Safe trading guidelines

adflyer users should be made aware that, as with any internet transaction, there is a very small  potential threat from fraud.

Fraud on adflyer is extremely rare. adflyer has dedicated team members who filter all adverts placed to check that they are legitimate and that enquiries sent using the site are scam free.

When purchasing or enquiring about a merchant advert, you can be assured that we carefully vet all merchants uploading their products onto adflyer and make sure they are trusted and reputable sellers.

However, although we do everything within our power to prevent them, scammers occasionally slip through our tight net. The guidelines below are to help you remain fraud free:

Advice for buyers

adflyer.co.uk is a UK site designed to bring buyers and sellers together. Therefore, if any ads appear to come from overseas or involve requests to pay money overseas they should be treated with caution.

When buying from a private classified listing, you will need to speak to the seller and agree how you wish to proceed. Some good general guidelines are:

• Only transfer money after receiving the goods.
• Do not pay in part for goods that are supposed to be in transit.
• Once you have bought an item from a private seller, you have no legal comeback if the purchased item turns out to be faulty. Always check the goods thoroughly before buying.
• Be careful when buying expensive items.

If possible meet a private seller face to face and ask to see proof of identity if you are buying a major ticket item.

Advice for sellers

• Be suspicious if an enquiry has a lot of spelling and grammatical mistakes. If it seems that English is not the writers first language or carries a forceful and aggressive tone it is more likely to be a scam
• The enquirer may use phrases like "the last asking price" or "the present condition of the item".
• Never disclose your personal information to strangers, especially bank details and residential addresses.
• If using escrow services, make sure the agent is legitimate.
• Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is!

If you are contacted by someone who claims to be from adflyer and asks you to transfer money for an item for sale, the email WILL be fraudulent. Please do not follow any instructions contained in the email and contact us immediately.

For an easy transaction we recommend that you let any potential buyer view your item before they purchase it. For your own safety we advise that you do not meet a potential buyer alone. If you must, we advise you to let someone know of the meeting time and location.

Further info

If you think you have been a victim of a scam please contact your local police and trading standards officers as soon as possible.

To find your local police station please go to: police.uk/forces
For trading standards please go to: tradingstandards.gov.uk