ADMINISTRATORS of social media groups and victims of marketplace scams have expressed frustration about the ease in which crooks are able to use certain trusted platforms to commit crimes.
Some groups now have a rule where services like car detailing and air duct cleaning are no longer approved due to what their administrators say are ‘excessive scam posts’.
There are plenty of hardworking, honest car detailers and air duct cleaners but scam artists are giving these industries a bad rep.
A popular Scenic Rim car detailer has even gone to the effort of seeking out scam accounts and adverts on social media and posting them on his company’s Facebook page.
He wrote how he was trying to raise awareness of scam profiles to ‘help take our industry back’.
Things to look out for are the same photos used across a number different ‘business’ posts using different profile names.
The same accounts list services in local groups all over the world, which is a geographic impossibility.
The scam works by the ‘detailer’ demanding a booking deposit.
Once paid the victim’s money is gone and the scammer is nowhere to be seen.
Dodgy detailers are also reported to turn up and request pre-payment only to do a light wipe down of the vehicle then disappear.
MARKETPLACE BE AWARE
FACEBOOK Marketplace’s popularity makes it an attractive destination for scammers looking for easy money.
The adage ‘if it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t’ is your mantra when scoping out an item or service listed on social media marketplace platforms.
How this works is an item is listed with a suburb for collection.
The idea is to lull the victim into a false sense of security thinking they can pick the item up and pay cash, reducing the possibility of it being a scam.
However, upon enquiry a prospective buyer is told the seller is away attending to a family emergency but ‘has the item with them and will post it’.
Then … you guessed it … the buyer pays using PayID or another instant payment systems and never sees the item or their money again.
Trawl through social media and you’ll find evidence of scams outed by fellow users.
Rosewood & Surrounds Residents SE QLD Facebook group members are ‘outing’ scammers on their site.
Yvonne Connie Bottrell warned of a scam listing by a woman who wrote how her father had moved to a nursing home and she was selling goods on his behalf.
Commentors added tips for recognising scams like use of American or foreign terminology and wanting a deposit or payment through PayID upfront.
It is the payment upfront before seeing the item that often flags it as a scam scam.
The items ‘for sale’ are taken from genuine listings elsewhere and the original sellers are not involved in the scam.
Because these scams are listed in local groups people are lulled into a false sense of security.
Another Rosewood woman shared photos from a local listing advertising outdoor furniture for sale.
She said she’d been scammed because after paying a deposit the original post was deleted and she’d been blocked on all forms of communication.
AIR DUCT CLEANING
YOU’VE likely seen adverts across social media pushing the services of ‘air duct cleaning’.
Emotive language designed to make a potential victim feel as if they ‘must have cleaning done for health reasons’ is used.
Industry experts say these kinds of scams are prolific around the world but there are ways to spot them using the power of observation.
Fake posts use photos of home with power points different to the ones in Australia and a Facebook account is often new or a few weeks old.
Scare tactics and pressure to pay upfront is also a sign of a scam, no reputable cleaning company will make a potential client feel uncomfortable.
