Whenever you are making a transaction involving the transfer of money and/or things of value, you must be careful to avoid being a victim of a scam or other fraudulent dealing.

Please follow these guidelines to protect yourself and make your sale a pleasant experience:

Meet Face to Face!

We encourage communications leading up to the transaction, but feel it is best for buyer and seller to actually finalize the sale in person. Before actually meeting with the Seller, the Buyer should have been well informed about the item and be ready to purchase pending the final inspection.  The Seller should have answered all the Buyer’s questions honestly and be ready to sell the item on the agreed terms. Last minute changes are not in anyone's best interest.

Cash is King!

The best form of payment is cash, in most cases. Buyers should not be offended if the Seller expects to be paid in cash. The seller should even inspect the cash, as there are counterfeit bills out there. If you are concerned about the cash, or having a large amount, you could ask the buyer to go to the bank with you, where you could have the money deposited (and inspected).

Beware of Paper!

A check of any type (even a cashier’s check) is only a piece of paper until the bank releases money. Fake checks and money orders are so common that they are always suspect. There are common scams perpetrated by the use of fraudulent checks. While for a large payment, you may feel that a check is better than having all that cash, you must be very careful. If accepting any check, you should verify that it is valid. This usually involves making the deposit and waiting for the check to clear. In the case of a cashier’s check, you may be able to call the issuing bank for a confirmation of its value. Don’t just ask if a check is good, but verify the amount that it will cover.

Ask for ID!

Stores do it, and there is no reason you should be reluctant as a seller to ask for ID. Again, the Buyer should not take offense, as this is just part of doing business. A photo ID is always preferred.

Payment in Full!

Sellers should always be paid in full before releasing the merchandise.  Never accept a down payment and a promise.  Unless you are in the banking business, do not agree to a “time payment” plan.

Get it in Writing!

Buyers should get a Bill of Sale from the seller on large purchase or merchandise that will require evidence of ownership, such as a vehicle. Also, most vehicles and boats will be titled, and are almost worthless without a valid title because the buyer may not be able to get a title or registration. Make sure that the title and/or bill of sale is signed by the owner. If you have any questions about titles, contact the Dept. of Motor Vehicles or, for boats, the Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Send no Money!

Sellers should especially beware of a check that is for more than the agreed amount.  This is a common scam, often involving a cashier’s check, with the request to refund the overpayment, or send it to a third party for payment of some service connected with a transaction. Banks may unknowingly accept a fraudulent cashier’s check and credit your account. You will think all is well and send the requested funds to the “Buyer” only to learn in a few days that the check was a fake, and the bank will hold you responsible. Remember, if you wire money there is no way to get it back. This scam is usually from out of the country where prosecution is not possible. These often are targeted to the rental of property and the sale of vehicles and other expensive items, but could be for anything, and often result in the loss of hundreds or thousands of dollars. Buyers should also beware of a request to wire or send money to the Seller before completing the transaction.

Give No Numbers!

Do not give out any financial information, such as your bank account number, social security number, etc. unless you know and trust the recipient.  In the case of accepting a wire transfer in payment, it will be necessary to give out your account number, but you should only do this after you have knowledge of the sender.  It is best to deal directly between the sender’s bank and your bank for a wire transaction.  Check with your bank first, and also be aware that there will probably be a wire transfer fee to both parties involved.

Fight Email Spam & Scams!

Email is a convenient communications tool. Unfortunately, it also provides scammers and other malicious individuals an easy means for luring potential victims. The scams they perpetrate run from old-fashioned bait-and-switch operations to phishing schemes using a combination of email and bogus web sites to trick victims into divulging sensitive information. To protect yourself from these scams, you should understand what they are, what they look like, how they work, and what you can do to avoid them. The following recommendations can minimize your chances of falling victim to an email scam:

• Filter spam. 
• Don’t trust unsolicited email. 
• Treat email attachments with caution. 
• Don’t click links in suspect email messages. 
• Install anti virus software and keep it up to date. 
• Install a personal firewall and keep it up to date. 
• Configure your email client for security.