Here are some helpful tips

• Never accept a cashier's check that is over the price of the item or horse on sale.
• Do not assume that because the bank has cashed the check for you, it is a legitimate check. Depending on the issuing bank, Cashier checks can take up to 30 days to determine if they are legitimate.
• Be more suspicious if you are requested to handle a transaction through a wire transfer.
• Ask the seller to provide a phone number and call the seller to see if the number is correct and working.
• Reconsider doing business with individuals who are reluctant to answer your questions.
• Take extra precautions when dealing with individuals/companies from outside your own country.
• Watch out for individuals who only want to communicate via e-mail.
• Try to obtain a physical address rather than merely a post office box and a phone number.
• Make sure you are purchasing merchandise from a reputable source.
• Inquire about returns and warranties.
• Email the seller to see if they have an active email address and be wary of sellers who use free email services, such as yahoo.com and hotmail.com.
• Ask the seller to provide you with a tracking number as soon as it is shipped.

Sellers: Make sure you have received and verified payment before shipping an item. Always ship the item with tracking (UPS,FEDEX,etc) and require a signature upon delivery. Make sure you insure the shipment for the full amount. It is less risky to ship the product to the buyer's billing address. Shipping to a third party address involves some risk. As a seller, you can accept credit card payments if you create a premium verified paypal account, which is fairly easy to do. Make sure you ship to a customer's "confirmed address" in order to qualify for PayPal's Seller Protection Policy. If you sell a lot on the Internet as a business, it may be worth getting your own merchant account with VISA/MC/AMEX.

Buyers: We strongly recommend that you use a credit card for all purchases. This provides you with the highest level of protection. Do not sign for a package received until you have quickly verified the contents (the UPS/FEDEX delivery person will wait. I have been notified by a UPS employee who is a member that this is not policy..I guess it depends on your UPS/Fedex driver). Even if the seller skips town and can't be located, a credit card company will almost always refund your money if you are defrauded. Credit Cards can be used with ordinary sellers who have verified premium paypal accounts, which are not difficult to obtain. According to some sources, the proper procedure if you use a credit card with paypal is to first dispute the transaction with Paypal and await the results. If the results are not satisfactory then you should take the dispute to your credit card company. Please do your own research as this is a somewhat fuzzy area.

If a credit card is not an option for you, your next best choice is to use PAYPAL or some other third party company/escrow service to facilitate the transaction. Paypal makes it easier to get your money back if there is a problem, but it does not protect you as much as a credit card. We recommend dealing only with "verified" paypal members (preferably "premium" or "business" status). Paypal also provides "Money Back Guarantee" insurance for tangible items. This insurance protects you if an item is not what you expected or are unhappy with it. Please note that some of PayPal's policies differ if a transaction is on eBay or person to person.

Additional Paypal Information:
Paypal Money Back Guaranteed Insurance
Paypal Buyer Complaint Information


If you don't use a credit card, paypal, or a good escrow service, your next best option may be to use a US Postal money order. If you send a US Postal money order and the person doesn't send the merchandise, then that's mail fraud, and the postal authorities will investigate and prosecute them.


Time is of the essence in some cases -- Paypal will only accept disputes within 45 days of the transaction. Credit Card companies usually give you 3 or 6 months to report a problem. Be wary of extended delay tactics.


Here are some additional helpful links.
Reporting Internet Fraud http://www.ic3.gov/
US Postal Inspection Service http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/
Things to Check to Ensure Money Orders are Authentic http://www.usps.com/missingmoneyorders/security.htm


If you believe you have been a victim of fraud on PM a Moderator Immediately or Email us Scam Alert


Thank you for using our Forum and Equine Network. Please Watch out for one another. And lets All be at Peace In here. In this World Good Friends are very hard to come by.

This Great Post was found at http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/horse-forums/ a great community.