The propsail guide

Fraud Awareness

Online shopping has changed our lives in many ways for the better; however, it has also increased the threat of internet fraud. Our team wants to make sure you are equipped with the knowledge needed to use our site safely for everything from negotiating to financing to resale. Combating internet fraud is an ongoing process for all companies, and at Propsail.com, we take seriously our role in the boating marketplace as a trusted content provider.

Don’t Let A Scam Keep You On The Dock

While the vast majority of listings and inquiries to the listings on Propsail are legitimate, we want our users to be aware that there are individuals who could use the site for illegitimate purposes. They may contact our sellers and express an interest in purchasing for the sole purpose of scamming the seller. While we have made it a bit more challenging fraudsters could potentially create a sales listing solely for the purpose of scamming potential buyers.

While Propsail has implemented measures to help prevent fraud on the Propsail.com platform, the burden ultimately lies with you, the user, to make the final determination on whether that, “too good to be true” boat is legit or is not. Many times if you question it, its best to walk away. Exercise caution, common sense and don’t become a victim.

Red Flags, It's in the Details

These are some things that could have completely reasonable explanations, but should raise a level of suspicion. Evaluate how the listing and images add up. One of the major benefits about our seller's ability to include more information and photos in our listings, makes for more opportunities for a scammer to slip up. 

Registration Numbers If this boat was listed for sale in Michigan, this Florida registration should be a red flag to any buyer. Ask the seller for clarification in a nondescript way and without bringing attention to the detail you’ve picked up. See if there is a logical explanation or a potential slip up. A conflicting answer might already be in the description.	Interior and Exterior Schemes Most of us have looked over countless images of boats for sale. We pay attention to the details and this is an area where scammers slip up. At a glance you might not notice; but this happens frequently on scam ads. Subtle differences in color ways and stitch patterns are a sure fire way to identify fraudulent sales listings.	Listing Location Similar to the registration numbers, the setting where pictures are taken can also be a good detail to pick up is something is a miss. If a seller lists a boat for sale in Ft Lauderdale and the listing photos show snow on the ground, serious red flag. It’s easy for a scammer to copy a listing, and post it in another geographic region.

What to look out for when communicating with a buyer or seller

• Poor grammar, foreign scammers typically don’t use proper grammar. Translation programs are very literal, and do not produce proper syntax, English written this way is awkward and usually ungrammatical. E.g. “So kindly get back to me with your PayPal id so I can effect the payment immediately. Hoping to read back from you soonest.”

• Referring to the boat listed as an item. E.g. “Is your item available,” or “I hope your item is in excellent condition.”

• Email addresses with long number sequences or their name does not match up. E.g. Timothy.john141427834sq@yahoo.com, yet they respond, sincerely Justin James.

• Producing an unprovoked situational explanation, involving the Peace Corps, Red Cross, generally anything to do with Haiti or that they are a second cousin of an Ethiopian astronaut.

• Propsail users should exercise caution and/or avoid buyers and sellers who are currently out of the country or claim to reside overseas. 

• Be extremely wary if the buyer/seller refuses to, or claims he or she “cannot ever” talk on the phone. 

• Avoid sending any payments with Western Union, Money Gram or Zelle, as both are used as primary payment methods for scammers.

• Exercise caution with payment processes that involve prepaid debit or gift cards. A fraud trend that exists is the fraudster sending you a cashier’s check for more than the purchase amount of your boat and asking you to send the difference back to them via wire, gift card or some other means. These cashier’s checks are almost always counterfeit and your bank will potentially hold you liable for all losses incurred.

Our Promise

The Propsail team will continue to implement new measures to aid in the protection of our users from internet fraud. Scams are getting more and more complex but, as a community if we work together we can keep a leg up on them. Keep in mind that Propsail.com does not own, buy or sell the watercraft listed on our site. We also do not get involved in transactions between buyers and sellers. Any correspondence you have regarding a particular watercraft occurs directly between you and the other party. We will never ask you to provide personal or financial information via email. If you receive an unsolicited email that claims to be from Propsail, reach out to us to verify it prior to taking any further action. Please inform us immediately, at fraud@propsail.com, if you notice anything suspicious with another user, or have firsthand experience with a fraud attempt on propsail.com. If you have concerns about the credibility of a listing, we have some measures we can take to help clarify any concerns.