If you are new to the game and need advice on doing a source check this is the thread for you. What is a source check? A source check is seven easy to follow steps that will help keep you and your money safe from scammers.
7 Steps to Follow:
1.) Get the email from the source that needs checking
2.) You need to do some of the checking on your own. Email the source and find out if he has any references that will back him up. If he has no references then thats a really good signal to stay away and find someone new.
3.) Most of the time a good source will have an Administrator, Moderator or a Vet backing them up. If the source gives you an email adresses don't email them until you do a few things first.
4.) You want to find out what board the reference is from. Then you want to check and see if the email address the source gave you match the email address in the reference's profile on the board. Or you could send a PM to the reference to see if that is his/her true email address.
5.) A secure email account is very important. Most legit sources will have a secure email and want you to have one that will correspond with it. For example cyber-rights to cyber-rights, ziplip to ziplip. Hotmail, Yahoo, Lycos is not a secure email so why take the chance. You can get a free secure email at www.cyber-rights.net or www.hushmail.com
6.) Now that you have you own secure email address. Checked on boards the references post on and did your own checking. Its time to send an email to the references the source gave you.
7.) Once you get a response back from the references email a Moderator or Vet that you trust and ask about these references and the source. The Moderators or Vets should have been around the boards for awhile. So they should have heard of the references or the source before. That will give you that extra assurance the source is good to go.
Note: PM's are not secure so watch what you send in them. It's always best to stick with the secure email to be safe. The Secure Questions forum is ok for source checks also and for source checks only. It is not used to give out sources only to check the ones you already have found.
7 Steps to Follow:
1.) Get the email from the source that needs checking
2.) You need to do some of the checking on your own. Email the source and find out if he has any references that will back him up. If he has no references then thats a really good signal to stay away and find someone new.
3.) Most of the time a good source will have an Administrator, Moderator or a Vet backing them up. If the source gives you an email adresses don't email them until you do a few things first.
4.) You want to find out what board the reference is from. Then you want to check and see if the email address the source gave you match the email address in the reference's profile on the board. Or you could send a PM to the reference to see if that is his/her true email address.
5.) A secure email account is very important. Most legit sources will have a secure email and want you to have one that will correspond with it. For example cyber-rights to cyber-rights, ziplip to ziplip. Hotmail, Yahoo, Lycos is not a secure email so why take the chance. You can get a free secure email at www.cyber-rights.net or www.hushmail.com
6.) Now that you have you own secure email address. Checked on boards the references post on and did your own checking. Its time to send an email to the references the source gave you.
7.) Once you get a response back from the references email a Moderator or Vet that you trust and ask about these references and the source. The Moderators or Vets should have been around the boards for awhile. So they should have heard of the references or the source before. That will give you that extra assurance the source is good to go.
Note: PM's are not secure so watch what you send in them. It's always best to stick with the secure email to be safe. The Secure Questions forum is ok for source checks also and for source checks only. It is not used to give out sources only to check the ones you already have found.
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