[Singapore] Buyers’ guide on how to deal safely on Carousell

Your safety is our top priority. At Carousell, we have measures in place to protect you from potential online scams. Read up more on our Safety policy.

Here is a list of frequently asked questions on why we have enforced certain measures. 

 

1. Keep your chats on Carousell, and never take them to other platforms or channels 

To safeguard users from phishing scams and potential malicious actors, we have upgraded our chat safety features. These enhancements ensure that phishing links are blocked and prevent bad actors from contacting you.

Why do my messages keep getting blocked?

Sharing email addresses and links while chatting with other users on Carousell is not allowed. If we detect that you may be disclosing personal details or attempting to move your chat to other messaging platforms, your message will be blocked.

Scammers commonly ask to move chats out of Carousell or share fake payment and delivery websites, so think twice before providing your personal information. Never make payment or collect payment outside of Carousell unless you’re dealing via a meet-up.

 

When I send my mobile number, Carousell tells me that it’s not safe but still allows me to send it anyway. Why is it so?

We understand that mobile numbers do come in handy when coordinating meet-ups, so you’re allowed to share. But we still want to remind you to exercise caution and only share your mobile number with a Carouseller you trust. 

 

My seller is asking me for my email address to send me a document, but my message is blocked when I try to send it to them. What should I do?

Sharing of email addresses is not allowed because there have been phishing scams where scammers request email addresses and then send emails pretending to be Carousell, banks or other companies. To be safe, ask your seller to send the invoice as an image via Carousell chat instead.

 

2. Do not pay the seller directly before receiving your item, only pay via the ‘Buy’ button for deals via delivery

We strongly encourage all buyers to pay via the ‘Buy’ button. In an event that your order doesn’t arrive or is not as described, you can request for a full refund. 

 

My seller asked me to PayNow them directly, is it really unsafe to pay them directly?

While most Carousellers are honest and safe to deal with, a tiny minority are not. But even the most experienced buyers sometimes can’t tell them apart.

A common e-commerce scam is one where sellers often ask for payment but do not end up shipping the order. It’s not safe to pay sellers directly before you receive your order, because you can’t get your money back if anything goes wrong. Instead, use the ‘Buy’ button to complete payment, so we can step in if there are any issues, and give you a refund if the seller is at fault.

 

My seller told me that if I pay them directly, I can save on transaction fees. Should I do that? 

For delivery orders, sellers are not supposed to collect payment directly from their buyers. 

Paying the seller directly before receiving your order puts you at risk of scams. The platform fee charged when you pay via the ‘Buy’ button allows us to provide you with customer support if anything goes wrong with your purchase. It’s also a small price to pay for peace of mind, especially if you’re buying a high-value item.

If you’d prefer to save on the platform fee, you should meet-up with your seller instead, and only pay after you’ve collected and checked your order.

 

I'm interested in a listing that offers 'meet-up' as a deal method, but the seller says they only accept payment by PayNow and won’t meet in person. They’ll only mail the item to me if I pay them directly. What should I do?

Sellers must allow you to pay via the ‘Buy’ button if they want to offer delivery. If the seller insists that you pay them directly, it might be a cause for concern. Paying before receiving your order puts you at risk of scams. 

If the Seller did not enable the ‘Buy’ button on their listing, you should advise the seller to do so before continuing the deal.

Try looking for a similar listing from a more reliable seller who is either open to meet-ups, or allows you to choose delivery and pay via the ‘Buy’ button.  

 

Why should I pay through the platform if I'm getting my order through a meet-up? What's the difference between paying through the platform and paying at the meet-up?

You can choose to pay at the meet-up if that works best for you! But sometimes sellers prefer that you pay them first via the ‘Buy’ button so they can be sure that you’re committed to the deal.

Additionally, if the seller does not show up for the meet-up, you can request a refund immediately.

 

3. Be wary and avoid clicking on links that direct you to other third party websites 

Scammers commonly direct you to a link out of Carousell or share fake payment and delivery websites, so think twice before providing your personal information. Never make payment outside of Carousell unless you’re dealing via a meet-up.

 

In some listing descriptions or chats, the sellers ask me to check their profile bio for more information or a website link. However, Carousell advises against clicking on suspicious links or visiting third-party websites. Is it safe to click on these links?

If a seller asks you to check out a link, always proceed with caution. A safer way is to search for their website via a search engine instead of clicking on their link directly. 

You should never click a link to make payment outside of Carousell. It’s a common scam tactic and is against our Safety Policy. Unless you’re doing a meet-up, you should never make payment outside of Carousell. Complete your payment via the ‘Buy’ button so that your payment is kept secure until you receive your order as described.