It's essential to take precautions whether you're buying or selling because you can never be too safe, no matter how promising something appears to be.
- If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Ask many questions and properly inspect items before turning over your hard-earned money.
- To reduce the potential of falling victim to fraud, never complete a buy-and-sell transaction by mail.
- Always meet in a public place, preferably during the day. Bring someone with you if you can, and try to find a location with security cameras for extra protection. Use a designated Safe Zone (such as a police station). Peel Region offers specially set aside marked spaces at Police Stations - see Peel Regional Police for more information. These Safe Zones are established for buying and selling situations. Safe Zones are a good option if you're buying or selling alone.
- Use the buddy system when possible. Bring a family or friend with you, or at the very least, let someone know who you will be meeting, the time, and the location of the exchange.
- As a buyer, bring only the cash you need for the purchase. Don't bring large quantities of money. Do an e-transfer after you inspect the item.
- Always inspect the goods you wish to purchase before giving money to the seller, and you should always meet in person.
- Limit the amount of personal information you provide.
- Take extra precautions when selling small handheld devices, like cell phones, as they can be easily pocketed and stolen.
- Be wary of purchasing online tickets. Many people have shown up to venues only to be turned away when the tickets turn out fraudulent.
- If you're buying or selling a vehicle, consider meeting at a garage to verify the vehicle's quality so you don't have to rely on a test drive.
- If you're cautious about who comes to your home, include "porch pickup" in the description of the items you're selling so people know that you accept payment in advance by services like Interac, PayPal, etc. before they come and then leave the item outside so they can scoop it up and leave.
- If someone is coming to our home to buy a more oversized item that needs to be lifted into their vehicle, bring it to the garage/outside before they arrive and make sure someone else is home. When the other party arrives, have your other person come outside with you. Never let anyone in your home.
- When visiting someone's house, stay outside and have the seller bring the item out.
- Look up the location/address before you leave, and see what's in the general area.
- Use common sense and trust your gut. If you don't feel comfortable with the situation, then don't show up for the meeting.