The vast majority of all classified transactions are genuine, especially in Loot where many of the transactions take place face-to-face. However, occasionally our customers might be targeted by scams. These scams can be avoided if you know what to look out for:
1. HOW TO SPOT SCAMS WHEN RESPONDING TO CLASSIFIED ADS
2. HOW TO SPOT SCAMS WHEN LISTING CLASSIFIED ADS
3. HOW TO REPORT A SCAM
1. How to spot scams when responding to classified ads
Look out for:
- Adverts that contain poor grammar / spelling errors
- Anyone requesting money in advance of you receiving the goods / moving in to a property.
- Anyone offering expensive items for free, or at a discounted rate, on the condition that you pay large sums of money to cover travel, postage or courier costs.
- Anyone offering something that seems too good to be true.
Remember: if you spot a scam advert or become a victim of a scam, please report it. You can also view recent scams placed on the site here
Examples of Scam Ads
You can usually tell if an ad is a scam before you even respond to it. Below are two examples of Free Pets on Offer scams:
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cuties pug puppies for adoption
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we have very lovely and adorable male and female pug puppies for adoption.they are both house trained and will come with all their paper works.our babies are well socialise and will spoil your hearts with lots of joy.the male is black and the female is fawn.
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Tamed blue and gold macaw Parrots.for re-homing
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Pair Of blue Macaw parrots for a lovely home . my blue Macaw parrots are very sensible and intelligent.
Be alert for adverts which have:
- Odd punctuation – no spaces or double spaces.
- Random capitalisation – capital letters at the start of words in the middle of sentences and / or no capitalising of the first letter of words at the start of sentences.
- Strange phrasing – ‘spoil your hearts with lots of joy’ or ‘our babies are well socialise’.
Some scam adverts are either written by a computer program or are translations into English from another language. As a result, the ads appear with grammatical and spelling errors.
If you think you have spotted a scam advert on our website, you can alert our Customer Services by using the Report Ad button displayed on every advert page. Please be aware that the investigation process may take over 24 hours. To report a scam that has resulted in you being targeted or losing money, please follow the Report a Scam procedure outlined below.
Known Scams targeting responders to ads
Property to Let Scam
Look out for:
- Advertisers demanding a fee to prove you are serious about moving into their property.
Be wary of advertisers who tell you they live in another part of the country to the property they are letting and want proof that you are serious about moving in by demanding a fee or a deposit for their time and travel costs. Never pay money in advance of signing a lease or you run the risk of losing your cash and never seeing or hearing from the supposed landlord again.
Free Pets on Offer Scam
Look out for:
- Advertisers offering to give away a pedigree puppy for free, on the condition you cover the travel / courier costs of delivery of the animal.
Be wary of anyone advertising a pedigree puppy that is free to a good home as it could be a scam.
Be wary of anyone advertising a pedigree puppy that is free to a good home. If you're told by the advertiser that they are giving away the puppy because they are moving away, but will bring the dog to you (or arrange a courier service to do so) on the condition you cover their travel costs, it’s a scam. Never pay money in advance of receiving a puppy or you run the risk of losing your cash and never receiving the dog.
This scam is also used for other pets for sale, including rare birds, reptiles and cats.
2. How to spot scams when listing classified ads
Look out for:
- Anyone offering over the odds for an item to be sent to them immediately when paying by cheque.
- Anyone who sends a cheque for more than the cost of the item and asks you to send the ‘change’ back with the item when you send it.
- Anyone asking to complete the transaction using either Western Union or Moneygram.
Known Scams targeting sellers
Overpayment Scam
Be wary of:
- Anyone ‘accidentally’ paying more than the item is worth, either by cheque or bankers draft.
If you are contacted by someone who offers to buy an item from you, and then you receive a cheque or banker’s draft for more than the item is worth, you may be being targeted by an Overpayment scam. Victims are requested to cash the more expensive cheque or bankers draft and then send the bought item along with the extra money to the buyer. The original cheque duly bounces and victims lose the item and their money.
Western Union or Moneygram scams
Be wary of:
- Anyone asking to complete the transaction using either Western Union or Moneygram.
These payment systems are not designed to be used by strangers, rather they are for exchanging money between people who know each other. The most common example of scams using either of these payment methods involve the scammer asking the victim to prove they have the necessary funds to complete the transaction by paying money to a friend or relative using one of these services and then showing them the receipt (as proof that the funds are available). All the scammer needs is the tracking number from the receipt to pose as the victim’s friend or relative and claim the money.
3. How to Report a Scam
If you believe you are being targeted by a scam then please make Loot customer services aware either by email private.customerservices@loot.com or by phone on 0871 222 5000. You should also contact both the Police and Consumer Direct. Loot are unable to contact police on your behalf, however, so you will need to contact them directly.
Contacting the Police
Before you go to the police
You should make 100% sure that this is an incidence of fraud by ensuring that you are not simply dealing with a seller or buyer who is either slow at sending an item / money or poor at keeping in contact. We always encourage our customers to try to resolve the issue with the seller or buyer directly before involving the police.
It is a crime or a civil dispute?
Upon reporting your case to the police, they will decide if it should be investigated as a crime of if the incident is a civil dispute which should be settled in the county (small claims) court. In order for you to recover your losses through the small claims court you will need the name and address of the other party. A police officer will be able to guide you through this process. More information can be found here
Making a police report
To report a crime to the police you can either go to your local police station, call the local police operator on a non-emergency number or some forces have an online crime reporting system. To find more information on your local police force and how to contact them, please refer to DirectGov
What evidence do I need?
When reporting a crime you will need to provide the police with the essential details of the crime, including;
- The nature of the crime.
- The date and time of the offence.
- The details of the victim.
- The name and contact details of the suspect(s).
- Copies of all contact with the suspect, including all emails from them.
- If the offence is related to Loot or Bargain Pages then you will also need to provide a copy of the advert.
Contacting Consumer Direct
Reporting a Scam
The Consumer Direct website has an online scam reporting tool, which provides Consumer Direct with useful information that they use to warn others. They also report any large scale scams to the Trading Standards and the Office of Fair Trading, who can take action if the scam is causing widespread harm.
What information will I need?
When reporting a scam to Consumer Direct you will be asked for the following information:
- The name and address of the trader / individual who was responsible for the scam.
- The date / details of the scam
- Details of any payments made
- Your details.
Can Consumer Direct help me with advice?
Yes, Consumer Direct also provides clear and practical advice help people deal with scams. They can be contacted on 08454 04 05 06.