Always use Paypal!! Scammers ask to send them money via Western Union, BidPay, Money Gram etc... Never give anybody your personal information such as credit card number(s), Social Security number etc.

Beware of work-from-home job postings that sound ideal but require you to pay a fee, transfer money, set up a bank account or give too much personal information up front. Research the company before you apply for a position to ensure it's legitimate. A little homework can help you avoid the many scams out there.

Never provide your personal or banking information (e.g. credit card number) to others over the Internet.

Make yourself aware of common scams and fraud - see our Scam Watch section. Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your help in any task.

Use common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is scam.

When buying or selling, you should meet in-person to see the item and exchange money. We encourage face-to-face, local, trading. For personal ease and safety, always ensure you take someone with you. If you're answering a home service ad, ask the poster to produce identity and proof of qualification before inviting them into your home.

If you trust the seller pay only using trusted services like Paypal.com ! In this case the seller is verified (via bank account, credit card etc). Never send or wire money to sellers or buyers. This includes never mailing a cheque or using payment services like Bidpay, Western Union or Money Gram to pay for items found on Zikbay. It is our belief that these forms of funds transfer are favoured by fraudsters. You will not be protected against any losses or damages. Even if paying with Paypal use credit card if possible, you can always dispute transaction with your credit card later. Credit card companies have policy of blacklisting untrusted sellers.

Never send your item before receiving the money.

View properties in person. Zikbay.com is a local community site and we encourage face-to-face, local, trading. People willing to rent a property without seeing it/ or the prospective tenant first, even if they claim that it is because they are currently overseas, are unlikely to be legitimate. For personal ease and safety, always ensure you take someone with you, or if you are inviting someone into your home ask to see personal identification first.

In many coubtries it is illegal for agencies to charge fees for viewing properties/ property listings. Please report to us any agencies advertising on Zikbay that ask for fees upfront.

Never send or wire money to landlords. This includes never mailing a cheque or using payment services like Bidpay, Western Union or Money Gram to pay for items found on Zikbay. It is our belief that these forms of funds transfer are favoured by fraudsters.

Please also take special care when buying expensive items like mobile phones, laptops, plasma TVs, airline tickets and even tickets for shows/gigs. When buying airline tickets we suggest you take the seller's name and ticket number, check the ticket exists and take responsibility yourself for changing the names.

When buying tickets for events please be aware that some tickets may have terms printed on them that limit the ability of the original buyer to sell them to someone else. Some event tickets may also feature a photograph of the original buyer which may mean that anyone other than the original buyer may be refused entry to the event.

For all personal encounters with people you are not familiar with, we stress that you MUST TAKE CARE! Here are our top tips for staying safe:

• If you do decide to meet someone through Zikbay, for your own personal peace of mind and safety, we suIf you do decide to meet someone through Zikbay, for your own personal peace of mind and safety, we suggest that you meet in a very public place and if possible take someone along with you when you first meet the person. If you do not have a friend with you, then ensure that you tell someone exactly what you are doing, where you are going, when you are expected back, and give contact numbers, etc.
  
  
• Once at your rendezvous, if you feel at all uncomfortable with the situation, then we suggest you politely excuse yourself and leave. Do not feel obliged at any time during the encounter to do anything you are uncomfortable with.
  
  

The personal categories are designed for individual people to meet others at a level that they are comfortable with. We promote safe practices and strongly advise people to use common sense and express due caution in every situation.

You should find out as much as you can about the company from independant resources before taking up a position. If you are an employer, follow up on references and check on their authenticity.

Meet your prospective employers/ employees face to face.

You should NOT have to provide your bank account details when applying for a job (this should only be once you have accepted an offer and started with the company). If any jobs ask you for them, please report the ads to Zikbay by clicking on "Report this Ad".

Unfortunately some scammers do target job seekers so please make yourself aware of the common scams out there by looking at Scam Watch. All the usual common sense rules apply - if it looks too good to be true it probably is!