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Über Redwired kann man sich mit wenig Aufwand selbst darstellen, Kontakt zu Freunden aufnehmen und neue Freunde finden. Du solltest jedoch immer daran denken, dass das, was du veröffentlichst, dir später peinlich sein oder dich in Gefahr bringen könnte. Hier sind ein paar praktische Richtlinien, die du im Umgang mit Redwired befolgen solltest:
- Vergiss nicht, dass dein Profil und einige Redwired-Seiten öffentlich zugänglich sind. Du solltest dort nichts veröffentlichen, was andere nicht wissen sollen (z. B. deine Telefonnummer, Adresse, IM-Bildschirmname oder dein jeweiliger Aufenthaltsort). Außerdem solltest du keine Angaben veröffentlichen, mit denen ein Fremder dich problemlos aufspüren kann, beispielsweise wo du immer nach der Schule abhängst.
- Die Leute geben sich nicht immer als diejenigen aus, die sie wirklich sind. Sei besonders vorsichtig, wenn du Fremde auf deine Freundesliste setzt. Es macht Spaß, Kontakt zu neuen Redwired-Freunden auf der ganzen Welt zu knüpfen. Du solltest dich jedoch nicht mit Leuten zu einem Treffen verabreden, die du nicht gut kennst. Wenn du unbedingt jemanden treffen musst, dann verabrede dich an einem öffentlichen Ort und bring einen Freund oder einen Erwachsenen mit, dem du vertraust.
- Belästigung, hasserfüllte Mitteilungen oder unangemessene Inhalte sollten gemeldet werden. Wenn du glaubst, dass sich jemand unangemessen verhält, dann tue etwas dagegen. Sprich mit einem Erwachsenen, dem du vertraust, oder melde den Vorfall Redwired oder der Polizei.
- Veröffentliche nichts, was dir später peinlich sein könnte. Denke sorgfältig darüber nach, bevor du ein Foto hochlädst oder Infos postest, die deine Eltern oder dein Chef nicht sehen sollen!
- Du solltest dich nicht als älter oder jünger ausgeben, als du bist. Wenn du falsche Angaben zu deinem Alter machst, wird dein Profil von Redwired gelöscht.
Weitere Informationen findest du hier:
Speziell für Redwired Produkte:
Avoiding scams and fraud
You can sidestep would-be scammers by following these common-sense rules:
- DEAL LOCALLY WITH FOLKS YOU CAN MEET IN PERSON - follow this one simple rule and you will avoid 99% of the scam attempts on redwired.
- NEVER WIRE FUNDS VIA WESTERN UNION, MONEYGRAM or any other wire service - anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer.
- FAKE CASHIER CHECKS & MONEY ORDERS ARE COMMON, and BANKS WILL CASH THEM AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE when the fake is discovered weeks later.
- REDWIRED IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY TRANSACTION, and does not handle payments, guarantee transactions, provide escrow services, or offer "buyer protection" or "seller certification"
- NEVER GIVE OUT FINANCIAL INFORMATION (bank account number, social security number, eBay/PayPal info, etc.)
- AVOID DEALS INVOLVING SHIPPING OR ESCROW SERVICES and know that ONLY A SCAMMER WILL "GUARANTEE" YOUR TRANSACTION.
Who should I notify about fraud or scam attempts?
If you suspect that an item posted for sale on redwired may be part of a scam, please email the details to "admin@redwired.org". Be sure to include the URL in your message.
Recognizing scams
Most scams involve one or more of the following:
- inquiry from someone far away, often in another country
- Western Union, Money Gram, cashier`s check, money order, shipping, escrow service, or a "guarantee"
- inability or refusal to meet face-to-face before consumating transaction
Examples of Scams
1. Someone claims that redwired will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, OR claims that redwired will handle or provide protection for a payment
- These claims are fraudulent, as redwired does not have any role in any transaction.
- Scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from redwired, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services -- all such emails are fakes!
2. distant person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier`s check
- you receive an email (examples below) offering to buy your item, or rent your apartment, sight unseen.
- cashier`s check is offered for your sale item, as a deposit for an apartment, or for just about anything else of value.
- value of cashier`s check often far exceeds your item - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service
- banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases!
- scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc)
3. Someone requests wire service payment via Western Union or MoneyGram:
- Scam "bait" items include apartments, laptops, plasma TVs, cell phones, tickets - but could be almost anything
- Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is FALSE, once you`ve wired money, it is GONE.
- Common countries currently include: Nigeria, Romania, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Netherlands - but could be anywhere
- Apartment listing may be local, but landlord/owner is "travelling" or "relocating" and needs you to wire money to them abroad
- Deal often seems too good to be true, price is too low, rent is below market, etc
4. distant person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money:
- this is ALWAYS a scam, in our experience - the cashier`s check is FAKE
- sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise, sometimes not
- scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check
- deal often seems too good to be true
5. distant seller suggests use of an online escrow service.
- most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT, operated by scammers
- for more info, do a google search on "fake escrow" or "escrow fraud"
6. distant seller asks for a partial payment upfront, after which he will ship goods
- he says he trusts you with the partial payment
- he may say he has already shipped the goods
- deal often sounds too good to be true
7. foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers, then wiring funds
- foreign company may claim it is unable to receive payments from its customers directly
- you are typically offered a percentage of payments received
- this kind of "position" may be posted as a job, or offered to you via email
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