Username scam
Scammers look at your username to try to guess your email address. Learn how to stay safe from username scams.
Scammers try to guess a Trade Me member’s email address based on their username and contact them about fake trades.
How the username scam works
- A member is outbid on an auction they're keen on.
- The scammer guesses the member’s email address by looking at their username. For example, if the username is kev123 the scammer might guess kev123@gmail.com or kev123@hotmail.com.
- The scammer sends emails to these addresses and pretends to be the seller. They tell the member the trade didn't go ahead, and offer the item at a lower price.
- The member ends up sending the scammer money unaware that the email is fake.
Warning signs of a username scam
- You get an email directly from someone offering you a lower price for an auction you were outbid on. This would only happen as a fixed priced offer and come from Trade Me on the seller’s behalf.
- The person who sent the email is pushing you to complete the trade off Trade Me.
Stay safe from username scams
- Don’t use the first part of your email address as your username. For example, if your email is kev123@gmail.com, don’t make your username kev123.
- Stay aware and look for signs of scams anytime you get an email directly from another member.
- Ask the other member to send you a Fixed Price offer through Trade Me.
If you find a listing that looks like a scam, report it through Community Watch.
Thank you for your feedback!