💰 Avoiding Overpayment Scams
Typically, fraudsters will attempt to organize a transaction that is not face-to-face. They often invent elaborate stories to convince you to send money to a third party or in advance of receiving payment.
Here is an example of a common scam message you might receive:
“Everything sounds good to me and I will instruct my secretary to issue the payment to you ASAP for confirmation. As soon as you receive the payment, name will have access to come for the lesson. I want to tell you that the payment will come in excess, including nanny fees, because the nanny will need the rest of the money to relocate with my son for the tutoring lesson. Please, as a good teacher, handle this payment with care according to my instructions… When tutoring starts in two weeks, if you take good care of my son, I will compensate you with an extra $50. Once you receive the payment, deduct your own fee for the tutoring lesson and send the remaining funds to the nanny via Western Union.”
This is a classic overpayment scam. The goal is to get you to send money to a third party before realizing that the initial payment or check is fake or canceled.
🚨 Red Flags to Watch For
- Offers to pay more than the asking price for your item.
- Instructions to transfer the excess money to a third party (often via Western Union, MoneyGram, or bank transfer).
- Complicated stories involving nannies, children, travel, or other third parties.
- Pressure to send the money immediately before verifying the check or payment.
- Generic messages that do not reference your specific item.
🧠 New Tips to Stay Safe
- 🔍 Always verify payment before sending money. Checks or transfers can appear valid but may be fraudulent.
- 🏢 Never transfer money to a third party on behalf of the buyer.
- 📞 Call the buyer directly using a verified local number to confirm payment authenticity.
- 🪪 Never share banking or personal information to “facilitate” the transaction.
- 🤖 Be alert for AI-generated or copy-paste messages — often identical across multiple ads.
- 🔒 Keep all communication on Kijiji so suspicious behavior can be detected.
👍 Best Practices
- The gold standard is to meet the buyer in person and only accept direct payment for your item.
- If an offer seems too good to be true, or you are asked to handle an overpayment, walk away from the transaction.
