We have no reason to believe that SCORE advertisers are particularly targeted by scammers however it is important to realise that there are criminals in the world who make it their business to con people. The internet has become a major medium by which these criminals perpetrate their scams.
Scams generally trade on the victim's naiveté, and often his/her greed. They often offer you something that appears to be to your advantage in order to sting you at a later stage.
Be cautious wherever you decide to advertise - even in traditional media, eg. magazines and newspapers.
A Sample Scam
The following email is an actual example of a scam email.
PAYMENT/SHIPPING ARRANGENMENT
HELLO MY NAME IS (GLAND) I AM VERY MUCH INTRESTED IN THE SALE OF YOUR
CAR PLACED ON (Suzuki Cappuccino Owners Register) I WILL WANT YOU TO
GET BACK TO ME WITH RECENT PICTURE ALSO. I AM A BUSSINESS MAN IN THE
UNITED KINGDOM, BUT I AM BASED IN AMSTERDAN. I WILL BE HAPPY IF THIS
CAR IS MINE AS I HAVE BEEN LONGING FOR THIS PARTICULR MODEL. THESE ARE
MY TERMS OF TRANSACTION;
1 I AM OKAY WITH THE STATED £4,950
2 I WILL BE PAYING WITH A CHEQUE
3 I WILL PAY IN EXCESS WHICH WILL BE £10,000
THE EXCESS FUNDS IS FOR MY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING AGENT THAT WILL BE
COMING FOR THE PICK UP OF THE CAR AT YOUR LOCATION AS SOON AS CHEQUE
CLEAR YOUR ACCOUNT.I WILL WANT YOU TO GET BACK TO ME WITH YOUR FULL
NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER.THIS INFORMATION WILL BE NEEDED FOR
SMOOTH TRANSACTION AS THE NAME GIVEN WILL BE ON THE CHEQUE AND IT WILL
BE SENT TO TH E ADDRESS GIVEN SO THAT YOU CAN CLEAR FUNDS AND SEND THE
BALANCE TO MY SHIPPING AGENT VIA WESTERN UNION TRANSFER INOTHER FOR
THEM TO COME FOR PICK UP.THE PHONE NUMBER WILL BE FOR TIME TO TIME
CONTACT. IF YOU ARE OKAY WITH MY TERMS SEND ME THE INFORMATION NEEDED
WITH THE PRESENT LOOK OF THE CAR.I BELIEVE THIS TRANSACTION IS ON
TRUST,AS YOU TRUST ME WITH YOUR INFORMATION SO DO I TRUST YOU WITH MY
FUNDS AND THE STATUS STATED THAT THE CAR IS OKAY AND IN GOOD CONDITION.
LOOKING FORWARD TO A HAPPY TRANSACTION.
REGARDS,
GLAND.
This particular scam was quickly spotted by the advertiser even though it is not clear precisely how money would be extracted. Some scams may be more sophisticated and therefore more convincing and more difficult to spot.
If it is out of the ordinary, be suspicious.
If, at any stage, it seems to good to be true, then it probably is.
