Scams and fraud exist on the internet. Responsible buying and selling is essential to reduce your risk.

These tips can help you reduce the possibility of fraud.

As either a buyer or a seller on Homesales, you will receive emails from Homesales.

Unfortunately there are individuals who trick and mislead people to believe that they are dealing with carsales.com Limited/Homesales, when in fact they are not.

To help protect yourself from unauthorised emails remember:

• We will never send you an email that asks you to confirm or provide personal information, your login or password or request payment
• Emails from carsales.com Limited/Homesales will have a Homesales Website URL i.e. support@homesales.com.au

Protect yourself against unauthorised access to your advertisement:

• Only log onto your advertisement through a Carsales Network URL or address i.e. www.homesales.com.au  
• If you do click on a link - check the website address carefully. Fake websites are sometimes created with similar addresses. Carsales Network website pages will always have a Carsales Network URL i.e. www.homesales.com.au. If in doubt, log onto the Carsales Network website manually.
• If you think your advertisement has been accessed by an unauthorised person contact the Homesales customer support team on 1300 291 914, Monday to Friday, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm or email us directly.

Protect yourself when selling your home:

• Find out who you are dealing with: ask for a name and contact phone number and ring the number to check if it is legitimate

Before you hold an inspection:

• Ensure you have a friend or family member with you at the property.
• If you are unable to have someone attend with you let a friend or family member know you are holding a property inspection and that you will call them once the inspection has concluded
• Give friends or family the name, contact number and any personal details you have received from the buyer.
• If in doubt about a buyer, don't rush into an inspection or a sale. .

You can help to make buying a vehicle safer by following these tips:

Protect yourself against fake and fraudulent advertisements:

• Don't rush to buy if the advertisement seems too good to be true
• Be suspicious if a property is advertised at a very low price
• Find out who you are dealing with: ask for a name and contact phone number
• Ring the number to check if it is legitimate
• Before you buy, check the property is still listed on www.homesales.com.au (if we suspect an advertisement we will suspend or withdraw it from display)
• Electronic money transfers such as Western Union are not intended to be used to send money to strangers. Never pay a stranger by electronic funds transfer. Always use your solicitor or conveyancer to handle the transfers.
• Never agree to deposit money in a bank account or via escrow
• Homesales does not offer an 'escrow' or similar service

It is difficult to define a "scam" as scammers are often sophisticated criminals, who invent new scams frequently.

It is important to note that the examples below are not exhaustive. Scammers invent new scams all the time. You should protect yourself by educating yourself on how to recognise, report and protect yourself from scams. Visit www.scamwatch.gov.au for more information.

An example of a common scam is "Phishing". Phishing scams include an attempt to criminally acquire sensitive information, such as usernames or passwords.

For example, you receive a fake email claiming to be from Homesales Support asking you to click on a link to 'confirm your Homesales username and password'. Homesales will never send you an email requesting you to confirm your login/password details..

Phishing is a type of fraud, whereby a scammer attempts to deceive you into giving away financial account numbers, passwords and other valuable private information.
They send a hoax email pretending to be from a legitimate company and request you to click on a link. This will either install malicious software onto your computer or direct you to a false website, where you are asked to provide valuable private information. These details are then collected and fraudulently used.
If you have any doubts as to the legitimacy of an email always call the organization directly and verify that it is from them! Protect yourself by adhering to the following guidelines:

• Only open email attachments and links if you’re expecting them and know what they contain
• When responding to emails, never provide login details or personal information
• When accessing websites that require you to provide critical information, always type the regular URL into a fresh web browser (or use your favourites menu)
• Never enter personal information in a pop-up screen (phishers also use unauthorized pop-up screens to collect private details.
• Know that phishing can happen on the phone
• Protect your computer with spam filters, and up to date anti-virus and anti-spyware software
• Act immediately if you’ve been scammed and notify the organisation that has been fraudulently misrepresented

Scams and fraud exist on the internet. Responsible buying and selling is essential to reduce the risk of you being the victim of a scam.
It is difficult to define a "scam" as scammers are often sophisticated criminals, who invent new scams all the time.
An example of a recent scam is when a consumer is contacted by a scammer via SMS.
The SMS advises the consumer that they have won a prize. Often these SMS's appear to be from a company you have an existing relationship with. The SMS directs you to a website where you are asked to submit your personal and credit card details. Do not under any circumstances provide such information.
Please note that Homesales will never SMS you, or ask for your credit card details in this manner.

If you think you have seen a scam or have been scammed by a buyer or seller you can contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission:

• By phone on: 1300 302 502; or
• By an online report by following the links on www.scamwatch.gov.au.

They can direct you to the best government agency depending on where you live and the type of scam.

You should also report the matter to Homesales by contacting the Homesales customer support team on  1300 291 914, Monday to Friday, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm or email us directly. You should always use this phone number or email, rather than any phone number or email that appeared in any suspected scam email you have received.

You should also contact the police if you have had your money or property stolen or been threatened or assaulted by a buyer or seller.

To keep up to date with the latest scams and what you can do to protect yourself visit www.scamwatch.gov.au.