{"id":10441,"date":"2013-10-28T10:36:35","date_gmt":"2013-10-28T18:36:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/?p=10441"},"modified":"2022-04-13T12:18:42","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T20:18:42","slug":"safety-alert-research-before-buying-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/safety-alert-research-before-buying-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Safety Alert: Research Before Buying Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Stay-Alert_iStock.jpg?ssl=1\" data-rel=\"penci-gallery-image-content\" ><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" alt=\"Stay Alert\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Stay-Alert_iStock.jpg?resize=272%2C181&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"272\" height=\"181\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Internet is a vast and varied resource; people use it to find new places to live, buy those hard-to-find gadgets, and look up the latest news. While the Internet offers us convenience and a broad array of information, there are things to consider when looking for and making purchases from online sellers. The anonymity of the internet can be both a positive and negative factor. So, use Spokeo\u2019s search products to protect yourself when making those online purchases.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most popular places to buy used items from others online is Craigslist. It is a buyer and seller\u2019s heaven. However, be aware that\u00a0anyone\u00a0can post items, meaning you need to be careful about giving out your personal information and meeting up with a stranger to make a final sale.<\/p>\n<p>If you have the number of the person you plan to meet up with, try Spokeo\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/reverse-phone-lookup\">reverse phone search<\/a>\u00a0first. \u00a0You simply enter the phone number into the search bar and see a listing for it. You may be able to find out their name, address, and other information that could be helpful in determining if it is safe to engage in a purchase or sale.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t have their number yet? If the person left an email on the listing, try looking up that email address using Spokeo\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/email-search\">reverse email search<\/a>. Maybe you can locate some social network profiles and discover a little bit more about who you are considering meeting.<\/p>\n<p>If you learned the seller\u2019s name following a reverse phone or reverse email search, try performing a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/\">name search<\/a>\u00a0for even more information such as family members, neighborhood information, and possibly more.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, before you buy that used cell phone online or cool leather chair, be sure to do some research about who is selling it. You can never be too careful!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Internet is a vast and varied resource; people use it to find new places to live, buy those hard-to-find gadgets, and look up the latest news. While the Internet&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[612,614],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guides","category-safety"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Safety Alert: Research Before Buying Online - The Compass Blog | Digital Identity and People Search | Spokeo<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spokeo.com\/compass\/safety-alert-research-before-buying-online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Safety Alert: Research Before Buying Online - The Compass Blog | Digital Identity and People Search | Spokeo\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Internet is a vast and varied resource; people use it to find new places to live, buy those hard-to-find gadgets, and look up the latest news. 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