Safety on Retemax

The vast majority of people on Retemax buy and sell honestly. Still, as on any classifieds site, scammers do turn up from time to time. On this page we explain what scams look like, how to spot them in time and what to do if you suspect something is not right.

See it before you pay
Don’t share codes or passwords
Report a suspicious ad

Six golden rules

See the item before you pay

Whenever possible, arrange to meet in person, inspect and try out the item, and only then pay. Photos and promises are not proof that the item exists.

Don’t pay strangers in advance

A deposit, a reservation fee, or delivery or customs charges that have to be paid before you have seen anything are the most common sign of a scam.

Never share codes, your PIN or card details

To receive money, your IBAN is all that is needed. Nobody honest needs your card number, the security code on the back, your PIN, a code from an SMS or your online banking password.

Don’t open links to receive a payment

You don’t receive money by clicking a link. A message with a link to a delivery company’s or bank’s page where you are asked to enter your card details is data theft.

If it’s too good to be true, it isn’t true

A price well below the market rate, a buyer who asks no questions and pays straight away, a seller who is in a great hurry – stop and check.

Meet in a public place

Choose a busy, well-lit place, in daylight, and bring someone with you if you can. For more expensive items, arrange the handover at a bank.

The most common scams and how to avoid them

Scammers keep changing their stories, but the patterns stay the same. If you recognise any of these scenarios, break off contact.

Example of a suspicious message with a payment link

1Paying in advance for goods that don’t exist

What it looks like

An ad offers a sought-after item at a very attractive price. The seller cannot or will not show you the item in person, asks for a deposit or the full amount in advance and promises to send it. Once you have paid, they stop replying.

How to avoid it

Ask to collect in person or to pay cash on delivery with the right to inspect the parcel. Ask for extra photos, for example the item next to a piece of paper with today’s date. If the seller refuses every way of checking, walk away.

2Fake delivery service and a link to receive payment

What it looks like

The buyer gets in touch straight away, doesn’t haggle and says they have already paid through a delivery service. They send a link to a page that looks like the site of a courier company, a bank or the classifieds site, where you are asked to enter your card number, expiry date, security code and a code from an SMS in order to receive the money. With those details the scammer empties your account.

How to avoid it

Never enter your card details in order to receive a payment. Don’t open links from messages, SMS or WhatsApp. Retemax has no delivery service of its own and no payment system between buyer and seller.

3Overpayment and refunding the difference

What it looks like

The buyer supposedly pays more than the agreed price, or sends a cheque for a larger amount, and asks you to send back the difference. Their payment later turns out to be fake or is reversed, and you are left without the item and without the money you sent back.

How to avoid it

Don’t refund the difference. Don’t accept cheques or payments higher than the agreed price. Hand over the item only once the money is actually showing in your account.

4Fake payment confirmation

What it looks like

The buyer sends a screenshot or an email that looks like a confirmation from a bank or payment service and asks you to send the item straight away. The money never arrives.

How to avoid it

Check your balance yourself, by logging in to your own banking or app, not through a link in a message. A screenshot is not proof of payment.

5Renting a flat that doesn’t exist

What it looks like

A lovely flat in a great location at a low price. The owner is supposedly abroad and cannot show you the flat, but will send the keys by post or through an intermediary as soon as you pay the deposit and the first month’s rent.

How to avoid it

Don’t pay anything before you have viewed the flat from the inside and met the owner or an authorised agent. Ask for proof of ownership and sign a tenancy agreement.

6Vehicle abroad and a fake intermediary

What it looks like

A car, motorcycle or machine is offered far below the market price. The seller claims the vehicle is in another country and will be delivered by a transport company, and that the money must be paid into the account of an intermediary who guarantees a refund. The company and the intermediary are made up.

How to avoid it

Inspect the vehicle in person, check the documents, the chassis number and the vehicle history, and pay at the handover. Don’t pay money to intermediaries suggested by the seller.

7Fake job ads

What it looks like

A highly paid job for very little work, with no interview and no experience needed. They ask you to pay up front for equipment, training, a visa or registration, or to receive other people’s money through your account and pass it on. They often also ask for a copy of your identity card and your account details.

How to avoid it

A genuine employer does not charge you for a job. Don’t pass on money for others – you could end up answerable for money laundering yourself. Check that the company exists and don’t send documents before you are sure who you are dealing with.

8Pets that don’t exist

What it looks like

Puppies or kittens of expensive breeds are offered free or very cheaply. After the first payment, new costs keep arriving: transport, a travel crate, vaccinations, insurance, customs. The animal does not exist.

How to avoid it

See the animal in person at the breeder’s or the owner’s. Don’t pay for transport or any other costs in advance.

9Data and identity theft

What it looks like

The other party asks for a photo of your identity card, passport or bank card for a supposed check, or asks you to pass on a code you have just received by SMS. With that code they take over your WhatsApp, email or bank account.

How to avoid it

Don’t send photos of documents or cards. Don’t tell anyone a code from an SMS, not even when the person claims to be from a bank, a delivery service or Retemax.

10Fake messages in the name of Retemax

What it looks like

A message, email or call supposedly from Retemax asks for your password, your card details or a payment so that your ad stays published or your account is unlocked.

How to avoid it

Posting an ad on Retemax is free. Retemax will never ask you for your password, card details or codes. Log in only at www.retemax.com, typing the address into your browser yourself.

11Loans, investments and quick money

What it looks like

A loan with no checks in return for a processing fee payable in advance, an investment with a guaranteed high return, cryptocurrencies, or an inheritance that is only waiting for you to pay the costs.

How to avoid it

A reputable financial institution does not charge a fee before a loan is approved and does not guarantee returns. Don’t pay money to people you don’t know or to companies you cannot check.

Warning signs

One sign on its own need not mean a scam, but two or three together are reason enough to walk away.

The price is well below that of similar ads.
The other party refuses to meet in person or to talk on the phone.
They rush you: today only, other people are interested, pay right now.
They ask for payment in advance, a deposit or a fee before you have seen anything.
They send a link where you are asked to enter your card details or log in to your bank.
They want to move the conversation to WhatsApp, Viber or email in the very first message.
They claim to be abroad and say an intermediary, a carrier or a friend will handle everything.
The messages are generic, written in poor machine translation, and don’t answer your questions.
They ask to be paid with gift cards, cryptocurrencies or cash transfer services.
The photos look as if they came from a catalogue, and they cannot send new ones when asked.

Tips for buyers and sellers

If you are buying

Inspect and try out the item before you pay.
Compare the price with similar ads.
Ask specific questions and request extra photos.
For vehicles and property, check the documents and ownership.
For more expensive items, ask for a receipt or draw up a written contract.
Pay on collection; if the item is being sent, choose cash on delivery with inspection of the parcel.

If you are selling

Hand over or send the item only once the money is in your account.
Check your account balance yourself; don’t trust a screenshot.
Give the buyer your IBAN only – never card details or codes.
Don’t accept an overpayment and don’t refund the difference.
Don’t open links the buyer sends you for payout or delivery.
Count and check cash; accept larger amounts at a bank.

Safe payment and delivery

Retemax is a classifieds site: it does not act as an intermediary for payments and does not deliver goods. You agree the payment and delivery method directly with the other party, so choose ones that protect you.

Safer methods

Cash or a bank transfer when collecting in person.
Cash on delivery with the right to inspect the parcel before paying.
Handing over vehicles and more expensive items at a bank or at a notary’s office.

Avoid

Cash transfer services for sending money to people you don’t know.
Gift cards, vouchers and cryptocurrencies as a means of payment.
Intermediaries and escrow accounts suggested by the other party.
Paying through a link received in a message.

Protect your account

Use a long password that you don’t use anywhere else.
Don’t give your password to anyone, not even someone claiming to be from support.
Before logging in, check that the address bar shows www.retemax.com.
Log out after using someone else’s or a public computer.
Don’t publish personal documents, your card number or your home address in the text of your ad unless it is necessary.

What to do if you have been scammed

Speed matters. The sooner you act, the better the chance that the payment can be stopped.

Break off all contact with the scammer and don’t send any more money.
Call your bank immediately: ask them to block your card and to try to recover the payment.
Keep the evidence: messages, phone numbers, email addresses, links, payment confirmations and screenshots of the ad.
Report the case to the police in your country.
Change the passwords of the accounts where you entered your details, starting with email and banking.
Report the ad and the user to us so that we can remove them and protect others.

Retemax is a classifieds portal and is not a party to agreements between buyers and sellers. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of every ad, but we remove ads and accounts where we establish misuse.