A man who was left thousands of pounds out of pocket after a scam has warned "if it's too good to be true, it probably is".
A Widnes man, who had been saving up for a year for a new van, thought he was getting a good deal when he turned to Facebook Marketplace. Usually being quite "savvy", he did not think he would end up losing £2,500.
The 26-year-old is now urging others to remain vigilant. After seeing an advert on Facebook Marketplace advertising a "decent priced" vehicle, the man - who did not wish to be named - said he thought it "too good to be true".
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He told the ECHO: "I'd wanted a van for a while, I had a dream of converting it into a campervan. I came across this as a relatively cheap price for what it was and I couldn't believe my eyes."
After messaging about it, he was sent a link to a website where he found an email address to contact. He was then told the van, which had reportedly been repossessed and bought at an auction, was still available, but it was in Scotland.
The man said: "I did a HPI check on the vehicle and it came back fine and I spoke to the guy on the phone, the advert was then taken down from Facebook. I was told I could buy the van outright but when I asked if I could put a couple hundred down as a deposit until I see it, he said I would have to pay £2,500, but that it was fully refundable.
"Included in that would be the delivery fee. He sent me an invoice and everything seemed legit, but later that day someone said they spotted it on a scam page. At first, the guy was compliant when I asked for a refund and sent a form for me."
But to this day, he is still waiting for his refund. Despite contacting Action Fraud and his bank, it is not looking likely that the 26-year-old will get the money back. He told the ECHO: "It's devastating. It's not a nice feeling knowing you've been scammed, knowing someone has your hard earned money and you've been taken advantage of, but with everything going on with the cost of living crisis, it's just disgusting.
"I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I have a job and I earn my money, but what about families who are genuinely struggling? I've got people around me to help me out if I need it, but what about those who don't?
"In a time where everyone should be helping and supporting one another, you've got people preying on the innocent and vulnerable and it's only going to get worse. It's not as if I've lost a couple of hundred quid, I've lost over two grand.
"I'm just so lucky to have had that money in my savings, but I'd been saving up for a while. There's some people out there who are living pay cheque to pay cheque. I'd just urge them to be very, very careful with who they send money to and who they buy from.
"We shouldn't have to, but this is where we are. If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is."
According to experts at Scams.info, in 2021, the number of people around the world shopping online hit 2.14 billion. During that same year, more than 35% of all scams worldwide were online shopping scams.
Top tips to avoid being scammed
Pay attention to the payment method
Often online scammers might put pressure on a buyer not to use a site’s secure payment methods, but instead pay through a bank transfer before the product has been seen or received. Coming across such a seller should always raise a red flag.
Demand current photos of the product
Whatever the pre-loved item you’re trying to purchase, demand that the seller send you a recent photo of it. Ask them to set the product next to a piece of paper with your name written on it, for example.
Look out for extremely low-priced products
Products sold for unbelievably low prices are a definite warning sign. Do your research and look around other websites to check the average price of the product you’d like to buy. Remember: if the price seems way too good to be true, it most likely is.
Check the seller’s profile
Ideally, the seller should have reviews on their profile from previous buyers that you could go through. Also be aware of too many positive reviews which sound the same.
Decline overpayments if you’re the seller
While it might not happen too often, scammers may target sellers as well. They may pay more than the set price and then say they’ve made a mistake before asking for a partial refund.
More information can be found online at Citizens Advice here or National Cyber Security Centre here.
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