and I could hear my Dad saying, “if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.”

I answered the ad anyway, with my radar in high gear.

I inquired about the patio set, and received an immediate, “yes, it’s available” reply. I asked where I could view it and was sent an address immediately. However, I wasn’t convinced. This was a beautiful patio set, likely worth $2,000 and the seller was only asking $200. Surely, they must have had tons of people reply.

I asked if it was brand new — the reply was “yes.’

I asked if it was in a box — the reply was “yes.’

Next, I asked for a photo of the box, and said that I wanted to see how big the box was to see if it would fit in my car — I got no reply.

An hour later, they replied to ask if I am still interested.

I said yes, but that I was waiting for a photo of the box (or boxes) to see if they would fit in my car.

They said they weren’t home and that they would send photos later.

And then the reply I was waiting for finally came: “Please e-transfer a deposit and I will hold this for you”.

I told them I did not have e-transfer and never heard from them again.

I found out later that day that a friend had replied to the same ad, and that she had sent a deposit. She went to the supplied address and was met by a kind older couple who told them she wasn’t the first person to knock on their door that day; and that they did not have a patio set for sale. She lost her money, and the Facebook account she had replied to had disappeared. We reported the incident to Facebook.

As an online seller myself, I have never asked anyone for a deposit. People often offer to e-transfer me money to hold an item, but I give them my good, old-fashioned “word” that I will hold it for them. My most important tip to anyone selling online is that you should only give out your address to one person. It is not a race for the first person to get here and I don’t need to waste people’s time. You can pay me after you see it and know that it is what you thought it was.

When you are buying items, you should pay cash or e-transfer payment only upon pickup.