Advice and tips on buying and selling between private individuals

News about scams

Vinted Scam: She Bought a Louis Vuitton Bag Thinking It Was Authentic and Got Threatened
- Vinted scams are becoming more common, especially when searching for luxury bags.
- 22 February 24

Hérault Gendarmes Call for Extreme Vigilance: Beware of Fraudulent SMS About Non-Existent Parcels
- More and more scams are appearing in our society, but how do you recognise them and when should you be wary? Fraudulent SMS messages in the form of scams are on the increase.
- 02 August 23

Housing Scam: The Fallacy of Phantom Property Investments Leading to Ruin
- More and more people are falling victim to housing scams, thinking they were getting a good deal between private individuals, only to find themselves ruined.
- 21 July 23

Leboncoin Scam: Business Owner Victim of Identity Theft
- A company director is the victim of identity theft and sees his business deteriorate day by day...
- 12 July 23

Bank card scams: what you need to know!
- Credit card fraud is a form of fraud in which credit card details are used illegally to carry out fraudulent transactions.
- 27 March 23

Gift voucher and gift card scams: how can you avoid them?
- In this article, we'll give you some tips on how to protect yourself from voucher and gift card scams, as well as how to protect your personal data and money when you shop online.
- 07 March 23

Chronopost scams between private individuals
- In this article, we'll take a look at the different types of Chronopost scam targeting private individuals and give you some advice on how to avoid them.
- 02 March 23

iPad and iPhone scams: scammers become engineers!
- We've listed a number of videos that might make you think twice. This scam is spreading fast on classified ad sites!
- 23 February 23

The "magic" smartphone resale scam
- A young girl, accompanied by her mother, travelled many miles by car to buy an iPhone 7 for just £300.
- 23 February 23

Second-hand smartphone now blocked by Free? Warning!
- Free has blocked no fewer than 300,000 phones. If you've bought a second-hand smartphone recently and this problem is happening to you, you're the victim of a fraudster.
- 23 February 23

Whatsapp scam: no, no free tickets for Futuroscope
- Scammers are trying to capitalise on the reputation of Futuroscope to scam individuals using a highly effective channel: Whatsapp.
- 23 February 23

Yvelines: she finds her stolen car on Leboncoin and traps her swindler to get it back
- A woman recognises her stolen car in an advert on Leboncoin. She poses as an ordinary buyer and manages to trap her swindler.
- 23 February 23

10,000 stolen while trying to buy a car
- A woman is scammed out of €10,000 following the purchase of a used car on Leboncoin. The money was paid via a crypto-currency application.
- 23 February 23

Leboncoin: seller kidnapped and assaulted during a sale
- A man was kidnapped, held hostage and raped after a sale on Leboncoin. The attackers thought the engine they had bought was a scam.
- 23 February 23

14 farmers victim of a wooden cheque scam
- A livestock trader, at the origin of a traffic between France and Belgium, would have made 14 victims. A scam using the wooden cheque technique.
- 23 February 23

Criminal network on Leboncoin in Alençon
- 23 people have lodged a complaint against a young man who acted as an intermediary in an internet scam that reached as far as Benin.
- 23 February 23

Internet scam involving 200 victims dismantled
- Gendarmes in the Gard département have succeeded in dismantling a fraud ring. It was an internet-based scam that encouraged victims to order firewood.
- 23 February 23

Leboncoin: Seller loses €1,500 after his piano is stolen
- A resident of Besançon has fallen victim to a scam as a seller on Leboncoin. He wants to alert Internet users to scams on ad sites.
- 23 February 23

Le Pontet: a woman scammed out of more than €2,000 for a fictitious cat
- This mum was desperate to give her family a cat as a Christmas present, but her scammers decided otherwise. She paid almost €2,000 for a cat she never saw. An investigation has been launched.
- 23 February 23

Val d'Oise: Fake Cartier bracelets sold for 800 euros
- A woman was arrested by gendarmes and convicted of fraud for selling counterfeit Cartier bracelets on a classified ads website.
- 23 February 23

Loir-et-Cher: woman in her sixties sentenced for Leboncoin scams
- Sentenced to a 3-month suspended prison sentence. In 2018, the accused carried out a series of scams on the famous classified ads website, Leboncoin.
- 23 February 23

Playstation 5: between theft and scams
- Since the pre-orders in September 2020, when they are not scams, the PS5 is the subject of "auctions" at exorbitant prices on Ebay or Leboncoin.
- 23 February 23

They spent €500 on Facebook for a fake license they never received
- A Belgian couple lost €500 when they tried to buy a fake driving licence through an advert posted on Facebook.
- 23 February 23

Containment has a considerable impact on cyber scams
- With the advent of teleworking and the anxiety-inducing backdrop of this health crisis, online scams are on the rise. Online scammers are having a field day.
- 23 February 23

Five French people tricked by a fake car seller on Leboncoin
- A cybercriminal based in Benin fooled five French citizens by claiming to be selling them a car on the famous classified ads website Leboncoin.
- 23 February 23

Three crooks arrested for scamming €1 million on Leboncoin
- Individuals have impersonated around a hundred people on the Leboncoin website. We take a look at this case in Nantes.
- 23 February 23

PS5: a sale that turns into an ambush
- On Saturday 12 December, a private sale on Facebook Marketplace turned into an ambush.
- 23 February 23

XBOX Series X/S: scams, thefts, rip-offs...
- Every day there are more and more scams surrounding the Xbox Series X/S, and we've compiled a list for you.
- 23 February 23

Around thirty priests victims of a vast fraud
- Around thirty priests have fallen victim to a large-scale organised swindle. Individuals tried to rob a priest with a bad cheque.
- 23 February 23

Vinted sale of a Nintendo Switch goes wrong
- A few weeks ago, a man scammed a Vinted user.
- 23 February 23

Leboncoin scam: €16,500 stolen during an Audi purchase ambush
- A man was ambushed when he thought he was buying the car he had spotted on the Leboncoin classified ads website.
- 23 February 23

Garage owner sells 105 cars illegally on Leboncoin
- In the Eure region of France, a 37-year-old man illegally resold a total of 105 vehicles belonging to customers of his garage or to rental agencies.
- 23 February 23

She buys a PS5 but receives two bottles of water
- Thinking she'd stumbled across a bargain on a classified ad site, she ended up paying almost €500 for two bottles of water.
- 23 February 23

Phishing site: Don't use Caroozen.com!
- Over the past few weeks, a fake site for securing payments between individuals has appeared. It is loosely based on Obvy.
- 23 February 23

Finds stolen bikes on Leboncoin
- On Leboncoin, a man recognised the two bikes that had been stolen from his home near Bourg-en-Bresse a few days earlier.
- 23 February 23

Scam on Leboncoin: €5400 in counterfeit notes for a motorbike sale
- An individual who posted an advert on Leboncoin for the sale of his motocross bike was paid with €5,400 in counterfeit notes.
- 23 February 23

Cars bought on Leboncoin with forged cheques
- Two men made a total of €250,000 by trafficking in second-hand cars bought with wooden cheques on Leboncoin and then selling them on.
- 23 February 23

Amateur or professional photographer, beware of scams
- A photographer realised over the years that he had to beware of the many scams on the second-hand classified ads site Leboncoin.
- 23 February 23

Victim of an Airbnb scam between private individuals
- Thibault was the victim of a rental scam on Airbnb. He tells us about his misadventure.
- 23 February 23

They bought PS5s on Leboncoin with counterfeit money
- The Gendarmerie in Meaux have arrested 5 men who tricked several Playstation 5 sellers on Leboncoin into buying them with counterfeit money.
- 23 February 23

Leboncoin head gasket scam in France
- Individuals were using the head gasket scam technique to target individuals on classified ad sites such as Leboncoin.
- 23 February 23

Leboncoin scam: Gîte owner and customers victims of scam
- The owner and guests of a gîte in Saint-Front were the victims of a rental scam on the Leboncoin classified ads site.
- 23 February 23

Paypal account scam: Belgium and France targeted by phishing attacks
- This phishing scam targets French and Belgian PayPal users via e-mails. Be very careful over the next few days!
- 23 February 23

Clubhouse: fake invitation scams between private individuals
- Clubhouse is an audio-based application. Unfortunately, cybercriminals have targeted the application in an attempt to trick Internet users.
- 23 February 23

Major car smuggling ring dismantled
- 9 people have been arrested by the gendarmerie in Vendée in connection with a major fraud.
- 23 February 23

She escaped an attempted scam on Leboncoin: personal account
- Alice recently escaped an attempted scam on Leboncoin while in the process of moving house. She was harassed by her scammers.
- 23 February 23

Buys iPhone on Leboncoin but receives ratatouille
- A young man was scammed after ordering an iPhone from the classified ads site Leboncoin. He did not receive the package he was hoping for.
- 23 February 23

Leboncoin scam: a business victim of identity theft
- A few days ago, at least seven people fell victim to a scam on Leboncoin. They ordered and paid for products they never received.
- 22 February 23

Leboncoin motorhome scam is on the rise
- Over the past few weeks, fraudsters have been impersonating a company and scamming a large number of people with fake ads on Leboncoin.
- 26 August 21

Couple scammed on Leboncoin lose €4500
- This young couple bought a second-hand car on Leboncoin. Unfortunately, they were ripped off and lost €4,500.
- 10 August 21

Leboncoin: €2,000 fine for involvement in a scam
- An Alençon resident has been fined €2,000 for transferring money to Benin from scams on Leboncoin.
- 12 July 21

Students stole bikes to sell on Leboncoin
- Two students in Tarbes are suspected of stealing bicycles from fellow students and selling them on the classified ads website Leboncoin.
- 29 June 21

Leboncoin scam: a couple suspected of reselling stolen goods
- On Friday 21 May, a man and a woman were arrested in Besançon. They were suspected of selling items they had allegedly stolen on Leboncoin.
- 15 June 21

Melun: eleven people attacked during a PS5 scam on Leboncoin
- In Melun, Seine-et-Marne, eleven people fell into the trap of a group of criminals who had posted a fake advert on Leboncoin.
- 12 May 21

Leboncoin: PS4 seller caught in an ambush
- A 14-year-old boy was ambushed, beaten up and robbed of his Playstation 4, which he thought he was selling on the resale website Leboncoin.
- 11 May 21

Toulouse fake subletting scam
- A 23-year-old woman from Toulouse is suspected of running a subletting scam in Toulouse. Here's how she did it.
- 06 May 21

Dyson: a scam between private individuals on Facebook
- Fraudsters are using Dyson's reputation and the v10 to scam individuals on Facebook and Messenger and steal their bank details.
- 05 May 21

Buys fake Rolex in Caen and sues seller
- A man who was ripped off after buying a fake Rolex on a classified ads website has filed a complaint in court against his swindler.
- 04 May 21

Church looters network dismantled: stolen items for sale
- A few days ago, the gendarmerie in Meaux succeeded in dismantling a trafficking operation involving stolen items resold on Leboncoin.
- 15 April 21

Luxury perfumes stolen in Eure and resold on Vinted
- Traders are suspected of specialising in stealing luxury perfumes and reselling them on the Vinted website.
- 14 April 21

Leboncoin scam: he travels 500 km in France to find his swindler
- A man was scammed on the classified ads site Leboncoin. Instead of pressing charges, he travelled 500km to get his computer back.
- 12 April 21

Vinted: victim of a multitude of counterfeit sales
- With 16 million subscribers in France, Vinted attracts its fair share of scams and counterfeits. TF1's "Sept à Huit" devoted an investigation to the subject.
- 31 March 21

Vinted scam between private individuals ends well
- This weekend it was Vinted that was targeted. A crook attempted the impossible.
- 23 March 21

Burglars sold their loot on Leboncoin to make a profit
- A buyer goes to Leboncoin, a classified ads site for private individuals, to make a deal and recognises his stolen lawnmower.
- 19 March 21

Leboncoin scam: Lionel Tim victim of an ambush
- Lionel Tim decided to sell his phone on Leboncoin. The singer recounts how he was mugged during an ambush in the middle of Paris.
- 16 March 21

Escaped an attempted scam on Leboncoin
- A young man almost got ripped off on the famous classified ads website Leboncoin. Fortunately, he managed to discover the deception in time.
- 09 March 21

Facebook scam: a PS5 bought for €1,000 in counterfeit money
- Since their release on 19 November, PlayStation 5s have been in short supply. So some people will do anything to get their hands on a console.
- 04 March 21

Spent a fortune on a Bengal cat and it was a scam
- Unfortunately, scams involving pedigree animals are far from uncommon on classified ad sites such as Leboncoin.
- 19 February 21

Rental scam in Toulouse: swindler takes €15,000
- A scam that is wreaking havoc on classified ad sites: the rental scam. It has claimed many victims in Toulouse.
- 16 February 21

Montpellier: Used Car Sales Scams
- Scammers have claimed eleven victims by pretending to sell second-hand vehicles. Some have been arrested, but others are still at large.
- 16 February 21

Leboncoin scam: Graffiti artist Jace victim of counterfeiting
- Reunionese artist Jace, creator of the famous Gouzou, is warning his fans to beware of counterfeit products to avoid falling into the trap of a scam.
- 15 February 21

A couple swindled 34 victims on the Leboncoin website
- Two individuals are suspected of defrauding numerous internet users by publishing false ads on Leboncoin, in order to collect money from the victims.
- 08 February 21

Sarthe: a couple scammed out of their money by bounced cheques
- In Villeneuve-en-Perseigne, near Alençon, a couple were the victims of a bad cheque scam following the sale of their car.
- 02 February 21

Russian hackers managed to steal $6 million from foreigners in 2020
- Around twenty Russian hacker groups have managed to steal more than $6.2 million from American, European and CIS citizens.
- 02 February 21

63 parents ripped off by a mother who didn't send her items
- Recently, a mother of 3, who was pregnant with her fourth child, harmed 63 parents by scamming them via online ad sites.
- 29 January 21

Woman swindled out of more than €10,000 on Facebook Marketplace
- A Belgian woman in her sixties was swindled out of more than €10,000 when she placed an ad for a piece of furniture for sale at €30.
- 27 January 21

Leboncoin scam: Buyer tricked when trying to purchase an iPhone for 800 euros
- A buyer was tricked on the Leboncoin ad site. The individual only wanted to buy an iPhone for 800 euros. Here's a look back at his misadventure.
- 08 December 20

Armed robbery following a Leboncoin advert
- Responding to an advert on Leboncoin for a computer, a couple ended up being robbed last Saturday.
- 14 September 20

He ends up in his pants and tied up in a forest, after a car sale between private individuals
- A disconcerting story that took place in the east of the country, in Remiremont. A man spent an hour tied up in the forest following an incident involving the sale of a car between private individuals.
- 28 January 20

Manslaughter following a Leboncoin scam
- In Pas-de-Calais at the end of July, a young man accidentally killed a man who was trying to steal money from him following a fake appointment.
- 09 August 19

He tampered with car meters and sold them on Leboncoin
- A 37-year-old man was arrested in the Val-d'Oise region in mid-July following the discovery of a used car scam.
- 09 August 19

Network of Car Scammers Dismantled
- The fine team of swindlers set up false credit files in order to acquire new vehicles that had never been paid for.
- 16 May 19

Sold two phones on Leboncoin and was paid in counterfeit money
- Earlier this week, a woman tried to secure the sale of two smartphones. She ended up with €850 in counterfeit notes.
- 08 May 19

Couple convicted of classified ad scams
- On 25 April 2019, a couple aged 22 and 23 were tried by the Caen Criminal Court.
- 02 May 19

Leboncoin scam: 33 victims complain about goods never received
- On 8 April, Franck R. will answer for his actions before the Amiens court. He defrauded dozens of people between October 2017 and December 2018.
- 19 March 19

Robbed After Responding to a Scooter Ad on Leboncoin
- On Saturday afternoon in Toulon, a web surfer was ambushed after contacting the alleged seller of a second-hand scooter.
- 12 March 19