A common tactic used by fraudsters in B2B trade is to quickly move communications off the marketplace platform - to WhatsApp, personal email, WeChat, or other channels - before attempting to defraud the buyer or seller.
Why staying on-platform protects you:
- Dispute resolution - if a dispute arises, Exporters.SG can review the communication history within the platform. Off-platform conversations cannot be verified or used in any resolution process.
- Fraud detection - on-platform messaging is monitored for fraud patterns. Off-platform communications remove this protection.
- Identity verification - messages received through the Exporters.SG Inbox come from a verified account. External email or messaging apps provide no such assurance.
Red flags to watch for:
- A new contact immediately asks you to communicate via external email, WhatsApp, or Telegram.
- A "buyer" requests your personal banking details before any formal quotation or purchase order has been agreed.
- A "seller" requests payment before shipping documentation is provided.
- Keep all negotiations, quotations, and agreements within the Exporters.SG Inbox until you have independently verified your trading partner and are confident in the transaction.
To trade safely, you should communicate with other members through Exporters.SG. This is especially important when the other party is not authenticated in Exporters.SG.
Article ID: 59, Created: August 19, 2014 at 5:52 AM, Modified: June 1 at 9:52 PM