Know your buyer
Vet the customer and act accordingly. Is it a regular customer? Is there anything unusual about their order? If you only have an email address, ask for a phone number and check that it works.
Check the delivery address. Does it match the card address? If not, take care. Is it the customer’s work, or weekend place, or is it an empty unit on an industrial estate somewhere?
Use a specialist secure online platform
For example, thesaleroom.com for auctioneers, or 1stdibs.com for dealers. These can’t eliminate chargebacks completely, but their card-matching and fraud detection systems are more sophisticated than any you can provide yourself.
Watch out for over-bidding online
This is a popular exercise with gold scammers. Auctioneers need to ask themselves, is that offer of £200 for a £130 lot genuine? Or does the buyer just want to make sure they bag the item, so they can claim it never turned up and instigate a chargeback?
Trust your instincts
If in doubt, don’t despatch. If you have concerns about a particular transaction or buyer, don’t send the goods until you are happy they are legit, or otherwise.
If you are a victim of fraud, report it to ActionFraud at: actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
