1. Bait and switch
This can happen face to face when you have met someone to purchase something they have advertised, for example a laptop. While youre counting out your money for this incredible deal youve just found, an attractive girl materialises at your side asking if you have change for a fiver. Meanwhile, the primary scammer replaces the laptop you bought with a worthless old laptop, hands it over to you, and leaves. You dont realise until later youve been had.

2. Amazingly low rent
People who do this may not have anything to do with the property they are advertising. They accumulate security deposits and commencement months rent from maybe a dozen people, and when its time for the renters to view the flat, the swindler has disappeared with all that rent and security deposit money.

3. Pay delivery charge, or the cute puppy goes to the pound
Theyve moved, cant keep the adorable Chow/Westie/Yorkie and will have to send him to the pound if they dont find a new owner. If youll pony up a delivery or escrow payment up front, they wont send him to the bad place. So you do it because youre humane and have gotten rather attached to the little guys picture from the ad. Funny then that two or three weeks later, still puppy-less, you see the same ad with the same story and picture.

4. Surprising number of beautiful single women in the Personals section
They may exchange messages, and maybe even pictures with you. If you want to see her full profile however, you have to pay to do so at a website that preys on lonely souls willing to part with some money for the profile of a person theyll never hear from again.

5. You knew it was a buyers market for automobiles, but wow!
Someone is advertising a used car for a ridiculously low price, and will lower it further if you pay cash. No problem. Until you meet up with this seller in a dodgy part of town, and follow him to look at the car, only instead of a car, you find a gang of street thugs who rob you at knifepoint or worse.

The best rules of thumb we can give you are:
If a deal seems unusually generous and your gut tells you somethings up, just walk away.
If youre meeting up face-to-face to complete your deal, bring a friend and meet in a public place, preferably one with plenty of CCTV coverage.

Use Gumtree to avoid agency costs when finding tenants