Hi Andrew,

I recently placed an order with a man in Cameroon Africa. And he received my money but I never received my tracking number from him. Oh by the way I am a hairdresser looking to purchase bulk sizes of feather hair extensions. What can I do or is there anything I can do? This was my first time using the site. I am very upset that I got taken I thought it was a secure site.

Thanks,
Renee

Hi Renee,

Thanks for your e-mail. I’m sorry to say this but it seems that you have fallen into typical scam scheme on Alibaba.com

How did you sent the money? Most likely it was via Western Union, right? And what about profile – it was an individual, so most likely it was a FREE Alibaba member, right? These are the most typical mistakes a newbie can make trying to source products on Alibaba.com

As for the money you sent to the man in Cameroon – forget about it, it’s GONE! There’s no protection with Western Union payments whatsoever so there’s really nothing you can do about it. Well, you can go to police and write a  report but I really, really doubt it’s worth your time and effort as it won’t result in anything.

So, Renee, I really hope it wasn’t a huge amount of money and you can get this over. In future, follow these tips to eliminate more than 90% of scammers on Alibaba.com:

• Deal ONLY with Alibaba GOLD Members, preferably on 2nd, 3rd year+. Never EVER deal with FREE Members!
• Do not deal with any individuals, only companies.
• Do not touch anything branded on Alibaba.com, especially if supplier is based in China or other 3rd World country.
• NEVER send money via Western Union or Money Gram!
• PayPal, credit card or bank transfer – ONLY payment methods you should use.
• When making a bank transfer, make sure bank account is on company’s name, not personal one.
• ALWAYS order small sample first, before making any bigger orders.

If you follow these guide-lines, you’ll greatly decrease chances of getting scammed. And don’t forget to use your common sense – if a deal looks too good to be true, it is too good to be true! Stop dreaming about none-existing deals, especially if you’re after professional hairdresser equipment. I would recommend you to look for suppliers in USA, using Google, trade directories and yellow pages.

Hope this helps Renee – if you have any specific questions related to any particular supplier, do not hesitate to contact me for advice, BEFORE you send any money over!

Thanks,
Andrew

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