Discussions

Morning all,  
 
As most regular users of the site will know, although we have a system in place to severely limit online scam attempts the eBrandon classifieds arent immune to the kinds of scam attempts that you will run into on widely used classified websites.  
 
In general scam activity seems to go in peaks and valleys, where there will be several days where they are attempting to get more ads through and then several days, weeks or even months when they've moved on. Recently over the last few days I've observed and had reports on the latest uptick in submissions. These have included ads for a a motorcycle, a truck and a trailer that were all clearly under-priced.  
 
I'm diligent in staying on top of these thanks to your user reports, but its inevitable that the odd scam add will slip through the cracks and display on the site for a period of time. This is why its important to know the signs to look out for... specifically bigger ticket items (vehicles, trailers, etc) where the asking price is way too good to be true and the "seller" is not meeting you in person to take part in the transaction (even if they give you a good excuse why they can't). More on safe practices when using the service are at:  
https://ebrandon.ca/classifieds_safety.aspx  
 
For reference, below is a sample reply that was recently sent out. Note that in stead of meeting in person they're making the faulty claim that "eBay services" will be used to conduct the transaction. This is of course not how a typical seller in the classifieds would engage in a transaction.  
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"Hi ,  
 
I appreciate your interest in my 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 with only 124900 miles. The car is fully loaded with all options. The 5.9L I6 FI engine runs very smooth as you will see. I just replaced the water pump, brakes, new battery and has a fresh oil change. No need to repair. First of all I want to assure you that there's nothing wrong with it. It runs like new and all services are up to date. Also, I need to mention that it was never involved in any accidents. There is no rust on it. I'm the original owner, this was a family car, is in perfect condition, garaged all the time, has original miles . The price is $2,500. The car has an clean title. Comes with new winter tires. Because of my divorce settlement, I own this car, and as a woman I don`t need it so I'm trying to sell it as soon as possible. I don`t have time to stay and meet with all my potential buyers so I gave the car to eBay who will deliver it to the next owner. I want to tell you that the delivery process is already paid and all of my transactions until now were made under eBay supervision and for that I wish that we make this deal also by using their services. If you agree to complete the transaction using eBay services, please reply me as soon as possible and provide me your full name, full address and phone # so that I can initiate the deal through eBay and they will contact you to explain the procedure.  
 
Thanks"  
 
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In general these fit what could be seen as a pretty typical pattern for scam ads and I believe much of this is common knowledge for the regular user of the site. At the same time we're always welcoming new folks and these are the kinds of things that its important they learn to look for. If you ever have any questions don't hesitate to let me know. If you notice an ad that may be a scam your reports are extremely helpful and can be submitted through the "report" link thats on every ad on the site.  Thanks for your continued cooperation in making the classifieds the best service they can be for Brandon and Southwestern Manitoba.