The ecommerce evolution in Nigeria and the online classifieds in particular introduced into Nigeria a little over 3 years ago brought reprieve no doubt but the fraudulent activities experienced in the cause of online buying and selling is a cause of growing worry.

From loss of money or property to near loss of lives, bodily harm, or even the loss of life, the memories of some of these experiences linger in the minds of the affected and to an extent, validly acts as deterrents to the uninitiated in the ecommerce world.

These challenges notwithstanding, there is no doubt that the ecommerce world has come to stay in Nigeria and will continue to grow over time. So this week Efritin.com will share with you, some basic safety tips for fraud prevention, so that you enjoy a safe and secure experience especially in online classifieds transactions.

1. If it looks too good to be true, then it is not true. Our experience in Verification at Efritin.com, informs us that more often than not, the adverts with the very ridiculous prices, have scammers behind them.

The prices have been marked down deliberately to lure more people and earn the fraudulent persons behind the posts more money. An easy example in this case is the various versions of the Apple iPhones that have both replicas and original.

A point to note from us is this: if your intention is not to purchase a replica phone, be careful how you get excited at the cheap rates they have been advertised for, because they just might be a replica. This however does not mean that the highly priced goods or phones are more authentic so still you have to be careful. In our subsequent post, we will tell you how to identify replica iPhones.

2. If in doubt, ask someone!

Yes, that’s right. Ask someone and importantly, ask someone who knows, to ascertain the quality/features of the product, service of whatever it is you are looking to acquire. Knowledge is power and the application of it empowers you to detect fraudulent people and adverts. So one useful tip on how to stay safe is to involve a third-party who has an understanding of the product or service.

3. Do not make payments in advance for a product or service

Madam, oga pay the advance for this phone or motor make we take arrange send am to you, or send recharge card or money for receipt type of requests already should warn you that the seller is likely to be fraudulent. When someone comes up with stories on whatever reasons why you should make payments in any form ahead, ignore them. Do not engage them.

4: Only pay for the goods you have seen and verified that it is of the quality you want

This ties back to not making any form of payments for a product or service you have not yet seen and confirmed to be of the quality or type you want.

In as much as e-commerce transactions offer you a measure of convenience, and Efritin.com through its verification process ensures that as much as possible only credible adverts are allowed on its site, there are important aspects of the chain that you cannot delegate. Seeing and verifying the goods you intend to purchase for yourself, before making payments for them.

Should it be that you have engaged the services of Efritin Delivers to bring your goods to you, you also are not to make payments for the goods until the dispatch staff brings them to you and you have confirmed that they are of the standard you want. This is because Efritin Delivers works only on a pay-on-delivery basis and is designed to bring you convenience, mediate between the buyer and seller and allow a buyer make buying decisions without pressure.

5: Meet in public places

Do not meet any seller or buyer in a private place to avoid unwanted situations. Your safest bets for meet-ups are public places like the mall or even a police station near you. If the person is really credible, they should have no fears meeting you in public places.

6: Report an ad/seek clarification if in doubt

Our experience, verifying sellers on our platform and situations where some buyers call us on to clarify some of the requests they receive regarding their intended transaction has helped prevent fraudulent activities. So ask. If a seller or buyer is making requests that are suspicious or their ads come off as suspicious to you, report the ads and seek clarification on these suspicious requests. This way, you are avoiding a scam.

What did we miss out? Feel free to share with us in the comment section. Together, we can secure and ensure a safe online marketplace for every one!

This is a feature by Efritin.com