I saw a kitten ad on kijiji. I contacted the seller to express interest and met at the seller’s home. We noticed most pet posts have an “earliest rehoming date” and assumed it is a rule for the well-being of the pets. We agreed to pay a deposit to secure the kitten and planned to return to pick up the kitten after the earliest rehoming date. Afterwards it was very challenging to get in touch with the seller to confirm pickup date and time, until we accused the seller of suspected fraud and informed about intention to file a police report. At that point, the seller responded immediately claiming the kitten was resold to someone else but refused to pay back the deposit (saying she does not have money until many months from now). I suspected that’s a scam and a delay tactic.
As the post has been taken down already, the system does not allow us to report and flag the seller. Is there anything Kijiji can do, at least to block and blacklist the seller so that no further victims will fall into traps by the same seller?
Is there anything further we can do? We’ve filed a police report for fraud already.
Falling victim to fraud is definitely not the experience we want for our users, and I understand how frustrating and concerning it can be. We’re here to help you through this difficult situation.
First and foremost, thank you for bringing this to our attention Matthew. Reporting the incident is crucial, as it allows us to take immediate action and prevent others from being affected. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
I want to assure you that we take cases of fraud very seriously. Our dedicated team is trained to handle such situations and will investigate the matter thoroughly. In order to assist you further, I kindly request that you provide as much information as possible about the fraudulent activity. Details like the ad ID number or user email address, suspicious messages received, and any other relevant information will be immensely helpful.
Additionally, I recommend contacting your local law enforcement authorities to report the incident. They may be able to provide you with further guidance and assistance in dealing with the situation.