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SALT LAKE CITY -- Whenever customers of the KSL Classifieds online get cheated by scammers, they usually call our newsroom. The support staff actively works to ban the cheaters, but consumers can help them, too.
The stories range from tires advertised as "new" but really 15 years old, to an LDS missionary putting a down payment on a car, but the seller disappears. Tresea Partridge with Classified Support says her team carefully screens new ads before they go online.
"Your ad is held in a queue and a moderator has to approve it or remove it for fraud," she said.
Partridge says customers must report scams to her staff to protect themselves and others. She adds that police have a hard time chasing offenders, as most are based out of state or out of country.
"Most scam ads that make it live onto the site are reported within 24 hours of an ad being placed, or an inquiry being made about somebody's product that they're selling online."
Partridge wants customers to forward emails and contact information of cheaters so they can investigate and ban them permanently from the sight. She also warns them to be vigilant and use the "help" section before buying anything.
"All prospective buyers and job seekers should start with the "help" section on KSL-dot-com to get tips on spotting offers that are too good to be true. Then, customers can report unscrupulous sellers by forwarding emails to the support staff so they can ban the offenders for good. The staff adds that police have a hard time tracking the scammers, especially if they operate out of state or country," she said.
Email: [psamore@ksl.com?](<mailto: psamore@ksl.com>)
