How to avoid scams on classified ads: a safety guide

Classified ads make it easy to sell, buy and help each other. Unfortunately, fraudsters use them too. Their methods change, but they almost always rely on the same levers: urgency, a deal that looks too good, and a request for money or a code. Knowing how these tricks work is the best protection.

1. The golden rules

• Never share a code received by text or email (verification code, bank approval code, WhatsApp code). Nobody has a legitimate reason to ask for it.
• Never pay before you have seen the item, the home or the person, and checked who they are.
• Do not click links sent by strangers to “receive a payment” or “confirm a delivery”.
• Take your time: pressure to decide immediately is a warning sign.
• Meet in a public place, in daylight, and bring someone with you if you can.

2. The most common scams

The fake payment link

A “buyer” says they have already paid and sends you a link to “receive the money”. The link leads to a fake page imitating a payment or delivery service that asks for your card details. To receive money you never need to enter your card number or a code.

The buyer who overpays

A buyer sends (or claims to send) more than the asking price, then asks you to refund the difference. The original payment is fake or will be reversed, and you lose the amount you refunded.

The rental scam

A well-located home at a very low rent, an owner “abroad” who asks for a deposit to post the keys: the home does not exist. Never pay before visiting. See our guide Renting a home in France.

The fake job offer

You are asked to pay for training or equipment, or to receive money into your account and forward it. In the second case you risk being drawn into money laundering.

The fake bank adviser

A call appears to come from your bank (the displayed number can be faked) and warns you about a “suspicious transaction”. You are then asked to approve an operation, read out a code or install an app. Hang up and call your bank back on the number you know.

Untraceable payment methods

Prepaid card vouchers, cash transfers, cryptocurrency and money transfers abroad are very hard to recover. A seller who insists on them should worry you.

3. Tips for sellers

• For a bank transfer, check that the money has arrived in your own banking app — not on a screenshot or an email.
• For a bank cheque, call the issuing bank yourself, using a number you found independently.
• Never hand over the item until you are sure you have been paid.
• Do not publish unnecessary information (exact address, when you are away) in your ad.

4. Protect your personal data

Only share copies of your ID when it is necessary and with an identified person. Where possible, add a watermark stating the purpose (for example “Rental application — date”). Use a different password for each service and turn on two-factor authentication for important accounts.

5. What TamilMarket does — and does not do

TamilMarket is a publication platform: we do not handle payments between users and we will never ask you for a password or a code received by text. Ads are published by their authors and are not checked one by one. If an ad looks fraudulent, use the “Report this ad” button: reports are confidential and reviewed by the team. Our rules are in Posting rules.

6. If you are a victim

1. Contact your bank immediately to block your card or try to stop a transfer.
2. Keep the evidence: screenshots of the ad, messages, phone numbers and receipts.
3. File a complaint with the police or gendarmerie; an online pre-complaint is possible in some cases.
4. Report illegal content on the official Pharos platform (internet-signalement.gouv.fr) and get help at cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.
5. Tell the platform where the ad was published.

Frequently asked questions

Is it risky to put my phone number in an ad?

Your number becomes public and you may receive unwanted messages. You can say you prefer WhatsApp, or contact at certain times. In every case, never give a code received by text to someone contacting you about your ad.

A buyer wants to send a courier to collect the item: what should I do?

Be very careful: this scenario often comes with a fake payment or a fake “delivery” link. Prefer handing the item over in person, once the payment has really arrived in your account.

I clicked on a suspicious link: what now?

If you entered card details, call your bank immediately. Change the passwords of the accounts concerned, starting with your email, and follow the practical advice on cybermalveillance.gouv.fr.

In short

No codes, no payment before seeing, no unknown links, no rush. These four habits prevent the vast majority of scams.

Before posting, read how to write a good classified ad, then post for free.