Safety tips for buying and selling online.

Stay safe when buying and selling items online. Fraudsters are active
online and we strongly suggest you keep your guard upIf you see an ad on Albany Gateway or have been contacted by someone you think is suspicious, please bring it to our attention immediately. If you
are a victim of fraud, please inform Albany Gateway and the local Police

Albany Gateway Classified Ads are for local buying and selling. You should meet the person personally ( take someone with you for personal safety) to exchange goods and money.

If selling, never send your item before receiving your money.
If buying, never send money via Western Union or Money Order

When buying or selling expensive items please take extra care as these are
more likely to attract scammers. Again we encourage local trading where you can inspect the item offered for sale. Never accept a sale where the buyer offers more than the advertised price. This is a common scam tactic

Be careful buying tickets to any events. Often these have clauses preventing
tickets being onsold to other people.

Never provide your personal credit card or banking information online to
others.
Never email your credit card details – even to trusted sources – it’s
unsecure. When paying anything online eg for accommodation, check the site you are entering your credit card information to is a secure site.
Secure sites start with https, normal websites start with http- check for
the extra “s” in the site address. Secure sites have a lock icon in the
window of the browser (not on the webpage). The icon is not just a picture-
a click will show details of the site’s security. Be aware some scam sites
will try and immitate this lock icon.

Never click a link received via email for any bank or Paypal.
Always hand type your bank address into your browser

Albany Gateway does not offer a buyer protection or payment service. Anyone that suggests we do is trying to scam you. Please report such emails to us immediately.

Common Scam Signs for sellers:

Emails with poor english or grammar
Email sent to more than one person
Offers to pay more than the asking price
Requests for your personal information
Too eager to complete the sale
Too eager to give you their credit card details
(probably fake or stolen credit cards)
No details of the item they wish to buy.
eg: ” I wish to purchase the item you have listed for sale on AlbanyGateway“

If you are unsure or have any other security questions, please contact us