border-wall.com

Free Classifieds for Carlisle and the border

Should I watch out for anything in the “For Sale” categories?
Yes. There are unscrupulous people in all walks of life and the internet is no different. You must be on your guard, use common sense in all transactions and if in doubt, do not part with your money/goods. Remember, if it seems too be good to be true, it usually IS too good to be true. The purpose of the wall “For Sale” categories is to encourage face-to-face, local, trading.

Importantly:
Be careful when meeting sellers at their home
Most private advertisers sell their goods from home. For personal ease and safety, always ensure you take someone with you.
If you're answering a home service ad, ask the advertiser to produce identity and proof of qualification before inviting them into your home.

Buyer beware!
Once you have bought an item from a private seller, you have no legal comeback if it turns out to be faulty. Therefore, check the goods thoroughly before handing over the money. If the seller still has the receipts, or a warranty, so much the better.

Keep records
If travel is involved in the transaction, always remember to write down the contact details of the people you are visiting, or the people who are visiting you. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to make the appointment, notify them in advance.

The advertiser wants me to send cash up front - what should I do?
Don't do it.
We recommend that buyers NEVER send cash or cheques through the post, or place money directly into a seller's bank account, in advance or expectation of receiving goods.
We do not advise parting with your money/goods until the transfer of goods/cash is completed face to face.

Watch out for Western Union/Bid Pay – it is our belief that these forms of funds transfer are favoured by fraudsters. Even with all these computers - Cash is still king!

I’ve sent the advertiser my money but he has not sent the goods.
Unfortunately, we are unable to interfere in the private transactions between a buyer and a seller. However, if you can provide us with a letter of complaint, we will keep this on permanent file under the advertiser's records.
You may wish to contact your local citizens advice bureau or the Police, who will be able to advise you on the best course of action to take. The number for your local office can be found in the phone boo

What should I watch for when selling my item?
Fraudsters try to get your attention by sending short emails asking for 'more information' about your item.
Often the English is very poor, and the emails usually don't make any sense!

Valuable items
For valuable items - such as a car - you could ask for either cash, or a bankers draft and offer a receipt as proof of purchase. In the case of bankers' drafts, it is wise to go to the bank together and watch it being drawn.

Overpayment scam
There are several different scams working but all are basically to do with overpayment for your goods.
One scam works when you are contacted by someone offering to pay for your item in full. They will say that they are living in a different country but that someone in England owes them money. They will offer to send you a cheque for far more money than the actual price and then ask you to send the difference with the goods.
Another one works when you the person who has agreed to buy your goods says a mistake has been made and instead of £100 the cheque has been made out for £1,000 and would you cash the cheque and send back the difference.

In both cases, the cheque will clear into your bank, only to be stopped/refused weeks later. At this point, the Banks/Building Societies will take the full cheque amount back out of your account. Not only will you have lost the goods, you will be out of pocket for the amount of their original cheque (£1,000) and the amount you passed on as the difference (£900).
If this happens to you, contact your local police and Trading Standards Officer.

I have never posted an ad on border-wall.com, but I am receiving phone calls/emails??
This occasionally happens when an advertiser mis-types a phone number/email address in their ad. This occurs mostly in newspapers when advertisers mis-quote their phone numbers when placing classified ads over the telephone and sometimes happens on the internet too. Please contact us via email and we will remove the ad immediately.

My details have been used in an ad and I'm getting calls I don't want.
There could be several common reasons for this, including simply human error. This occasionally happens when an advertiser mis-types a phone number/email address in their ad. This occurs mostly in newspapers when advertisers mis-quote their phone numbers when placing classified ads over the telephone and sometimes happens on the internet too. Please contact us via email and we will remove the ad immediately.

I think the ad is illegal, how do I report a scam?
If you feel an ad is illegal, you may want to contact the Police directly.
We are also always eager to hear of unscrupulous traders/advertisers attempting to operate in the community. If you have any information you feel would be important to us, please email us the details. This is extremely helpful to us in keeping the site “clean”.

I think the goods advertised in a posting may be stolen.
If you have reason to believe that items purchased on the wall were stolen, please contact your local Police. You'll find contact details for your area in the local phone book and the Police will be able to advise you on the correct course of action.

An item stolen from me has appeared on the wall
If you have reason to believe that items stolen from you have appeared on the wall, please contact your local Police. You'll find contact details for your area in the local phone book and the Police will be able to advise you on the correct course of action.

Can you give me legal advice?
Unfortunately we are not able to give legal advice.
However, your local Citizen's Advice Bureau will be able to advise you on the best course of action to take. The number for your local office can be found in the phone book.

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