Classifieds scams are mostly predictable once you know the patterns. A few habits protect you from almost all of them.
Be suspicious of anyone who wants to pay more than your asking price "by mistake" and asks you to refund the difference. This is one of the oldest scams in the book and it still works because it sounds generous.
Never accept a check, wire transfer, or payment app confirmation as proof before the money has actually cleared in your account. Screenshots can be faked; bank balances can't.
If a buyer or seller refuses to meet in person or video call and insists everything happen over text, that's a real warning sign — especially for anything priced over a couple hundred dollars.
For big-ticket items like cars or electronics, meet during the day in a public, busy location. Parking lots of large grocery stores or shopping centers work well and are common meeting spots across Chicago.
Trust your verified-phone system. On SastaTrade, every poster has verified their phone number once before they could list anything — it's not a guarantee of honesty, but it does mean there's a real, reachable person behind the ad, not an anonymous bot account.
If something feels off, use the Report button on the listing. It goes straight to admin review, and it helps keep the whole marketplace safer for everyone else too.