Attempted fraud in private sales
As our cooperation partner Watchlist Internet warns, the fraudsters pretend that they are abroad and suggest that the contract be processed through a shipping company.
To do this, they send fake transfer receipts. Sellers should transfer both the goods and excessively transferred amounts of money abroad. You lose both and do not receive the purchase price.
Private sellers receive a text message on their mobile device from strangers via WhatsApp. In it, criminals inquire whether the advertised product is still available so that they can begin their fraud:
– hello, is your device still for sale
– yes, it is still there
– I am interested in buying it from you. What is the actual price? What is the reason for the sale?
Regardless of what feedback the criminals receive from the sellers, they readily agree to the price:
Thanks, I agree to the price and condition. I want to buy it for my family. I am not available in the country due to the nature of my work. I will arrange pickup with a private shipping company. The goods will be picked up immediately after receipt of payment.
Disclosure of personal data
In the next step of their fraud attempt, the criminals ask for personal information about their potential victims:
I hope you have a bank account to make the payment and inform the pickup agent to contact you to arrange the pickup date and time with you.
The name of the account holder:
Bank name:
Iban:
Email address:
Simply disclosing your bank details to criminals can lead to problems, as this information is sufficient to allow fraudsters to make purchases under someone else's name and at someone else's expense .
Fake bank notification
Private sellers who do not suspect fraud receive a supposed payment confirmation from the criminals. It turns out to be higher than originally agreed between the parties.

The supposed receipt of money is the reason for the seller to make the delivery. To do this, the private sellers should ship the goods and transfer the excess difference to a shipping company abroad.
If you comply with the request, you will lose both your product and your money. In addition, criminals have the personal data of their victims, which they can use to commit crimes under someone else's name.
How do you recognize classified ad fraud?
Classified ad fraud when selling products usually follows a certain pattern. You can recognize this from the following points, among others:
- Supposedly interested buyers from abroad are contacting us. This is unusual in the case of a private sale on Austrian classifieds platforms and is enough reason for skepticism.
- The fraudsters do not use the infrastructure of the classified advertising platforms to contact them, but instead write to their potential victims directly via WhatsApp. This circumstance has the disadvantage for sellers that the platforms' security measures are not effective and criminals' fraudulent messages are not blocked.
- The fraudsters readily agree to the purchase price and suggest that the purchase be processed with the help of a shipping company. This is unusual because sellers usually ship their goods with a shipping company of their choice. The problem with the supposed shipping company is that it doesn't actually exist. This is what an internet search shows
- Sellers receive an inflated purchase price. They should transfer the difference abroad so that the shipping company can cover the shipping costs of the goods. In reality, the amount of money demanded goes to the criminals.
- As soon as victims have shipped the goods and transferred the excessive difference, all contact with the supposed prospective buyers is lost.
Explanatory video on the topic of classified ad fraud
Have you been a victim?
In this case, contact your bank immediately and clarify whether a chargeback of the money is possible. You take the same action at the criminal bank.
The faster you do this, the higher the chances are that you will be able to get the money back. File a criminal complaint with the police and discuss how to proceed with them!
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Notes:
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