I'm sorry to hear you encountered this!
The classifieds system is intended for Villagers only. We try our best on the site to prevent scammers from creating accounts through our moderation system in place for all new users. Newly registered users may be flagged for IP addresses, among other indicators to help prevent any scammers from getting on the site. However, it is impossible to prevent scammers from getting in at times. Due to this, we have tried our best to publish posts as well as send news blasts with information concerning red flags to watch out for with scammers. The big two we always caution of are potential buyers suggesting sending cashier's checks or using gift cards as a form of payment.
I noticed another user mentioning to reach out via the contact us page, which I urge all users to do if they encounter this sort of activity. Just remember, if you have been targeted, that scammer is probably trying it with others, so the sooner we can figure out their username/email, the sooner we can ban them as well as their IP address. You can also always send me a DM on here as well.
All that being said, I will work on creating a new informational post about red flags as well as discuss with my team about any additional steps we can take to prevent scammers.
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