At SHB our goal is to ensure that all visitors to our website have a safe, successful and enjoyable browsing, buying and/or selling experience. To that end, we have installed precautionary measures such as user reviews and community profiles to help our users determine whether an individual is trustworthy before venturing into any transaction.

Please be advised to follow these guidelines while using the site, and do not hesitate to contact us directly should you encounter a situation that arouses suspicion.

Buying & Selling on SHB

As a community based website, SHB supports face-to-face, local trading wherever possible. We urge buyers to inspect listed items and corroborate that they are “as advertised,” and to raise any issues explicitly before payment is made. However, we wish to remind you to take measures to make certain all such meetings are conducted in an appropriate and safe manner.

Though parties are free to use whichever form of payment best satisfies their mutual needs, our recommendation is that deals be made in local legal tender (cash) whenever possible. Cheques, wire transfers or other forms of payment are often the preferred methods used by perpetrators of fraud.

Verification

As stated, one means of verifying the reliability of a seller/buyer is to visit his/her Community Profile, where user ratings, reviews, and member history will provide insight into prospective buyers/sellers and help establish their credibility.

Furthermore, before meeting in person we recommend that our users contact one another at least once via telephone. Verbal communication is key to “sussing out” individuals and discovering more about who they are, the board they are selling or buying, and whether the listing in question suits the buyer’s recreational goals.

Given that surfers share a language deriving from a common passion, charlatans are likely to reveal themselves as pretenders with a little prodding: So don’t be afraid to test their knowledge! Ask questions! Although not a foolproof method, it may help expose a scammer’s charade and lead you to take your business elsewhere.

Should you encounter a member who refuses to speak on the phone, won’t meet in person, and has no rating on SHB, we advise that you proceed with the utmost caution. And let us know about it!

Community Guidelines

While the vast majority of our members enjoy a hassle-free experience buying, selling, and connecting with others on our site, there are rare instances in which we receive reports of individuals attempting to scam, defraud, or harass. If you experience harassment or abuse on our site, please report it to us immediately.

At SHB we pride ourselves on providing a platform for communal and congenial transactions, and have a zero tolerance policy towards predatory and aggressive practices.

If you discover a listing on SHB that you suspect is fraudulent, or if a buyer contacts you with dubious offers or requests, please contact us directly. Bringing such incidents to our attention allows us to act quickly, to take down such listings and prevent future hassles.

Furthermore, by providing an honest rating of each and every transaction, you can help us maintain this climate of openness and weed out bad elements within our community.

And when listing a board, we advise that you refrain from including an email address in the body of the text, which may allow outside parties to access your information and target you for nefarious practices. We suggest you only enter your email address in the field provided upon sign up, ensuring your information is protected and that all communications occur within the SHB collective.

Scams

Online scams are as varied as they are abundant, and unfortunately we are affected like any other website. Be aware that SHB does not involve itself in any monetary transactions associated with our listings, and as such we are not in a position to offer buyer/seller protection or payment programs or services of any kind. Should you receive emails promoting such services, even if they claim to originate with SHB, please report them to us. Additionally, SHB does not offer live chat support. If you receive any emails containing a live chat link, please disregard and contact us immediately.

Here are some examples of popular SCAMS to watch out for:

The “Oops I paid too much!” Cheque scam.

How it works:
After “accidentally” sending you a cheque that exceeds the value of the board, the buyer requests for the surplus sum to be returned to either themselves or a third party.

SHB tip: Should you receive a cheque as payment, first and foremostly wait for it to clear. Otherwise it is likely that not only will you be waving goodbye to the surplus sum, but that you will also be charged by your bank to cover the fraudulent buyer’s bounced cheque. Our recommendation is to return it to the sender and ask for the correct amount before proceeding with the sale.

The “This email smells phishy” scam.

Be cautious of suspicious emails on the following subjects:
- requesting confirmation of your identity to avoid fraud attempts
- requesting account verification.
- notifying you that a listing posted using your account and was deleted for fraud.

These emails – claiming to be from SHB - are known as “phishing” scams, sent by fraudulent individuals who lurk in the worldwide web targeting your data. These emails will prompt you to click on links and enter personal information into a webpage made up to resemble an SHB page. Please do not use any links provided in these types of emails, or share any personal information, even if urgently informed that your account has been temporarily suspended or will be deleted if you don’t respond.

The emails may look like this:

Dear SHB User,
In order to avoid fraud attempts and confirm your identity, please forward us the following details:
JUST CLICK HERE: https://www.link to fake site
Please complete the form immediately. If not, your account will be erased based on fraudulent behaviour.

Thank you!
SHB Security Centre

OR:

Dear SHB User,
Thanks for your listing however we’re afraid that your listing has been removed because it was flagged as fraud. We need you to confirm your identity. Please follow this link:
“fake link to” Confirm Account Identity

For more information, please review our posting policies. Any future ads will also be removed until your account is verified.

Thank you!
SHB Security Centre

Should you receive emails resembling the ones above, please ignore and report to [email protected]

Furthermore, you can confirm whether an email is from SHB by checking the email header, which includes information on the source of the email in question. Instructions for commonly used emailing platforms are listed below. If you can’t find what you are looking for, click on the help menu where you’ll be directed to instructions on how to view email headers.

Gmail: Click the “down arrow” next to sender name and reply options, then “show original”

Hotmail: Inbox then right click the email and click “view message source”

Outlook 2010: Click “file” then “info” and “properties”

Outlook older versions: Inbox then right click the email, then click “message options”

Apple Mail: Click “view”, then “message” then “long headers”

After you’ve done this, refer to the “received from” line in the details and it should tell you where the email is from. If it isn’t from @secondhandboards.com, it is fraudulent.

Please be aware that online scams are always evolving and becoming increasingly complex, so always be wary of any emails insisting on urgent actions. And when in doubt do not hesitate to contact us directly.