Scammers fake hay while the sun shines

THERE have been reports of farmers across Victoria being scammed on Facebook while trying to purchase hay. This is a particularly callous move by the scammers, given the current drought conditions.

When purchasing on Facebook, always look at when the seller joined Facebook and how many friends they have on the site. This can be a key indicator. Look at their profile page as well as their seller page.

If they joined in recent days and they only have a few friends, there may be reason for suspicion.

Their account may be a duplicate of a real person on Facebook. Most regular users will have received friend requests from people who they are already friends with.

While sometimes this may be legitimate, it should also ring very loud warning bells and care should be taken before re-friending.

Your friendship may be used to legitimise scam sales or other scam posts, and your friend may know nothing about it.

Never, under any circumstances, send money in advance. This includes deposits.

Purchase only from reputable suppliers and be very careful if you decide to source hay via online marketplace ads.

As the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says, “Scammers advertise hay for sale and ask for a deposit, with the balance payable in cash on delivery.

But the hay never arrives and the scammer stops all communication. Never pay money to…

Image: Be cautious if purchasing hay via social media site. by Flagstaffotos