They are all over the internet. Heartless and inconsiderate individuals who does nothing but impair the livelihood of online sellers. Here are 3 steps to catch a bogus buyer or joy reserver from the very start and avoid being a victim of such activity by these people who probably have serious mental disorders:
1. GET PERSONAL DETAILS
It is a good standard practice to ask for the details of the buyer from the very beginning of the conversation. Upon receiving an inquiry, try to politely ask for the buyer's personal info such as Complete Name, Address/Location, Contact Number, Where the buyer is working or studying and Email Address. This gives you an idea about the person you are talking to and will help you determine whether the buyer is serious or not. Bogus buyers usually stop communicating after you ask for their personal info, as their objective is to annoy you anonymously. If they give you information about them, they would know that you will have ways to track them and that is something that definitely scares them.
2. REQUEST A VIDEO CALL
When in doubt, it is always best to see the actual face of the buyer. There is nothing wrong with being paranoid, especially if the buyer is saying that he or she will purchase a large quantity of your products. Understand that the very purpose of the video call is not only to see the face of the person you are talking to, but also to record the conversation or at least get a screenshot of his or her face just in case anything happens. Since bogus buyers and joy reservers usually hide behind aliases and fake profile photos on their social accounts, it is best to see their actual face when in doubt. It is best to use FB messenger for this purpose, as almost everybody has a Facebook account and it's free to use.
3. ASK THEM TO SEND GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID'S
This is the best way to know the identity of the person you are talking to. It is always a risk when you deal with strangers on the internet. You'll never know who's real and who's fake. Moreover, people can always have pseudo accounts that use fake names. In asking the buyer to send a photo or scanned copies of their IDs, be honest and polite when stating the reason as to why you are requiring them to send the said document before you could proceed with the next steps. Tell them that for security purposes and assurance that you will be sending or delivering the goods to the right person, you will need to get a copy of any government issued identification card. This sends a strong message that you are serious about your business and you are willing to do whatever it takes to protect it from evil doers. Just remember to be honest and polite when asking for an ID, as sending the wrong message may also turn off serious buyers. On the bright side, this automatically scares bogus buyers and joy reservers, and naturally, they would stop communicating for fear that you may already know what they're up to and you are already tracking them.
SUMMARY: Doing business is a risk. Protecting your business from illegal and unethical activities requires knowledge and effort that you could sometimes only acquire as you go along. Nevertheless, there are ways to prevent problems in every aspect of your business, so don't be scared. Keep pushing and learn from your experiences.
2. REQUEST A VIDEO CALL
When in doubt, it is always best to see the actual face of the buyer. There is nothing wrong with being paranoid, especially if the buyer is saying that he or she will purchase a large quantity of your products. Understand that the very purpose of the video call is not only to see the face of the person you are talking to, but also to record the conversation or at least get a screenshot of his or her face just in case anything happens. Since bogus buyers and joy reservers usually hide behind aliases and fake profile photos on their social accounts, it is best to see their actual face when in doubt. It is best to use FB messenger for this purpose, as almost everybody has a Facebook account and it's free to use.
3. ASK THEM TO SEND GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID'S
This is the best way to know the identity of the person you are talking to. It is always a risk when you deal with strangers on the internet. You'll never know who's real and who's fake. Moreover, people can always have pseudo accounts that use fake names. In asking the buyer to send a photo or scanned copies of their IDs, be honest and polite when stating the reason as to why you are requiring them to send the said document before you could proceed with the next steps. Tell them that for security purposes and assurance that you will be sending or delivering the goods to the right person, you will need to get a copy of any government issued identification card. This sends a strong message that you are serious about your business and you are willing to do whatever it takes to protect it from evil doers. Just remember to be honest and polite when asking for an ID, as sending the wrong message may also turn off serious buyers. On the bright side, this automatically scares bogus buyers and joy reservers, and naturally, they would stop communicating for fear that you may already know what they're up to and you are already tracking them.
SUMMARY: Doing business is a risk. Protecting your business from illegal and unethical activities requires knowledge and effort that you could sometimes only acquire as you go along. Nevertheless, there are ways to prevent problems in every aspect of your business, so don't be scared. Keep pushing and learn from your experiences.
