Given the nature of what social engineers do, such as SEing companies for a replacement of certain Items, sometimes they decide that they'd rather "sell" than keep It for themselves. A very popular selling gateway, Is Internet forums. The majority have a Marketplace section, where the seller & buyer can make the exchange between themselves.
However, this can be a risky process where (for example) the buyer Is susceptible to being scammed. For Instance, If the buyer agrees to the cost of the Item and deposits the money Into the seller's account, why should he send the Item? He's received the cash, so he can simply disappear and never return.
This Is a common social engineering tactic, whereby the SE'er registers on a forum for the sole purpose of scamming as many users as possible, and then moves onto another forum to repeat the process. So what can be done to minimize the risk of being scammed? Let's have a look now.
Use A Trusted Middleman Service:
To significantly help prevent being scammed, It's good practice to use a "trusted middleman" service, which Is often abbreviated as "MM". This person will make sure that both the buyer & seller are protected during the transaction.
Notice how I've also quoted the term "trusted"? The reason being, If the "MM person Is not trustworthy and reputable", then It defeats the purpose of having the service to begin with. He may well be a scammer himself, thus It's of the utmost Importance to carefully select whom you deem as trustworthy. Let's see exactly what the MM service Is all about.
How The Middleman Service Works:
The process Is pretty simple and straightforward. The middleman can be any person you like- a cyber friend, a moderator or administrator on a forum or perhaps someone you've located on a website that specializes In this field. But he/she must be "trusted". How It works Is, the middleman ensures a smooth transaction, by "holding the seller's Item" and "holding the buyer's money". When both the buyer & seller agree to go ahead, the middleman sends the buyer the Item, and then sends the seller the money. It's as simple a that.
Middleman Service Alternative:
There's no doubt that a middleman ("MM") service, Is the way to go when buying & selling, Irrespective of the cost of the Item. But there may come a time where you cannot find someone to fit the role of a trustworthy person. As such, you can opt for an "online service", but as I keep mentioning, It must be "trusted". One service that I personally recommend, Is Escrow. This has been around for many years to date, with a lot of positive feedback. So the next time you're looking at purchasing something from an online user, be sure to use a "middleman" ("MM") service.
