➟ When describing the item for sale, limit the personal
information you give. For example, don’t include in
photos anything that pinpoints your location or iden-
tity, such as a house number, your child, other posses-
sions, or identifying information that isn’t relevant to
the item being sold.➟ Only give a general location, such as the name of
your city, not a specific address, in your ad.➟ Only deal with local people who you can meet face to
face. The further away a buyer (or seller) is, the higher
your risk of fraud. Out-of-area buyers are almost
always fraudulent.➟ Never accept payment in the form of a cashier’s check,
wire transfer, money order, money transfer, or escrow
services. These are scams. You will end up without the
item you “sold” and without payment. To add insult
to injury, you may also get stuck paying the bill for the
check or wire! You want cash at the time of the trans-
action or through a reputable payment service. (See
the section “Payment Services” later in this chapter).➟ Be wary of suspicious behavior. If someone offers to
pay more than the asking price, he’s committing
fraud. If someone asks for your checking account
information so she can transfer funds, the transaction
isn’t legitimate. Providing this information will put
the money in your bank account at high risk of theft.➟ Never send an item before payment in the form of
cash or a transfer of funds into a PayPal (or similar
service) has been received.➟ Scammers often use hard-luck stories to get you to
give them the item for free. No matter how sad the
story sounds, it’s likely a scam.256
Part III: Protecting Your Wealth and Your Health