Area code +234 WhatsApp: That can be behind it
Selling things you no longer need on classifieds portals is an alternative to throwing them away for many people. However, you should be suspicious when contacted by people with a +234 area code.
That's mostly what's behind it
The country code +234 stands for the country code of Nigeria, a West African country that has gained international notoriety through the scams of its cybercriminals. The classified ads scam is also a well-known fraud variant that many criminals from this country use.
The aim of the scam is to obtain your personal information such as your name, email address and IBAN. You usually get one Whatsapp- Message in more or less good German asking you to provide this information, giving flimsy reasons. With this information, scammers can attempt to withdraw money from your account. Alternatively, the scammers fake a message from Paypal.
In addition, the scammers ask you to send the goods for sale to an address in Germany, often to a PO box in a larger city or a straw man. Of course, you will never receive payment for the goods shipped. Any money transferred will usually be returned.
How to prevent the scam
Prevention is the best way to combat damage - following this principle, you should take the first steps when creating your classified ad to counteract this scam.
- Do not give out your cell phone number, but communicate with potential buyers via the sales portal's messaging function.
- If you gave your email address, be careful who is sending you a message.
- numbers from the Abroad should always be treated with particular suspicion, but you should also be wary of domestic numbers.
- Also, never give out your bank details to strangers and pay attention to the actual shipping address in messages that claim to be from PayPal. A completely different e-mail address is often hidden behind the alleged PayPal message. The payment function of the sales platform is more secure.
- If you suspect that the other person is a scammer, it is best to break off contact immediately and report the attempted fraud to the customer service of the classifieds platform.
Do you want to ship something to Nigeria? If the recipient is an acquaintance or...
What to do if the scam has already worked?
If you have already given your bank details or sent your goods, in many cases it is already too late and you can only limit the damage.
- In any case, you should contact your local police and provide all information, such as the address of the shipment. Possibly the perpetrators are already known or have been arrested.
- Also, when you give out your bank details, be sure to look at your bank statements. If the fraudsters have money debited from your account by direct debit, you can have this booked back within 13 months.
