*PROTECT YOURSELF. PREVENT FRAUD*

While our site takes every conceivable precaution to prevent fraudulent activity, unfortunately, there are NO foolproof methods that work 100% of the time. This is true whether it’s eBay, Craigslist, our website, or the thousands of others like it. Therefore…

 

The BEST advice we can give you is, BUYER BEWARE. Use good, old-fashioned common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. On that note, please practice the following tips to the best of your ability, as it will significantly reduce the chances of falling prey to a scam…

 

  1. If at all possible, try and deal locally when buying, selling or trading.
  2. If you choose not to deal locally, we STRONGLY encourage you to speak with the other party in the transaction, BEFORE completing a deal. Do not be shy about asking for a phone number, and calling the person, directly. While this is the best method, using email is a good backup, as well, although not as strong a safeguard as a telephone call. It’s almost 2016. Virtually everyone on the planet has a cellphone #. If you ask a party for it, and are not given one, BE VIGILANT.
  3. Your intuition should act as your biggest asset. While you will find many incredible deals on our website, use logic. Listings offering equipment for 80% or 90% off their usual prices, and similar type of deals, should be cause for suspicion, and must be met with MUCH due diligence.
  4. It is STRONGLY advised you do not partake in transactions outside of your home country.
  5. NEVER, ever deal in cash! Be ESPECIALLY suspicious of individuals requesting payment in the form of Moneygram, Western Union, etc. While utilizing these payment processors doesn’t necessarily mean a person/listing is fraudulent, these types of persons/ads should be dealt with extreme caution!
  6. NEVER, EVER provide your personal information (bank account #’s, social security #, place of employment, date of birth, etc.) to ANYONE. Outside of an address for shipping purposes, or an email for paypal payment purposes, ALL other personal information should NOT be given to a party, and isn’t needed to complete a transaction.
  7. If possible, deal only via CHECK or PAYPAL. These are the safest methods of making/receiving payment for a transaction. All other avenues are suspect, and raise the likelihood of fraudulent activity.
  8. Do a Google search on the email of the party you are dealing with. Are they members of other treasure hunting forums? Any negative information come up? Use this as another tool to help better scrutinize a buyer/seller.
  9. Be VERY suspicious of listings and/or correspondence with inaccurate use of the english language, numerous misspellings, and other similar reg flags.
  10. If someone is offering to send you payment IN ADVANCE of receiving goods, be especially vigilant on deals of this nature, even more so if you haven’t conducted the proper due diligence, above. If you receive MORE money than requested from the other party in the transaction, in the form of a check/money order, BE VERY SUSPICIOUS. Make sure the form of payment is valid BEFORE sending your goods, in return. Individuals that send more funds than necessary, and ask you to send/wire the difference back to them, ARE COMPLETE SCAMS, and their form of payment is almost always BOGUS.

 

While we do have a rating system in place for buyers/sellers, many wish not to use it. We urge you, PLEASE USE THE RATING SYSTEM, and provide feedback after a transaction. This will ensure the peak efficiency of our system, and will better protect users (including yourself) on future deals.

 

We hope this information will serve to protect you from any possible fraudulent activity, however, do understand, we cannot cover every conceivable form of suspicious behavior. Again, BUYER BEWARE. Common sense and logic are BY FAR, your best source of safeguarding.

 

If you notice any type of suspicious activity while using our site, or believe you have encountered a fraudulent listing/buyer or seller, CONTACT US AT ONCE! In close to 3 years of being in business, fortunately, we have not had a single case of fraud reported to us by our members. We’d like to keep it that way.