FRAUD AWARENESS TIPS

• TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE: If something sounds too good to be true it usually is

• VET CHECK THE HORSE: Have a vet check the horse thoroughly before purchasing. Ensure this is a vet of your choice, not a vet who previously saw the horse as you want an unbiased examination.

• ENSURE THE HORSE HAS A VALID PASSPORT: All horses, ponies and donkeys in Ireland are required by law to have a valid passport. It is an offence to transport a horse without a passport.

• REQUEST A DETAILED RECEIPT: Ask the seller for a detailed receipt stating any unique terms of sale or stating that the horse is sold ‘as is’.

• BEWARE OF THOSE OFFERING TO BUY PRIOR TO SEEING THE HORSE: Be very wary of anyone willing to buy your horse without seeing it in person. Use common sense, would you buy a horse without seeing it yourself?

• BE PARTICULARLY WARY OF OVERSEAS PURCHASERS / SELLERS: Be very cautious when dealing with overseas purchasers / sellers. Never transport a horse without receiving full cleared payment first (read below). And will reiterate the need to travel and view a horse in person!

• FULL PAYMENT FIRST: Never transport a horse without receiving full payment first, if a cheque or draft was sent it must be cleared by the issuing bank not your bank. Don’t be fooled just because it appears to be credited to your account, this does not mean it is cleared. It usually takes at least 5 days to clear!

• ENSURE AUTHENTICITY OF CHEQUE / DRAFT: You must check the authenticity and wait for the issuing bank to guarantee payment,  just because it is credited to your account does not mean it is cleared.

• NO HORSE AND NO MONEY: Unfortunately there are many scams trying to encourage sellers to transport their horses on receipt of cheques / drafts which are fraudulent. Please follow the guidelines above and exercise extreme caution or you could end up with NO HORSE and NO MONEY!

• EMAIL SECURITY: Remember that email communications are not secure and can be easily forwarded to others. Avoid sending sensitive personal or financial information via email eg. Credit card details

• EMAIL ADDRESS NOT REQUIRED ON ALLHORSE.ie: Whilst an email address is necessary to register with ALLHORSE.ie it is not a required field  on the adverts. You can leave this part of the 'write ad' form blank and just display a contact phone number if preferred.

• SET UP A SEPARATE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR BUYING/SELLING: It is wise to have an email address specifically for buying / selling rather than using your personal one which contains all your contacts. This also minimises the risk of your own personal account receiving spam.

ALWAYS USE YOUR BETTER JUDGEMENT AND LET COMMON SENSE PREVAIL