Posts Tagged ‘alert’

Gumtree 1, dating company 0

Your safety on the site is always of top concern to us, so we thought we’d share a recent victory we scored against a dating company that’s been targeting some Gumtree users with pesky pay-to-receive texts.

The company in question was getting phone numbers off Gumtree listings and sending text messages to users they had to pay for without their permission, racking up huge phone bills for some. On top of that, they were even using our name in the messages, making people think these were legitimate texts from us.

We notified the regulator, PhonepayPlus, about this breach in code of practice and after looking into it, they’ve barred the provider’s services, slapped a £250,000 fine (ouch!) on the company and ordered a full refund to everyone affected.

If you ever experience any problems or want to report something to us, you can:

  • Report any problems with ads or emails to us
  • Use the ‘Report this ad’ link found at the top right-hand corner of every ad
  • Read our Stay Safe section for tips and information on the latest online scams

Thanks for your help in keeping Gumtree a safe place for all.

11 comments

15/9/09 at 2:06pm by Darika

Gumtree-rentals.com scam alert

scam-alert1There’s a website out there called www.gumtree-rentals.com. It all looks pretty legit and well designed and maybe worth using. But the reality is that some sneaky guys have lifted the design off the Gumtree website and this is in actual fact part of a much larger scam.

We got a message from a community member this weekend telling us of how they replied to a studio to rent ad and got an email reply trying to convince them to use the Gumtree-rentals website. This of course is a scam, don’t do it! Gumtree does not offer any such financial services, we are merely a classifieds website.

Once again, one of the biggest clues is the reluctance to meet face to face. The person who told us about the scam did well to email the scamster again and insist on seeing the property before parting with any hard earned cash which is a good idea to keep in mind: if you are not sure, email them again with a few more questions, especially more specific details about the property. If they are sketchy about the details, walk away and report it to us.

Here is the email received by our community member from the scamster:

Hi ****,
The address is: 9 Talbot Square, W2 1TR. You can go to google maps to see the actual location of the flat: www.maps.google.co.uk
About the viewing, I am really looking forward to meet you and to get to know you better before renting the flat to you, but before that I will need to be sure that you are committed to rent the flat and you can afford to pay for the rent. Please dont get me wrong and dont be offended, but I have been disappointed two times until now by people who convinced me to arrange a viewing,  and in the end proved themselves to be nothing but time wasters as they tried to convince me to lower the monthly rent. Every time I made the trip to London for nothing wasting both time and money. I will take care so that wont happen again.
Because of that I have decided to go on with this only through Gumtree. They have a program called Gumtree Rentals (www.gumtree-rentals.com). It was created especially for situations like ours, when is difficult to meet. They can take care about the viewing, and the payment, and they are offering assistance and protection for both, landlords and tenants.
If you decide to go on with renting the place I will need some information in order to set up the rental transaction with gumtree. Please let me know your  full name, how many people will move in, when are you planning to move in and how long do you want to stay. As soon as I will have this info I will forward it to gumtree and they will get back to you with all the necessary details to follow in order to arrange the viewing, sign the contract and rent the flat.
Kindly let me know if there is anything else you want to know about the flat.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon,
Elizabeth

289 comments

7/9/09 at 10:45am by Jon

PayPal Scam Alert

paypal-scam-alert
In an effort to keep the community safe on Gumtree, we will update you with any new scamming methods we come across on the internet so that you are aware when dealing in a free market environment.

One popular scamming method currently being used is where the scammer offers to pay the amount via PayPal. When the amount comes through to the seller, it is £0.00. The scammer then states that PayPal is holding the funds until you send the goods to the buyer. You may even receive emails from PayPal that look real, but they are actually fakes. Please forward any suspicious emails to PayPal.

How to avoid this scam:

•    PayPal does not hold funds until an item is sent.
•    Beware of fake PayPal emails – always check with PayPal if you are unsure.
•    Always trade face to face when buying items on Gumtree.

Above all, go with your gut. If you don’t feel good about this transaction, just walk away.

1,203 comments

24/7/09 at 11:07am by Jon

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