Safe Payments
Once you’ve met, inspected the item and come to an agreement, it’s time to finalise the deal. There are many options to transfer money, both online and in person. Let’s take a look at the benefits of each.
Deposits
Requesting or offering deposits for items on MyHanap is not recommended. However, some sellers do request one. Never pay a deposit on an item you haven’t seen in person. If you have seen it and you’re not completely comfortable leaving a deposit, it may be best to move on to another deal.
Cash
Cash is often the safest option. It’s generally accepted by everyone and is very hard to fake convincingly. However, it’s not impossible. If you’re accepting cash, especially for a large purchase, make sure you know how to recognize counterfeit currency or fake money.
Carrying cash as a buyer can have its own risks and be less convenient. Consider the situation and decide what’s best for you.
PayPal
When used cautiously, PayPal is a great tool for sending and receiving money online. When accepting a PayPal payment, always double check that the payment has actually been deposited into your account. PayPal payment confirmation emails can be faked, so make sure to check independently of the email (without using any links). If the payment confirmation email claims the payment won’t appear in your account for any reason, contact PayPal (directly through their website, not the email) before proceeding.
PayPal has some protections in place to help both buyers and sellers, but these protections don’t extend to all PayPal transactions. We do not recommend using PayPal’s Friends and Family payment option, as this skips their internal security and doesn’t offer protection.
If you’re ever not sure about a PayPal transfer, you can contact PayPal directly for help verifying it. Learn more about fake PayPal emails.
Money Transfer Services such as Palawan Express Padala/Kwarta Padala
We do not recommend using direct money transfers services such as Palawan Express Padala or Kwarta Padala. Electronic transfers are hard to verify because payment confirmation emails can be faked by fraudsters. Should the deal fall though, or if it turns out to be scam, they offer no protection. If you decide to accept payment through one of these methods, don’t give them the item until you’ve been able to confirm with 100% certainty that the funds are in your account.
Note: If any buyer sends you an electronic transfer and then asks you to move some of the funds somewhere else – especially if they require the funds to be moved before you actually receive the money – don’t do it. This is likely an SMS scam. If you encounter any requests like this, please report it to our customer support team.
Bank to Bank Transfers
Like money transfer services, bank transfers may appear to offer a safe way to transfer money between a buyer and seller. However, once you have sent funds they are almost immediately transferred into the account of the recipient. If a deal was to fall through, or you were unhappy with the item you had paid for, your money is not protected. Transfers offer few options for a refund beyond the good will of the seller. We always urge caution when transferring money by bank. We recommend that you are completely satisfied with the item before committing to the transaction.