Buying and selling via Gumtree can be a fun and exciting experience; the connection with other Community Members, the verbal (or written) exchange, the anticipation and completion of the deal; the whole experience. That said, Gumtree cares about your online safety and privacy, helping ensure that you are protected from receiving unwanted spam or fraudulent replies, by automatically masking the email addresses of buyers and sellers on non-commercial ads. It’s also important to keep informed of trends, patterns and the latest safety tips, in order to help ensure that your experience on the site is a positive one.

Recently, reports have been received regarding fraudulent purchase attempts made, intending to redirect conversations outside the Gumtree messaging platform, to immediately pay for the item in full. Upon acceptance, a false transfer receipt is received via email. Trusting the communication, without reviewing the financial evidence of the payment, the unsuspecting seller then surrenders the item, only to realize later, that they received a fake payment.

The success of the fraudulent request largely relies on verbal/written exchanges being conducted off the Gumtree platform. As such, communication conducted exclusively via site messaging is strongly encouraged, as this helps ensure that your personal information is kept safe and anonymous.  Third-party channels such as SMS messaging and direct email communication should be avoided when conducting business on Gumtree.

If you feel you have received a fraudulent purchase request or have encountered any other activities of concern on the site, kindly reach out directly to our Community Support Team.