Scams are becoming more and more frequent in Internet sales, since they represent a greater convenience for the buyer. Nowadays, we are confronted with fraudulent auctions, so we developed this article with the purpose of helping to differentiate between a legal auction site and a fraudulent one.
The fraudulent auction encompasses fraudulent advertising, sometimes the website tries to duplicate an existing site of a brand, this is called phishing, first we must verify that the websites have their certificate and start with https:// once verified this certificate we can continue with our participation and registration.
If you are interested in participating in an auction on a site in which you have not participated before, verify the contact information and try to contact them directly by email and phone, look for references of the site on the Internet.
To find a direct reference that a site is authentic, check if it is on the sites advertised by Centro de Leilões, as we have previously developed a process of verification and authentication of the companies prior to sending promotion of auction events.
All auctions advertised by Centro de Leilões are authentic and reliable.
Before participating in an auction
- Check that the information on the obligations of the buyer and seller is clear.
- Certified auction houses make available their terms and conditions, where you can consult important information that guarantees their legality. You should also consult the website’s privacy policy for information about the data they may ask you for. Analyze the seller’s profile and examine his transaction history with the auction house. If the seller does not yet have a history on the website where he is registered, seek information through reliable channels (Centro de Leilões).
- Make sure that the auction house complies with the legal obligations.
Before proceeding to payment
- Before making the payment, check the identity and contact details of the seller to make sure that they are real and that you can use them in case of any problem. Make sure you are aware of the necessary procedures in case the transaction does not go through as planned.
- Look for the value you can expect for the sale of a product. When a fraudulent auction is involved, they often use significantly lower prices to attract the buyer’s attention.
Communicating with the seller/buyer
To communicate with the seller/buyer, use official communication channels of the website where the auction is advertised, so that all the information remains registered and is through the institutional email of the auction house and the domain of this email corresponds to the domain of the website in which you are participating. It is not recommended that you interact with auction house personnel who contact you through free email addresses.
Sources:
https://www.police.qld.gov.au/safety-and-preventing-crime/r-u-in-control/internet-auction-fraud
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/auction-fraud
www.queixaselectronicas.mai.gov.pt
https://www.dinheirovivo.pt/geral/cinco-ciberburlas-comuns-e-como-evita-las-13250419.html