Why paying via social chat is the worst possible choice

The problem with online purchases is never the first one. It's the twentieth. The first twenty times everything goes smoothly, you convince yourself the risk is exaggerated, you let your guard down. On the twenty-first, you get ripped off, and the worst part is that, upon calm judgment, the signs were all there, from the language of the ad to the requested payment method.

Reviews are useful but should be read like a novel: pay attention to the rhythm, the language, the dates. A profile with fifty five-star reviews all written in the same month makes much less of an impression than one with twenty reviews, two of which are a bit off, but spread over a couple of years.

The right of withdrawal, in online purchases, is a powerful but not universal protection. It applies to purchases from professionals, with fourteen days to change your mind. It does not apply, unless otherwise indicated, to purchases between private individuals: what you buy from another user is not protected by the same right, and this is one of the first things we should teach anyone entering the secondary market.

If you've been scammed online, report it. Always. Even for small amounts, even if you're convinced that "it's no use anyway." Reports are the only way the cyber police can reconstruct patterns and close linked accounts. Every report, in aggregate, protects the person after you.

A mental test I always recommend is to ask yourself: if this transaction went wrong, would I have the economic and psychological strength to move on as if nothing happened? If the answer is no, then that item or ticket is too important to be left to the goodwill of a stranger. You need tools that truly protect you, not just trust.

The checklist I use is trivial but I go over it every time. One: does the seller have a profile with history, with dated reviews, not all from this month? Two: are the item's photos unique or have I just seen identical ones on another ad? Three: is the price consistent with the market or is it so low as to be suspicious? Four: what payment method do they propose? If even one answer creaks, I stop.

There are no serious shortcuts, unfortunately. The only things that really work, after years of stories collected, are calm in evaluating the counterparty, a payment method with real protection, and a written record of everything that was said.