What should I do if I suspect a buyer/seller of fraudulent action?
Please contact us immediately by simply providing us with the advert reference or the account name. We take all possible measures to prevent fraud/scam and to this end we cooperate with the authorities in relevant legal proceedings.
How to recognize fake ads
Be vigilant if you find yourself faced with the following cases:
- A price seems TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
- The advertiser resides ABROAD
- The ad is full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
- PHONE number does not exist
- The city does not correspond to the region/department
- Description contains a FOREIGN EMAIL/PHONE NUMBER
How to avoid scams
Buyers
- Carry out transactions PERSONALLY, you will thus avoid most cases of fraud.
- NEVER pay by Western Union, MoneyExpress or MoneyGram, etc. – fraudsters are the only ones to use these payment methods. Only accept forms of payment that guarantee you a degree of protection, e.g. Credit card and online payment services like PayPal or local mobile money like Orange money and Wave.
- BEWARE of middlemen, they are probably not who they say they are.
- DO NOT PAY any advances or deposits, the scammers will disappear with your money and you will not receive any goods.
- DO NOT COMMUNICATE your banking details or any personal information (account number, etc.).
- BEWARE of salespeople who never answer the phone.
- NIGERIA SENEGAL VENTE NEVER INTERVENES IN TRANSACTIONS. We do not support any payment or provide “seller’s certificate” etc.
Sellers
- Carry out transactions PERSONALLY, you will thus avoid most cases of fraud.
- NEVER ACCEPT payment via Western Union, MoneyExpress or MoneyGram, etc. – fraudsters are the only ones to use these payment methods. Only accept forms of payment that guarantee you a degree of protection e.g. Credit card and online payment services like PayPal or local mobile money like Orange money and Wave.
- DO NOT ACCEPT international payments by check or credit cards.
- BEWARE of fake checks. Banking entities WILL HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE if the check cannot be cashed.
- BEWARE of middlemen, they are probably not who they say they are.
- DO NOT SHARE your financial and personal data (account number, etc.).
- BEWARE of buyers who offer you a price significantly higher than the sale price.
- BEWARE of buyers who never answer the phone.
- NIGERIA SENEGAL VENTE NEVER INTERVENES IN TRANSACTIONS. We do not support any payments or provide “consumer protection” etc.
Examples of scams
Fake checks
- You receive an email offering you the opportunity to purchase the item you are advertising, to rent the apartment you are renting, to buy the car you are selling, etc.
- We offer you payment, a deposit by check, etc.
- The value of the check is much higher than the value of your item.
- The fraudsters claim to “trust” you and ask you to repay the difference by transfer.
- Banks will often cash these (fake) checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK BOUNCE BACK.
- These fraudulent schemes often involve a third party (shipping agent, associate who owes the buyer money, etc.).
Partial payments
- The seller declares that he “trusts” you and accepts an advance.
- He can claim that he has already shipped the products.
- Often the offer is too good to be true.
Foreign buyer
A buyer sends you an email in English, similar to the following example:
“ I am MR. Johnson from ENGLAND. I want to buy your items for my friends son who has just relocated in Africa and the item is needed very urgently because he has told me to buy the item for him and i dont want to disappoint him, and dont want him to lose the competition and i have already promised him that i am going to buy it for him and send it to him. So kindly tell me the price that you are expecting to sell the items. Moreso, make inquiries for the cost of shipping to his address via UPS or REGISTERED POST Service so that i can know what to do next to make the transaction fast and secured. Kindly get back to me as soon as possible. PAYMENTS: BANK TRANSFER or MONEYGRAM »
- The text is often written in poor English, and contains numerous spelling mistakes and other grammatical errors.
- Often mentioned countries are the Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Ukraine and France, but it can probably be any country.
- You must be very careful while using the internet, you can lose your entire savings and hard earned money to Fraudsters through the Internet !