Don't become a victim of fraud - buy without risk!

The State Police informs that this year there have been cases of fraud where farmers are offered to purchase tractor equipment through advertisements that they have never seen in real life. This is a popular fraud scheme in which non-existent agricultural equipment is sold, demanding an advance payment.

Fraudsters post photos of the agricultural machinery in question and its technical description on advertising portals, offering a deal at a price that is often lower than the market value. Fraudsters contact potential buyers by phone or e-mail. Mutual communication continues until the fraudsters send the potential customer a prepared invoice for the down payment in order to organize the further sale of the product. At the moment when the buyer has made the relevant payment, communication ends and there is no more news from the fraudster and the purchased product.

Tips for safe shopping:

• If you have initiated electronic communication with a distributor of an existing company, you should check how the company name and employee's email address are spelled, as similar names are most often created by simply changing a letter or varying the punctuation in the email address.

• Especially evaluate the purchase of equipment if you have only seen a photo of it, but have not seen the product in person. – Ask the seller for the opportunity to view the equipment. If this is not allowed, there is reason to be suspicious. – If you cannot view the product right now due to pandemic-related safety restrictions, it will be safer to postpone the purchase until later.

• Don't be fooled by the urgency! Fraudsters often claim that the transaction must be completed urgently to prevent you from thinking and assessing the risks.

• If buying from a legal entity, do some research online to see if others have had bad experiences with that seller.

• Do not transfer an advance payment unless you are sure that the transaction is secure!