Trading safely on the VintageCam Marketplace
How to avoid fraud when buying and selling used phones: no advance payment, check the IMEI, sign out of accounts, read reviews, report anything suspicious.
Used phones are a popular target for fraudsters. With a few firm habits you will come through safely.
No advance payment to strangers
Never pay in advance, least of all by bank transfer to unknown accounts, with gift-card codes or in cryptocurrency. If someone pushes or names a very low price, caution is called for. On collection you pay on the spot once you have checked the device.
Check the phone
Have the phone shown to you: it should be reset, be possible to set up and report no account lock. Type *#06# to display the IMEI and compare it with the box and the invoice. Check the display, camera, speaker, microphone and charging.
Whom you write to
Write through the messages in VintageCam. The Marketplace does not allow phone numbers, email addresses and links in public texts, and there is a reason for that: many fraudsters want to move the conversation to another channel. Stay on the Marketplace as long as you do not know the person.
Read profiles
Look at reviews, the join date and earlier listings. Reviews exist only after a sale in which the seller named the buyer. A profile without reviews is not suspicious, but calls for somewhat more care.
Report
If you see a listing that looks odd to you, use “Report listing”. Several reports take the listing offline until it has been reviewed. If you have already lost money, report it to the police and keep the messages. General rules are under Marketplace rules. If your own phone is gone, the article Phone stolen: what to do helps.
