Scams and fraud

Stay ahead of online scams and learn steps to protect yourself, your account, and your money from fraudsters.

Scam alerts

Learn about the latest scams we're spotting on Trade Me, from phishing links to fake job advertisements.

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🚨SCAM ALERT🚨 How to protect yourself from 'buy now' scams

Scammers are targeting everyday sellers like you. Find out what to look for, and how to stop them in their tracks.

8 September 2023

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Freight forward scams: how to spot and avoid them

Selling a vehicle online? We'll show you what to look out for, to keep yourself safe freight forwarding scams.

4 August 2023

A real life example of a survey scam email: "Congratulations! You have been selected to participate in an anonymous google survey. Upon completion you will be offered an exclusive free gift for your participation."
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Scam safety: How to spot a sneaky survey scam

Check out our guide to learn what survey scams are, what they look like, and how to avoid them.

1 September 2023

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Scam safety: How to avoid puppy scams

Pet scammers prey on your emotions and push you to buy. Find out what to look out for.

6 September 2023

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Scam safety: 5 tips to help you avoid job scams

With recruitment scams on the rise, knowing how to avoid them is more important than ever.

7 July 2023

Account security

Protect your Trade Me account. Get advice on creating strong, unique passwords and security best practices to prevent unauthorized access.

How to stay safe from scammers
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How to Keep Your Trade Me Account Safe

We're always working to keep our community safe from scammers. Follow these simple tips secure your account.

10 September 2025

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Protect yourself: Our top password tips for a secure account

Our expert password tips – to help keep you and your accounts safe online.

26 May 2023

Online safety

Find out how to protect your data and keep yourself safe online.

Trade Me will never ask you to confirm your password or login details over email. Keep your account secure from hackers by using unique passwords for all your online accounts, and changing these regularly.
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Top five tips for staying safe online

With online scams becoming more sophisticated, there are some things you should know so you can protect yourself.

1 September 2023

A person at their computer entering their credit card details online
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Protect your credit card details from scammers

Check out our safety tips to protect yourself against credit card fraud.

1 September 2023

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Scam safety: Our top tips for avoiding phishing scams

With phishing scams on the rise, knowing how to avoid them is more important than ever. We'll show you how.

9 October 2023