Buying second-hand items is an increasingly popular measure around the world, since it allows users to save good money compared to new products, as long as they are in good condition. In addition, selling these types of products is also an interesting method to obtain additional income from things that we no longer use. However, both when buying and selling any second-hand item on the internet, we must follow a series of tips if we don’t want to be scammed.
The antivirus company Avast has echoed a new scam, increasingly popular in stores such as Vinted and Wallapop, among others, in which the friends of others try to steal 299 euros from us, even if we are not buying but selling.
This is how they want to steal almost 300 euros from us
According to this company, the scammers who circulate on these platforms do not ask any kind of questions about the state of the item, which in itself, taking into account that it is a second-hand item, already raises the eyebrows. first suspicions. The first message they send tells us that in order to make the payment they need our phone number, another indication that points to suspicious activity, since to make payments through Vinted, eBay, Wallapop or any other platform it is not necessary to provide our telephone number to the buyer.
Next, we will receive an SMS with a link where we must enter our credit card number to accept the payment. In addition, we will receive a WhatsApp message from the platform’s customer service, which supposedly does not want to help carry out the transaction. In that message, he informs us that we must accept the payment request from our bank of 299 euros, a payment, as they say, is a temporary retention to verify that we are the legitimate owners of the account and thus be able to pay us for the item that we have sold out.
If we accept the payment, we can forget about not only the payment for the article that we have supposedly sold, but also the 299 euros that we have been held to verify our identity.
Tips to avoid being scammed
All platforms for the sale of second-hand items between individuals include a own system to make payments and collections of the products available in it, so it is always the first option that we must consider when making a purchase or sale, if we do not want to lose our money, especially when it comes to products that we must send or that they have to send us. These platforms work through a wallet where all the money from the sales is accumulated and from where the purchases we make are paid through the credit card that we have associated, payments that the platform manages, not the seller.
The main advantage of these platforms is that communication is carried out through them, so our mobile phone number is not necessary at any time, neither to make payments nor to collect them. If we pay for a product through Bizum, no matter how reputable the user may be, no one assures us that we will receive the product. Bizum is an excellent option when we make a physical purchase.
