Protect Yourself Online and Offline

• When meeting someone for the first time, please remember to insist on a public meeting place like a cafe or restaurant.
• Tell a friend or family member where you're going.
• Take your cell phone along if you have one.
• Don’t go to meet a stranger by yourself if possible.
• Consider having a friend accompany you.
• Remember to never wire funds by western union, moneygram, or any other wire services to people you don’t know.
• Remember fake cashier’s checks and money orders are a very common thing.  Banks will cash them and make you responsible when they find out it is fake, sometimes weeks later.
• UAdPost will not handle third-party payments. We do not guarantee any transactions, provide escrow services, offer buyer protection, or offer seller certification. If anybody is presenting you with such things, they are scammer.
• Never give out your financial/security information, e.g., social security number and bank account number.
• Avoid deals that involve shipping or escrow services for large or high cost items.
• Trust your instincts.  If it sounds too good to be true…it is and don’t believe it!

Taking these simple precautions helps make UAdPost safer for everyone.

For more information about personal safety online, check out these resources:

• http://getsafeonline.org

Top 5 Online Scams provided by http://www.5starsupport.com/tutorial/online-scams.htm

1. Auction Fraud:

Here is what usually happens in the Auction Fraud scam.  The product that you've purchased is never what you thought you were getting. It either is a cheap imitation or it just won't match at all. The descriptions of the product you are bidding on will usually be vague or completely fake.  One buyer reported that he purchased a portable DVD player for $100, but what he got instead was a web address for a site where he could buy a player for a $200 discount. 
 

2. Phishing Scams: 
    
   In this scam, you receive a very real looking e-mail that looks like it came from your bank. It usually warms you up by trying to warn you about identity theft and asking that you log in and verify your account information. The message says that if you don't take action immediately, your account will be terminated. 
    
   When you click the supplied link, you will be taken to a site that is a replication of your bank’s site and has text boxes to enter in the required account information. Once you enter the information and click send, the scammers now have all the information that they need to steal your identity and start opening new credit accounts or whatever else they would like to do with the information. In some instances, really smart phishers direct you to the genuine web site, then pop up a window over the site that captures your personal information.  
    
3. 419 Letter: 
    
   Here, you receive an e-mail, usually written in ALL capital letters, that starts out something like this: 
    
   "DEAR SIR/MADAM: I REPRESENT THE RECENTLY DEPOSED MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE FOR NODAMBIZIA, WHO HAS EMBEZZLED 30 MILLION DOLLARS FROM HIS STARVING COUNTRYMEN AND NOW NEEDS TO GET IT OUT OF THE COUNTRY...."  
    
   The letter states that the scammers are seeking an accomplice who will transfer the funds into their account for a cut of the total--usually around 30 percent. You'll be asked to travel overseas to meet with the scammers and complete the necessary paperwork. But before the transaction can be finalized, you must pay thousands of dollars in "taxes," "attorney costs," "bribes," or other advance fees. 
    
   Well, of course, there is no minister and no money. Victims who travel overseas could find themselves physically threatened and not allowed to leave until they pay a lot of money. Several victims have been reported killed or gone missing while chasing a 419 scheme. 
    
4. Postal Forwarding or Reshipping Scam: 
    
   Remember the "work-at-home" envelope-stuffing scam that promised steady income for minimal labor, and a minimal fee to get started? Well, the loss from that scam is small compared to this clever postal forwarding/reshipping scam. This scam lures job seekers with an online ad looking for a "correspondence manager" promising big bucks for little or no work. An offshore corporation without a U.S. address or bank account needs someone to have goods sent to their address and reship them overseas. You may also be asked to accept wire transfers into your bank account, and then transfer the money to your new boss's account. Your reward is a percentage of the goods or amount transferred.  
    
   What you are never told is that the products are purchased online using stolen credit cards and shipped to your address. You then reship them to the scammers who, in turn, fence them overseas. So, in reality, you are transferring stolen funds from one account to another. This dangerous situation usually ends with your bank account being cleaned out, or worse, a warrant for your arrest.  
    
5. "Congratulations, You've Won “Something”: 
    
   In this last one, you get an e-mail telling you that you are a big winner! It will tell you that you've won “Something.” All you need to do is visit a web site and provide your debit card number and PIN to cover "shipping and handling" costs.  
    
   The item will never arrive. A few months later, unknown charges appear on your bank account.

How to recognize scams:

Scammers may become innovative with new ideas always.  But scams may involve one or more of the following:

    * Inquiry from someone located far away, often in a different country.

    * Moneygram, western union, cashier's check, money order, shipping, escrow service,or a guarantee. 

Who to notify about scam or fraud attempts:

    * Internet Fraud Complaint Center www.ic3.gov

    * Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501

    * Non-emergency number for your local police department

    * FTC online complaint form www.ftc.gov

    * FTC Toll Free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357) 

If you suspect a classified is part of a scam please email us the details at Flagging@uadpost.com. Please include the url for the post in your email. 

The overwhelming majority of UAdPost users are trustworthy and well-intentioned.

Nevertheless, it's very important to take the same common sense precautions online as you would offline. 

• http://wiredsafety.org

Resources to Avoid Sexual Predators and Human Trafficking on the Internet 

http://www.humantrafficking.org       Combating Human Trafficking 

www.familywatchdog.us     National Sex Offender Registry

http://www.sexualoffenders.com    The Nationwide Safety Network

Please report abusive posts to your local law enforcement agency and email us at

Crime@UAdPost.com.