There are many different payment methods to choose from, with some offering more protection than others. Be sure to select a payment method that you are comfortable with. If a deal seems too good to be true then it's probably a scam. Local2Local does not tolerate fraudulent or criminal activity of any kind. Any user(s) suspected of fraudulent or criminal activity will be removed from the site. Local2Local cannot possibly prevent all fraudulent occurrences. Therefore, caution should be taken when dealing with any type of financial transaction. Your best defense is common sense. Here are some tips to aid you in avoiding fraudulent activities or scams.

MEET IN PERSON
If possible, meet the buyer/seller in person. This ensures authenticity and legitimacy and immediate payment can be made.

PAYING WITH CASH
Always use care when paying with cash and never send cash through the mail. There is no protection against loss or theft since cash is untraceable and impossible to prove payment was made.

RECEIPT OF PAYMENT
When mailing or shipping, do not send items until payment is made. If the buyer pays with a personal or cashiers check, make sure it has completely cleared your bank and the financial institution that the check is drawn from. Checks that are deposited or cashed through your bank may still bounce. If a check does not clear through the issuing bank or if it is determined that the check is counterfeit, you are at a loss. Your bank will hold you responsible for any bounced checks. Carefully have all cashiers checks inspected and verified as they are frequently counterfeit. Note that checks from outside the U.S. may take longer to process and clear.

ACCEPTING PAYMENTS ABOVE THE ASKING PRICE
Do not accept checks issued for a greater amount than that of the selling price. When a buyer states that they will send a check for an amount over the item's selling price, under a condition that you wire the remaining balance to the their associate or 3rd party, this is an unmistakable scam. After wiring the funds the buyer's check will inevitably bounce. Once you wire money there is no way to reverse it and you are at a loss.

WIRE TRANSFERS
When buying, avoid sending payments through an instant cash wire transfer service such as MoneyGram™, Western Union™, or a bank to bank wire transfer. There will be no recourse available if the item is not delivered as promised. Once money has been wired it is almost impossible to recover in cases of fraud. Sometimes a seller will claim to need an MTCN or confirmation code to withdraw wired money. This is a false claim, and any item you paid for via wire may never arrive.

FUNDS FROM YOUR BANK ACCOUNT OR CREDIT CARD
If you send funds directly to a seller from your bank account or credit card, use a legitimate service such as PayPal™ (www.paypal.com). PayPal and other similar legitimate services can provide you with secured transactions and buyer protection.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Never disclose personal information such as your social security number or any information relating to your checking, savings, eBay™, PayPal™ or other similar accounts.

FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS
Exercise additional caution when dealing with buyers or sellers from other countries as this is where many scams originate from. Recent scams have been reported in the following countries: Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom and Ukraine. Always use a secure method of payment for all foreign transactions such as PayPal™ or an online escrow service.

ESCROW SERVICES
You may wish to use an escrow service to complete transactions, especially for high-price items or transactions that involve buyers or sellers from other countries. A benefit to using an escrow service is that payments are held by the service until you receive and approve the item(s). Be careful when doing business through any online escrow service as some of these services may be fraudulent. When doing business though an online escrow service, make sure they are well known and legitimate. A recommended legitimate online escrow service is www.escrow.com.