Buyers' and Sellers' Alert: Beware of Internet Scams
The Internet is like the Wild, Wild West, and there are many internet scams
being tried. Internet scams are targeting sellers of high dollar items in the
aviation industry. The best defense comes from the seller being aware of these
individuals and their techniques.
We encourage both buyers and sellers to perform their
"due diligence," and please check out information from
the following links:
Please be extremely careful before sending any payment
either directly to a seller or to a purported escrow agent.
In this era of open communication, scams have unfortunately become rampant. Most recently, we have discovered a scam where a potential buyer of an aircraft will send a counterfeit company check or bank cashier's check to the seller. Please check with your bank and confirm all funds received are fully available to you before you complete any transaction. In this latest case, the scammer is also requesting a partial refund of the check prior to the customer learning the funds are not fully available.
Below are some tips to remember:
- Validate the customer's information (address, company name, phone, etc.) particularly international customers.
- Be particularly suspicious of any attempt to gain your bank account information (wire transfers, direct bank account transfers).
- Make sure you have validated the payment and have the money in hand before finalizing your transaction.
- Cashier's checks and instant money transfers such as Western Union or MoneyGram can be forgeries.
- The buyer wishes to complete the transaction immediately without negotiation and/or overpays and wants you to refund overage amount.
- Use common sense. If the other party is making a deal too good to be true, it often is.
PLEASE NOTE: Trade-A-Plane and Trade-A-Plane.com are paid advertising media only. We do not participate in any part of the buy/sell transactions that occur as a result of our publications. As such, we do NOT offer Buyer Protection Programs or Guarantee/Warranty Services.
We have been notified that our advertisers are being contacted as soon as their listings go online from a competitive website offering a deal that sounds too good to be true. Trade-A-Plane does not endorse any outside sources who may solicit you nor do we share your information with anyone so please proceed with caution and always perform your due diligence. Again, thank you for choosing Trade-A-Plane!
Trade-A-Plane is located in Tennessee with a local area code of (931). Should you receive a call from someone posing as a Trade-A-Plane representative asking for personal information such as your credit card number, etc., please verify their name and phone number. If you are unable to confirm the caller is with Trade-A-Plane, please call us immediately toll free at 1-800-337-5263 to report the incident.
Trade-A-Plane is dedicated to providing our users with a safe and secure Internet experience.