Last Updated on July 7, 2023

Beware Of Kijiji Scams!

Kijiji is Canada’s largest online classified ads website. It’s perfect for buying, selling, and trading items, finding a pet, landing a new job, and lots more. However, it’s not all good news because there are some common Kijiji scams that you need to watch out for — and here are three of them.

3 Common Kijiji Scams

#1 — Fake payment scam

In this scam, the scammer will contact the victim, saying that they would like to purchase an item the victim is selling. The scammer will explain how they cannot collect and pay for the item in person and that it will need to be delivered — most often to a location far away, normally in the US.

To cover the shipping costs and hassle, the scammer will offer the victim more money than the asking price — this is designed to pique the victim’s interest and make them trust the scammer. If the victim agrees, the scammer will send them a fake payment notification (almost always via email) such as the one below.

The payment will be completely bogus. The scammer is simply trying to trick the victim into thinking they’ve received the money and it’s OK to ship the item.

Watch out for people offering more than the asking price (they will often be fairly generous, too) and fake payment notification messages sent from suspicious email addresses — outlook.com, gmail.com, and yahoo.com, for example.

#2 — Unsolicited registration emails

Many people online have recently reported receiving an unsolicited Kijiji registration email. Although it is as yet unclear exactly why so many people received these emails, there was a notice on the Kijiji website saying the site is experiencing issues with registration emails.

However, this doesn’t answer the question that many people are wondering: how did someone/something get these email addresses?

Potentially, these people’s email addresses may have been compromised and leaked online or to the dark web. To check if your email address has appeared in a data leak, use the tool below.

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If you want a way to check if your personal data — email addresses, bank account numbers, Social Security number, passport number, and more — have been leaked online, consider checking out Trend Micro ID Security. The app will scan the internet and the dark web 24/7 for your data so if it’s ever leaked, you’ll know about it! Click the button below to learn more and claim your 30-day free trial today.

#3 — Fake items / fake iPhones

Police in Kingston, Ontario recently reminded people to be cautious when buying items from Kijiji and other similar sites, saying that there is a risk that items may not be what they first appear.

In a news release, Kingston Police stated “One recent occurrence involved phones advertised as being Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. The phones come in what appear to be genuine iPhone boxes. The phones look like an iPhone 13 and even indicate it is an iPhone 13 in their settings. However, they are actually running on an Android operating system.”

As with most things, if it seems too good to be true, chances are it is.

Be sure to always check out sellers’ feedback and reviews, so you can be better informed.

If you’ve found this article an interesting and/or helpful read, please share it with friends and family to help keep the online community secure and protected. And don’t forget to leave a like and a comment!