At Kijiji, your security is a key priority! We act on tips from our user community in an attempt to ensure that only legitimate activity is taking place. This is driving fraudsters to be ever more creative and to find new ways to connect with Kijiji users, such as via their mobile phone number. They'll try tricking you by sending fake SMS messages via the internet asking to be contacted via email. They do this because they wish to stay off our radar which they can't do if they reply through the usual channel; our reply email system.
Please note that they may try to disguise themselves by using local area codes in an attempt to seem legitimate.Text messages will look and sound similar to this example:
"Am Interested in item, Please email me back at blahblah2765@gmail.com as I am at work"Be cautious of contact email addresses that contain gibberish or a lot of numbers. The text itself may also have strange punctuation and spelling.
For more information about what may happen next, please
click here.
If you are annoyed by such messages, we suggest that you remove your phone number from your ad. We know that listing your phone number helps transactions move along more quickly, but at this time we have no way of preventing this type of message, so it is your safest bet.
We also recommend that you report these messages to your mobile carrier by sending a text message to the number 7726 (that's S-P-A-M on most keypads). Your message must include details of the spam message as well as the phone number of the individual who sent you the message. Also, remember Kijiji always encourages anyone using the site to meet in person. Once the item has been thoroughly inspected, you can pay in cash, or as a safe alternative to carrying cash, consider choosing your preferred third party cashless payment method (at your own discretion). Secure cashless payment methods include electronic money transfers (
Interac e-transfers).
Never mail a cheque or wire money to sellers. Services like Western Union or MoneyGram should be avoided. Typically, scammers will use these services and will even falsify documents from a legitimate company. It’s best to avoid them entirely and keep things local!
If you have any questions or need clarification, simply
contact us and we can help with any questions you might have.
