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TRADING SAFETY

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Dave Stromberger

I'm Afraid I Can't Let You Do That
System Administrator
The CABE is a great place to find all kinds of rare bicycles, parts, and ephemera. Every day sellers and buyers are connecting. It’s really an amazing thing! But with this success comes a downside--Scammers! Collector forums all over the internet have seen a dramatic increase over the past few years with scammers targeting their members. The CABE is no exception.

The vast majority of transactions taking place via The CABE are legitimate and safe. Both buyer and seller end up happy. So don’t feel like The CABE isn’t a safe place to trade. These scams are rare, but we want you to be aware of them and know how to spot the red flags.

They Contact You

A common scammer technique, and one that gets quick results is for them to contact you, instead of the other way around (such as via a fake sale ad). They troll the WANT ADS. If you’ve posted a want ad, a scammer may contact you either through a reply to your post, or through a private message.

Here’s an example of what one of these messages might look like:

Have you checked with Holmes via [email protected], he has a (the name of the part you need) that he wants to part with.

Sounds innocent enough, but the scammer has disconnected himself and his account on The CABE from the “seller” of the part (who is actually still him). This potentially buys him time before being discovered and banned.

These messages will vary a bit, but the idea is the same. They want to engage you into a transaction to get your money. They won’t send you the part.

If they send you photos, they were probably stolen from somewhere on the internet. Maybe eBay, or even directly from The CABE. If you want to check it out, you can do a Google “Search by Image” to see if there are any matches.

Payment Method

The payment method is also something to watch out for. Scammers will use payment methods that can’t be reversed.

You may be asked to pay using a service such as Venmo, Zelle, and other similar services. These are payment methods very commonly used by scammers because they offer no buyer protection. If you send them money, there is no way to get it back should you not receive the item that you purchased. A seller asking to be paid by Venmo or Zelle is a RED FLAG. Don’t do it!

We recommend using PayPal for making payments to sellers on The CABE. It offers buyer protection should you run into problems with the transaction. It is important to not use the “Friends and Family” option, as this is basically an op-out of the buyer protection that they offer. It will save the seller from paying transaction fees, but you will not have any recourse, should there be a problem.

Some sellers will prefer to trade the old fashioned way with a check, money order, or even cash. This is how it was done before online payment services existed. We typically don’t see scammers asking for this payment method (because it requires a physical mailing address), but you should still proceed with caution.

We need your help to keep The CABE a fun and safe place to trade. IF YOU SEE ANY OF THESE RED FLAGS, PLEASE REPORT THEM IMMEDIATELY!
 
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