Website Buying Scams and Fraud
Buying Websites May 30th, 2007There are thousands of websites listed for sale every day, but how do you know who to trust?
The Old Duck Cash Scam
There are a few things you can do to ensure you do not get scammed.
1) Use archive.org to see the history of the website. Avoid any adult or potentially unsafe material.
2) Go to Alexa.com to get a rough idea of the site’s traffic. Compare this to the stats the buyer has published.
3) If you are buying from a forum, look at the members previous posts or sales. Also be aware of any negative feedback he/she may have had.
4) Always use Escrow for larger payments and Paypal for all others.
5) For larger purchases, ask the MidasCode.co.uk to do the due diligence on the site for you.
Overall the most important aspect is to use common sense. If something sounds too good, it probably is.
Dean
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May 30th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Great tips, thanks Dean. I was wondering which Escrow service you recommend? The first site I purchased involved sending half the payment, followed by the transfer of domain and then the final payment. It was a fairly risky endeavour and I think that using a trusted Escrow is a better solution. But which service is most trustworthy, provides a good service and is competitively priced?
May 30th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
Kmander.
Thanks for the comment.
If security is your main issues, then what I do is use Paypal for deals at $10k and under. Then I get a lawyer to draw-up a contract for deals any higher than that.
Dean
May 31st, 2007 at 9:30 am
Sorry, I didn’t address your escrow question…
With regards to Escrow, the only one I have experience of is ESCROW.com - but I do understand a lot of people have good things to say about: http://www.moniker.com/aftermarket/escrow.jsp
I hope this helps.
Dean