Safety and scams

• A price far below the usual one for an expensive item, and "urgent".
• They want to talk elsewhere: on another app, by e-mail, by phone "because it is simpler".
• They ask for money first: a deposit, a "reservation fee", a "courier fee".
• They send a payment link or a "courier" page where you should enter your card.
• They claim to be "from Seconda" or that a Seconda courier will come to collect the item and the money.
• They ask for the code you received by SMS, photos of your card or of your ID.
• Photos copied from the internet, a generic description, no answers to concrete questions.
• An account created yesterday, no reviews, pushing very hard.

One sign alone can be a coincidence. Two or three together are almost certainly a scam. Stop and report.

Do not pay a stranger in advance, not part of the price, not a "reservation fee" or "courier fee". When someone asks for advance payment in a conversation, both of you get a warning. The simple rule: see the item, check it, then pay, on the spot.

If the item has to be shipped, choose payment on delivery (cash on delivery) with a real courier company that you contact yourself, not through a link received in a message.

Do not open it and do not enter card details anywhere. These pages imitate a courier or a bank and steal your card. Seconda never sends payment links in messages, and links to other sites are hidden automatically from conversations.

If you already entered your card details, call your bank immediately (the number on the back of the card) and ask them to block the card. Then report the account.

No. Seconda has no couriers of its own and nobody comes "on behalf of Seconda" to collect money or items. Any message, call or e-mail saying so is a scam: hand over nothing, pay nothing and report the account.

Never give them, to anyone, for any reason. The code from the SMS is the key that confirms a payment from your card: whoever has it takes your money. Seconda never asks for your card number, SMS code, password or photos of your card or ID. Messages asking for these are not sent and reach the team. Report the account.

• In a public place, in daylight: a cafe, a shopping centre, in front of a shop.
• Tell someone where you are going or take someone with you.
• Check the item on the spot: switch it on, try it on, look at the serial number and the flaws.
• Pay only after you have checked. Do not pay in advance "to be safe".
• Do not let strangers come to your home and do not go alone to a stranger's home.
• For large amounts, meeting at a bank or an instant transfer made in front of the other person is safer than cash.

• Report the account and the messages (see How do I report). We keep the conversation and hand it to the authorities when the law requires.
• If you gave your card details, call your bank and block the card.
• File a complaint with the police, with screenshots of the conversation and of the payment.
• Do not answer new requests for money "to recover the amount": it is the same scam continuing.

If it is confirmed, the scammer's account is closed.

No, while Seconda runs as a classifieds site. Seconda holds no money, so it cannot refund and does not arbitrate disputes; the sale is between you and the other person. That is why the advice above matters: the item is checked before payment, and payment is made on the spot, not in advance. When payment through the platform is switched on, buyer protection comes with it. Details in the Terms and conditions.

Write to us right away from the Contact page, from the account's e-mail address: we close all sessions and help you change the password. Then change the password on your e-mail too, if it was the same. Check the listings and messages sent in the meantime and report what is not yours.