Avoiding Scams & Fraud:

Our site offers you an excellent way to find great deals, but it pays to be careful. Fortunately, avoiding scams is easy if you heed the following tips:

Stay Safe:

• Never send or accept Money transfers through "Western Union".
  (Transactions using Western Union or Money Orders are usually scams)

• Never pay in advance for an item that you haven't seen.

• Avoid making overseas transactions.

• Never give out your personal or financial information (bank account number, credit card number etc.)

• Go with your instincts and don't complete a transaction if you feel uneasy with the other party, no matter how convincing they may sound.

Some Common Scams:

• A buyer offers to overpay for an item and have you refund the difference. In this very common scenario, a scammer/buyer will contact a seller and negotiate a deal on merchandise. Many times, this buyer is located outside of Curacao, and poses as a "broker" or a "third party" on behalf of another interested party. The buyer will send a cashier's check (or money order) for more than the asking price of the merchandise. The buyer will instruct the seller to send the difference for the overpayment. Unfortunately, the cashier's check or money order used to originally pay the buyer is counterfeit and will be returned to the seller with insufficient funds. The seller is then cheated out of his or her own cash, plus any merchandise that was sent.

Pedigreed pets that are free or low cost except for a shipping charge.

• Pet scammers who attract buyers with false ads displaying cute animal photos and making phony promises. Be careful since they can often take pet buyers on an emotional and financial ride which leaves them with less money in their pockets and an invisible pet.
  Several organizations report an increasing number of complaints concerning online pet sales, including the American Kennel Club, the Council of Better Business Bureaus, the Humane Society of the United States and the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3.

• A buyer or seller wants to use Western Union or Moneygram.

Good Rules To Follow:

• If it's too good to be true, then it probably is: It's a cliché, but it's true. If the item you're looking at is far cheaper than the going rate, then the ad is probably a fraud.

• See it before you buy it: One of the great things about classifieds is that transactions are usually done locally. The best way to ensure that you're getting what you want is to go see the item in person whenever possible. Also, choose a safe meeting place where you feel comfortable. It's always best to meet at a public place and bring someone with you.

• Pay Cash: Exchanging cash in person is the safest way to ensure a legitimate transaction. Be suspicious of sellers who request payment by wire transfers or money orders or if they ask money to be sent overseas.

• Ask questions: Before going to see an advertised item, ask the seller lots of questions or request more photos. Make sure you know all the necessary details about an item (and see it) before you buy it.

• Look for warning signs of fraud: If a seller is unclear about their location or the origin of an object, be suspicious. Requests for your bank account, social security number, or other personal information are almost always inappropriate.

Please report questionable ad listings to us:

If you find a scam listing on our site, please help protect other site users by reporting it to us.

If you have an email exchange with a buyer or seller who appears to be fraudulent, please let us know! Forward the entire email exchange to us, along with any additional information to: info@viavia.net. We'll try to verify whether or not this is a scam, and we'll suspend the scammer's account and remove their ads from our site.