A heads up for Trademe users, I receved this email this morning. Thought i'd share it so as to pass the warning on you all ;)

[email]

Hi scott,

Some of our members have recently received a highly targeted scam email trying to solicit money from Trade Me users.

The offenders guess someone's email address and contact them regarding an item they have recently bid on or asked a question about. They pretend to offer the item for sale, request payment and may suggest completing the sale via SafeTrader.

You're at risk of receiving this email because the first part of your email address matches your user name (e.g. user name 'Tom', email address tom@hotmail.com), and therefore it is easier to guess your email address.

Here are some precautions you can take before paying for an item:

• Never pay by Western Union, Money Gram or any other instant payment method




• Check the email matches the information on your My Trade Me page (i.e. is the item listed under Items I Won?)




• If you wish to complete a transaction via SafeTrader, visit www.safetrader.co.nz, create a membership and follow the instructions




• Change your email address on Trade Me so it is different from your user name

For more information, check out our Safe Computing Centre and Safe Buying Advice, or contact us with any questions.


Regards,
Trade Me

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