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Don’t Get Scammed: Protect Yourself in the Marketplace

Don’t Get Scammed: Protect Yourself in the Marketplace Have you ever received an email like this? “Dear Traders, Beware of [company name]. When you buy from them and send money, you never receive your products, and soon after, they become unreachable. They won’t answer your emails or take your calls. Eventually, you lose your money. ...

Don’t Get Scammed: Protect Yourself in the Marketplace

Have you ever received an email like this?

“Dear Traders, Beware of [company name]. When you buy from them and send money, you never receive your products, and soon after, they become unreachable. They won’t answer your emails or take your calls. Eventually, you lose your money. Please share this information with your network.”

Or maybe this?

“It has come to our attention that individuals may be impersonating [company name] in order to commit fraud.”

You’d be surprised how often I get emails like these.

Some scams can be even more deceptive. For example:

“A customer is ready to place a large order but requests sample units first and refuses to pay upfront for the samples. This is an issue because the samples are expensive.”

Regardless of your business or location, scam artists are always on the lookout to exploit hard-working people. They constantly change their business names, aliases, and scamming tactics to avoid being caught. Over the years, I’ve picked up a few tricks to help spot scammers, and I want to share them with you. Below are some tools, tips, and resources to help you prevent future losses.

Common Scams to Watch Out For

You pay, but the products never arrive.
You receive counterfeit AC adapters or batteries.
The condition of the product is misrepresented — for example, you were promised Grade A or B, but what arrives is junk.
The deal is not as described, and the seller stops responding to your calls and emails when you try to resolve the issue.

Scammers often purchase domain names similar to yours. For example, they may use .net, .org, or .us instead of .com. They may also link fake reviews to your legitimate business, making it look like their scam site is trustworthy. This can trick customers into placing orders, and when the products never arrive, you’ll start getting calls about order statuses you can’t track.

One of the most common scams is ordering products marked as “Grade A,” “New,” or “Refurbished,” only to receive junk. While you may think you should have inspected the products yourself, even careful inspection doesn’t always prevent scams — sometimes boxes are swapped during shipping.

Stay Vigilant and Share

If you’ve come across other scams, let me know so we can protect fellow traders. Even if you haven’t experienced these issues, it’s helpful to have contacts and tools ready when evaluating new customers or vendors. For more tricks on how to avoid scams and perform cost-effective inspections, check out my E-book.

How Scams Evolve

Most scam deals start with an email or phone call. Pay close attention to the email domain and phone number. Scam artists often use similar domain names and fake social media accounts to appear legitimate. They may even build fake websites to bolster their credibility.

When you receive a suspicious call, take note of the phone number. Simple Google searches or reverse phone lookups can help verify the company’s legitimacy. When determining whether a buyer or seller is trustworthy, consider using tools like Scamadviser.com, which assesses the risk level of websites and verifies reviews.

Two important things to check:

When was the domain name registered?
When does it expire?

Scammers usually register domain names recently and don’t invest in long-term registrations.

Email Red Flags

Look closely at email signatures. Do they include a full address, phone number, or fax? Try to verify these details on your own. If they provide Skype, WhatsApp, or social media contacts, check them out. Do the accounts seem active? Verify physical addresses with Google Maps and use Street View to examine the building.

Another useful verification trick is calling neighboring businesses and asking about the company in question. How long have they been there? What type of operations take place? People often share more than you’d expect.

Dealing with Counterfeit Products

Counterfeit products are a major problem in the industry, especially when it comes to batteries and AC adapters. Some traders may not mind selling counterfeits, but they come with risks — they can cause a computer to fail, catch fire, or even explode, leading to high return rates.

To detect counterfeits, weigh the original product and the potential fake. Fakes are usually lighter. Here’s a video showing the obvious difference in weight.

Payment Time: Avoiding Scams

When it’s time to pay, scammers often insist on wire transfer only. However, even wire transfers can be reversed if the funds were obtained fraudulently. Legitimate businesses typically accept credit cards and charge fees to do so. If a seller insists on a wire transfer only, proceed with caution.

My E-book covers payment methods in more detail, including ACH payments, PayPal, and credit card scams. I recommend reading it to understand the capabilities of reversals and chargebacks.

Who Can Help?

If you believe you’ve been scammed, consult your attorney first to determine your legal options. Depending on the scam, your attorney can advise you on contacting local law enforcement or other agencies.

Need help finding an attorney? My E-book provides resources for locating and vetting attorneys globally, along with tips on holding them accountable while tracking down fraudulent buyers and sellers.

Prevention Tools

According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), millions of people fall victim to scams every year. To stay informed, check out the BBB’s Scam Tracker for reports and insights on the latest scams.

Here are two tips to help secure your online presence:

Register all variations of your domain name (e.g., .net, .org, .us, with and without dashes).
Trademark your domain name to make it easier to take down infringing sites.

Useful Resources

I’ve compiled a list of tools, resources, and company databases to help you verify businesses and avoid scams. Bookmark this list and check back often, as I’ll be updating it with new resources.

Social Media

Online Review Sites

Environmental, Health, and Safety Compliance

At Filmar.com, we specialize in buying and selling end-of-life corporate IT assets. Our expertise spans the secondary market for IT products, including used and refurbished laptops, computers, and enterprise IT equipment. These observations are based on my experiences, but I’d love to hear your thoughts and frustrations as well.

Feel free to leave a comment if I missed something, and let’s work together to keep the industry scam-free.

Phil Biundo

ABOUT THE EXPERT - An enthusiastic leader who is passionate about Used, Recycled, Refurbished I.T. assets with a diverse background in retail, private, and schools. My greatest passion is my wife who encourages me, guides me, and handles my day to day operations. I have been working and studying with computers since 1994. I have worked I.T. my whole life in roles including retail, corporate services, and volume wholesale. I.T. is the only real career I have ever had. I do my best to bring you information and technology updates from the viewpoint of an IT Asset Disposition (I.T.A.D.) or Asset Recovery Company which is in the process of maximizing the value of unused or end-of-life I.T. assets through effective reuse or divestment. These are my views and opinions, and I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. I would love to hear from you!

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2 thoughts on “Don’t Get Scammed: Protect Yourself in the Marketplace”

Galleon Brinton
February 14, 2020 at 4:55 am
Looking through all the scams and the things people do to rip others off is incredible. Has anyone ever used or implemented an Escrow company when dealing over the internet to purchase goods? I feel that this could be a viable option as money is held by a third party until goods are received and verified by the purchaser. Just a thought 🙂
- Phil Biundo
  March 9, 2021 at 7:15 am
  Galleon nice to meet you here. Yes, there are a lot of ways of getting a good deal done between a buyer and seller. Escrow is one of them. We have used that service many times. Thank you again.