General Safety Guidelines

While most buying and selling stuff are trustworthy and reliable, there are always a few unscrupulous punks out there who you need to be cautious of, in order to maintain a safe trading environment.  This goes for those you deal with in person AND online.

• Whenever possible, deal with people who you can meet in person. This will help eliminate most potential security issues.
• Consider bringing along a friend when you meet the buyer or seller, especially on high-ticket items.
• Never pay for goods and services in advance.
• Be suspect if the items are priced much less than usual.  If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
• Be suspect if a seller is putting pressure on you to make a quick decision. Walk away.
• Beware of counterfeit items, such asname brand items, tickets, CD’s, DVD’s, etc.  Fakes are common.  If you suspect fraud, invite the seller to have an expert inspect the item.
• When considering the purchase of a vehicle, have a qualified mechanic inspect the vehicle before making the deal.
• Always get a signed bill of sale.

Payment

• Don’t hand over the goods until you’re received full payment.
• Never engage someone who claims they will put you in contact with interested buyers for a fee.
• Avoid buyers who suggest using Western Union and other unconventional methods of payment.
• If you don’t feel comfortable with the payment method, don’t do the deal.  It’s not worth the risk.

Fake Emails & Websites

Fraudulent (spoof) emails and websites, which are used to steal personal and account information, are one of the biggest threats to account security. It’s important for everyone to be aware of the following:

• We will never ask you to provide sensitive information through email.
• We digitally sign every email that we send to you.
• If you suspect an email you’ve received is fraudulent, please notify us immediately by forwarding the suspect email to spoof@joedaddy.com.

Fake (also called spoof) emails and websites try to look like they're from well-known companies. The people who send fake emails hope that you'll reply or click on a link in the email and provide personal information like passwords, Social Security numbers, or credit card numbers.

If you're suspicious about an email that claims to be from JoeDaddy.com, don’t take any chances.  Forward it to us at spoof@joedaddy.com.Never click the links in a fake email or reply to it.

Indications that an Email is Fake

Fake emails may include the JoeDaddy.com logo and a fake JoeDaddy.com address in the "From" line (for example, "From: support@JoeDaddy.com"). The email may have copied text from real JoeDaddy.com emails like notifications of problems with your account, ‘Ask a Question’ emails, or offers to become aJoeDaddy.comagent or affiliate.  But just because an email looks real doesn't mean it is. Here are some signs to watch out for:

Recognizing Real JoeDaddy.com Web Pages

Fake emails often include a link to a fake web page that looks very real. These fake pages are used by criminals to collect personal information. If you visit a page and you aren't sure whether it's really aJoeDaddy.com web page, especially if the page requests personal information from you, these tips can help:

Watch out for fake URLs (web addresses)

Even if the web address contains the word "JoeDaddy.com", it might not be a JoeDaddy.com website. Real JoeDaddy.com web addresses have "JoeDaddy.com/" in them. There won't be anything between the period and "JoeDaddy.com" and there won't be anything after the ".com" and the first forward slash (/).

When in doubt, start at the JoeDaddy.com home page

If you want to sign in to JoeDaddy.com or enter personal information, the safest way is start at the JoeDaddy.com home page. Type www.JoeDaddy.com in your browser and go from there.

Remember that in order to stay safe, you must be cautious. So be smart, and be safe!