In an increasingly online world, it can be hard to know what’s suspicious and what’s not. There are two basic types of email scams that it’s important to be able to recognize.

Phishing Emails

Phishing is when fraudsters pretend to be a legitimate company or person to gain access to your information. They are usually looking to get your account login details, financial information, or identification. .

If you receive a phishing email, forward all suspicious email addresses and websites as an attachment (we need the original email) to phishing@kijiji.ca and then immediately delete them.

Money Scams

Money scams are attempts to convince others to send them money, often in return for something that doesn’t actually exist. This is the most traditional type of scam. Many assume that only buyers are vulnerable to these types of scams, but there are some forms of these scams that target sellers.

Although they can come in many forms, they have similar warning signs:

They Move the Conversation to a New Platform

To get around our security systems fraudsters will often request that you leave Kijiji and contact them through a private platform. If they ask you to reply to their personal email address instead of their masked Kijiji email, be cautious.

Note: Sometimes these requests can be legitimate, but if they refuse to speak anywhere other than through private email, it might be best to move on. Ask them to speak directly over the phone if they don’t want to use Kijiji messages.

They Can’t Meet In Person

Fraudsters operate remotely. This is partly because they need to cast a wide net to make money and partly for their own safety. They may have an elaborate excuse that makes them sound legitimate. Some common stories are that they work in a distant mining town, that they’re a member of the military, or that they’re buying a special present for a family member.

Odd Payment Requests

Since Fraudsters don’t usually meet in person, they need the money digitally. They may ask that you send them money through an untrustworthy method. Favourites include MoneyGram, Western Union, and other types of money transfer. They may also request payment through PayPal, but insist that you use the Friends & Family setting so that you are offered no protection.

Scams aimed at buyers are generally simple, but there are two types:

• They ask you to pay for the vehicle before you meet up
• They ask for a deposit for a vehicle you haven’t seen

There are 3 main types of scams aimed at sellers:

• They insist that you ship the vehicle to them before payment.
• They send you a payment notification or receipt and ask you to transfer some funds back to them before the full payment comes through.
• They send you a fake payment notification or receipt, then ask you to transfer some of that money to a shipping company. They not only tell you which company, but what account number to use for the transfer.

If you see any of these signs, don’t proceed any farther with the transaction and reach out to our Customer Service team to let us know.