iPinoyMarket, as an online buying and selling site, is not involved in any  transaction between the buyer and seller in whatever capacity. We do not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow service, or offer buyer protection or seller certification.

 iPinoyMarket will try to keep the site free from scammers as well as from fraudulent and deceitful transactions. If you suspect that an iPinoyMarket ad or post may be part of a scam, please send us the detail and we will look into it.

Buying Safely

• Never pay in advance to any seller that you do not know.
• Don’t send money, whether it’s cash, check or direct bank transfer, if you have never seen the item.
• Do not feel confident even if the seller provides you with his personal information or bank account number. This does not guarantee your protection from being cheated.
• Keep things local by meeting face-to-face with the seller to see the item and exchange money. Follow this rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts.
• For your personal safety, meet the seller in a well-lit public place like a mall or train station. If possible, always take someone with you, or at least tell someone where you are going.
• Never carry large sums of money with you. When buying a branded or expensive item, we recommend that you meet with the seller first to check the item out for authenticity. If you wish to proceed with the purchase, either go to the bank with the seller to make the payment or arrange to meet somewhere safe with the money.
• Make sure you are satisfied and happy with the item you are about to purchase before finalizing the transaction.
• Be careful with requests for payment using transfer services like Western Union, MoneyGram or any other wire service. These services aren’t meant for sending money to someone you do not know. These forms of payment thru fund transfers are the ones usually used by fraudsters or scammers.
• If you are purchasing goods or services from registered companies, please make sure you check the company’s status and legitimacy before hading over your money.
• When possible, request for an original receipt or a written receipt for the purchase.
• Take extra caution when the seller keeps pushing you to complete the transaction, or when the seller asks for your ID and/or financial information (e.g. bank account number, credit card number, eBay or PayPal info, etc.). Never provide the seller with any of this information.
• Be always on the lookout for warning signs that you are dealing with a scammer. If in doubt, contact iPinoyMarket for advice or don’t proceed with the transaction.
• If you were defrauded by someone you met in person, contact your local police department.
• Use your common sense. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Selling Safely

• Never send the item you are selling before payment arrangements have been finalized.
• Keep things local by meeting face-to-face with the buyer to exchange items and money at the same time. Follow this rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts.
• If the buyer is paying using a secure payment method, check that the credit amount is showing as cleared funds on your balance.
• Paying with fake cashier’s checks or money orders is very common, so be on the lookout. The banks will cash them but will hold you responsible once they are found to be fake a few weeks later.
• For your personal safety, meet the buyer in a well-lit public place like a mall or train station. If possible, always take someone with you, or at least tell someone where you are going.
• Be always on the lookout for warning signs that you are dealing with a scammer. If in doubt, contact iPinoyMarket for advice or don’t proceed with the transaction.
• If you were defrauded by someone you met in person, contact your local police department.
• Use your common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

How to Recognize a Scam

The following are the warning signs of a scam that you should look out for:

Examples of scams:

• Someone claims that iPinoyMarket will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, or claims that iPinoyMarket will handle or provide protection for a payment. The scammer may send out an official looking email but is actually fake, as iPinoyMarket does not have a role in any transactions.
• Someone who lives far away pays with a cashier’s check that looks genuine but is actually fake. The value of the check far exceeds the agreed price of the item and asks you to wire the surplus amount via money transfer service.
• Someone requests payment via Western Union, MoneyGram or any other wire service.
• Someone who lives far away sends payment by money order and then have you wire money.
• Distant seller suggests use of an online escrow service. Most of these escrow sites are fraudulent and are operated by scammers.
• Distant seller asks for a partial payment in advance before he will ship the item.

Foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers then, have you transfer the funds. They will claim that they are unable to receive the payments from the customers directly and you are offered a percentage of the payments received.

KEEPING YOURSELF SAFE ON THE INTERNET

Here are a few things to remember to keep yourself safe while navigating on the internet:

• Be very careful on what you post. Never share your personal information (like name, age, address, etc.) as well as your financial information (bank account and credit card numbers, etc.) with any website that you do not trust or anyone you meet on the internet.
• Never share your usernames and passwords, even with family and close friends.
• Never click on emails from anyone you don’t know and every link that comes your way.
• As much as possible, always check the website’s security setting.
• Keep your computer safe by equipping it with security measures like firewall, updated anti-spyware and anti-virus programs.
• One fraudulent method of obtaining your personal information online is phishing. It is an attempt to steal information (e.g. usernames, passwords, financial information, etc.) from internet users, typically by sending an email that looks as if it is from a legitimate organization, but contains a link to a fake website that replicates the real one. They can then use the information you provided to gain access to your actual account.
• Here are ways to avoid phishing attempts and protect your account information:
• You could be a victim of phishing if you see strange activities or unfamiliar posts on your account page. The best thing to do is to change your password immediately and manually delete the ads.
• If you use the same password for your email account (or any other services), you may need to change those passwords as well.

List of Prohibited Items

• Pornographic and adult materials
• Weapons, ammunitions and related items (e.g. firearms, switchblade knives, martial arts weapons, silencers, BB guns, stun guns, tear guns, burglary tools, etc.)
• Fireworks (e.g. explosives, destructive devices, grenades, etc.)
• Prohibited, prescription, regulated and over-the-counter drugs and medical devices (e.g. contact lenses, hypodermic needles, hearing aids, drug paraphernalia, etc.)
• Alcohol and tobacco products
• Blood and human body parts (e.g. organs, bone, sperm, eggs, etc.)
• Animal parts, endangered or protected animals and taxidermy animals
• Illegal telecommunications equipment
• Digital products (e.g. e-tickets, email address, domain names and online accounts)
• Amulets and talisman
• Used underwear
• Vehicle registration documents
• Radio, TV and Internet recordings
• Multilevel Marketing (MLM), pyramid and trading schemes
• Lottery tickets
• Personal information or mailing lists

List of Prohibited Services

1. Childcare
2. SMS Services
3. Massage and Spa treatment
4. Escorts
5. Freelance Models
6. Domestic help
7. Matchmaking and Dating Service
8. Therapies, including but not limited to, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Services
9. Counseling
10. Gaming: Lottery, Video Karera, Jueteng, Hilo, Masiao, Number Card Prediction and Reading Services, Sakla, and others
11. Business Partnership
12. Loan and Financing
13. Black Magic Services

List of Prohibited Job Postings

1. Nanny and Childcare and Domestic help
2. Non-Commercial Housekeeping Jobs
3. Escorts
4. Massage Therapists, Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists
5. Modeling and Casting
6. All sort of Auditions (Theater, Dance, Modeling, etc.)

 

*** All of the above restricted postings will be automatically suspended.