Stay Safe : Helping you to avoid the scammers At C4Caravans we do our very best to protect legitimate buyers and sellers using our ground-breaking free service. We have numerous systems in place to deter, block, track and aid in the prosecution of fraudsters. Unfortunately fraud is a profitable business for some, and it is impossible to completely prevent determined scammers from using classified sites. However some simple common sense advice can help keep you safe and ensure a great buying and selling experience for all. Really Important: We don't buy or sell caravans! We simply provide a place for sellers to advertise. If you buy or sell a caravan that is advertised here you are not dealing directly with us, so it's important to know who you are dealing with. Just like free-ads in a newspaper, we simply publish the details given: We can't and don't verify that they are correct or that the people involved are who they claim to be. If a buyer or seller claim to be from C4Caravans this is definitely a scam! Things to watch out for: - The deal looks too good to be true
It probably is. Scammers rely on people thinking they have found a bargain to persuade them to take more risks than they normally would. They need to find victims and make contact before our anti-fraud team track them down, so will often advertise items at a price significantly lower than the market value. - The seller wants cash up front
We strongly recommend against buying any item that you haven't seen. - Payment requested by money transfer service (ie Western Union or Moneygram)
These services are not designed for sending money to someone you don't know. In our experience we've never seen a genuine sale proceed by Western Union! - Cheque Overpayments
One common scam is for a buyer to send a cheque for more than the asking price – they then ask you to reimburse the overpayment on what later turns out to be a fake cheque. If an overpayment situation rises we advise abandoning the transaction immediately. - Escrow Services
Escrow services are sites that help you handle money securely and can be really helpful. However, scammers create fake escrow sites that take your money then never ensure you get the goods. Only use an escrow service that you both agree on and are already familiar with. - Brokerage / Importing
A seller claims that there are brokerage fees, import duties, or other such fees required to get an item into the country. Do not pay such fees, as you will most often never get the product and will have lost any money you paid. - Emails from C4Caravans asking for personal or payment details
We will NEVER do this. We won't ask for your login details and will never contact you for payment details. - Buyer or Seller is abroad
A large proportion of fraud attempts originate abroad. Be more wary where the person you are dealing with does not appear to be in the UK. Fraudsters mistakenly believe that they are safer working across borders, although we are happy to work with foreign police to track them down! - Only a mobile number and/or throwaway email address
Throwaway email addresses include @yahoo @hotmail and @googlemail addresses amongst others. If you only have one of these and a mobile number then you don't really know who you are dealing with. Ask for a landline number and check it. What to do if you are suspicious: - Do not proceed with the transaction
Send them no payment and no personal information until you are completely satisfied that the transaction is authentic. - Tell us immediately
Not only can we help you check the transaction out, but if it is suspicious we can take steps to close the fraudsters down. Click here to get in touch.
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