Oodle Safety & Fraud Center

Staying Safe on Oodle

Most local classifieds are posted by honest people and safe to use. Yet, as online scammers are becoming more widespread and creative with their tactics, consumers need to be aware of how to protect themselves and their families.

Popular Current Scams

» Fraudsters posing as Oodle or other known sites
  • How to avoid them: Oodle does not handle any aspect of the financial transaction, does not provide "Bills of Sale", or any escrow services. If you are not sure if an email is from us, contact us.
  • Read more.

    » Vehicle scams (cars, motorcycles, boats, powersports vehicles, etc.)
  • How to avoid them: Staying safe is simple - see it before you buy it. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it is, and if the person refuses to let you see the item in person, don't trust them.
  • Read more.

    » Pet scams (puppies, horses, birds, monkeys, etc.)
  • How to avoid them: Staying safe is simple - see it before you buy it. Beware of pets that are otherwise expensive or rate being offered for adoption or for very cheap. 
  • Read more.

    » Fraudulent buyers
  • How to avoid them: We do all we can to stop scammers from contacting you, but if you get a message from a buyer offering to pay more than you are asking or asking you to ship to a foreign country, don't reply to them. Never cash a check from someone you haven't met in person, it might be fake. If you send us [link] their email address, we will stop them from contacting other people.
  • Read more.

    » Job scams
  • How to avoid them: If someone offers you a work from home opportunity that involves cashing a check (except for your paycheck after you started working), don't trust them, it might be a scam.
  • Read more.

    » Electronics scams
  • How to avoid them: Don't buy expensive "brand new" or "unlocked" electronics such as phones or computers from sellers who don't have websites and want to do business through email or chat. You have no guarantee they will send you the item back. Only buy items like this in person or on reputable retail websites.
  • Read more.

    » Read more in our Scam News [link] section and Common Scams [link] section.

    • What We're Doing

    Oodle's has a patent-pending fraud detection technology, which automatically detects and removes a large amount of scam listings every day. We also have a dedicated team working to keep you safe, but you are crucial in helping us to take down bad posters, as well as helping us learn more about the latest scams. If you see a suspicious listing, click on the "report" link by the listing (click here for more details) or contact us. 

    Please make use of this site to learn about the most common scams and how to avoid them. You can also read our scam news blog.


    Safety Guidelines

    "Do it in person and do it in public."

    If you follow this mantra, you should be safe. But sometimes a scammer will have a convincing scam up their sleeve, which is why you should also follow these additional precautions.

    Buyers

    » Don't send money to someone you haven't met in person
  • through Western Union or Moneygram
  • through wire transfer
  • through Paypal unless they are a verified Paypal member or they have a positive online reputation (note: contrary to popular belief, Paypal will not reimburse you if you don't receive your item unless you were buying an eligible item directly on eBay read more here -- so don't assume that a Paypal payment makes everything safe)
  • to foreign countries

    » Don't fall for fake protection programs.
  • There is no service provided by Oodle, Paypal, or Facebook, that "holds the payment until the item was shipped". There are escrow services out there, but scammers sometimes pretend to be one, so you should research an escrow service and its reputation before using one.
  • eBay does have a Vehicle Protection Program, but only for items purchased directly on eBay.
  • Oodle does not provide a "Bill of Sale" or any other transaction assistance.

    » Read more in our Buyer Guide

    • Sellers

    » Beware of checks. It takes a few weeks for your bank to notify you that you deposited a fake check. It's best to go to the bank with the buyer and get a cashier's check issued in person.

    » Never accept extra payment with complicated excuses.

    » Never send a portion of the money back to the buyer, a shipping agent, or any other person.

    » Read more in our Seller Guide

    Job Seekers

    » Don't accept checks sent to you for purposes other than salary.

    » Don't trust any scheme where you have to send money to someone, or buy goods from some specific place.


    Renters

    » Never send or accept any payment before seeing the place and meeting the landlord.