1. Meet in public, daytime places - malls, petrol stations, police stations are good.
2. Protected payments, Cash or Mobile Money only after inspection - don’t pay before you see.
3. Check documents - for vehicles: logbook; for phones: IMEI; for property: title docs.
4. Use SwapCircle Report - spot something wrong? Report and we’ll review it.
5. Beware of advance payments - sellers who insist on deposit before meet are risky.
6. Bring a friend or let someone know where you're going.
7. Never invite strangers to your home or go to theirs.
8. For high-value items, consider meeting at a bank for immediate payment verification.

1. Always use SwapCircle's protected payment when possible, your money is held safely until you confirm receipt.
2. Never send money via mobile money directly to a seller before seeing the item.
3. Inspect the item carefully before confirming receipt.
4. Check the seller's verification status and reviews before making an offer.
5. If something feels off, trust your instincts and report it.
6. Ask for recent photos and receipts.
7. Meet in public, carry someone along.
8. Test devices/equipment fully before paying.
9. For expensive items, consider bank payments or meet at a bank branch during business hours.

• Complete your identity verification to build trust with buyers.
• Take clear, well-lit photos from multiple angles.
• Write honest, detailed descriptions, it reduces disputes.
• Respond to offers promptly as buyers appreciate fast responses.
• Never share your PIN, password, or bank details with anyone.
• Keep proof of payment and mark item Sold when sold.
• Use Featured to reduce time and lower bargaining risks.

The safest way to communicate with buyers and sellers is through SwapCircle’s in-app chat. Scammers will often try to pressure you to move onto WhatsApp, email or another platform.

If the person you’re talking to wants to move on to another platform because they want more photos of your items, you can add the extra photos to the item listing. That way, other potential buyers can see them too.

Why sharing contact details is risky

If you share your phone number or email address, scammers may try to:

• Trick you into sharing your bank card number via links to fake websites
• Send you fake shipping confirmations or payment links
• Pretend to be SwapCircle, and ask for your password
• Steal your login details and take over your account
• Impersonate you to other users, to trick them

The benefits of staying in the SwapCircle chat

• Our system automatically detects and prevents links to other websites, protecting you from possible scams
• If something suspicious happens, you can report the conversation to SwapCircle directly

Occasionally, some people create fake websites whose design imitates SwapCircle's. Their aim is to try to steal personal information through these means, such as bank card details or passwords. Their goal is to try to steal personal information through these means, such as bank card details or passwords. This practice is known as "phishing" or "phishing". The ultimate goal is to defraud users, usually by charging amounts on the bank cards entered.

Be very careful if you are sent a website by Whatsapp or e-mail that looks like SwapCircle. By making the website look realistic, the scammers hope to trick you into adding your bank card thinking you are going to collect a sale.

To help you tell the difference, here are some tips.

Check that the domain is an official SwapCircle domain

• www.swapcircle.ug

Learn how to identify fraudulent websites

1. Pages with suspicious domains, other than the official SwapCircle ones indicated on this page.

2. Pages where bank card details are requested when making a sale.

3. Chat where steps to follow are indicated within the user's bank application.

Sometimes, people create fake emails which imitate the SwapCircle design. Their aim is to use these means to steal personal information, such as passwords or invoices. This practice is known as "phishing" or "spoofing". Often the ultimate goal is to scam users by simulating fake transfers or SwapCircle security messages.

Be very careful if you're asked for confidential information through an email that looks like SwapCircle's. 

Learn how to identify fraudulent emails

By making an email look realistic, scammers hope to trick you into providing them with personal information that we would never ask for. Here are some tips to help you identify them:

• SwapCircle logo.
• Fake email address in the "From:" field.
• Text originating from emails sent by SwapCircle, such as a payment confirmation.
• Spelling mistakes or strange expressions.
• Occasionally, some form of police badge.

Verify that it comes from a SwapCircle domain

Fraudulent emails try to give the impression of coming from SwapCircle and the best way to identify them is by looking at the domain which they're written from. 

All SwapCircle emails are sent from official domains, which means that they will only come from email addresses with the following domains:

• @swapcircle.ug

If you've received an email from any other address, it's not from SwapCircle.

Can the tone of the message be indicative of attempted fraud?

• Yes, fraudulent emails and websites often send messages with an urgent tone that may threaten to suspend the user's account if they do not provide certain data immediately.

• If you have any doubt about the authenticity of a profile, please report it so that we can review it through the same chat.

The vast majority of SwapCircle users are legitimate, but there could be a small minority who try to scam and defraud users. It's unlikely that you’ll encounter a scammer, but if you do, report them to us. Together we can help keep SwapCircle a safe and secure community.

Below, we help you identify the most common scams:

Asking for your bank or financial details

A common scam is for a user acting as a fake buyer to convince you to share your credit card or debit card number.

How the scam works: a fake buyer says they’ve bought your item. Then they pretend to be SwapCircle and message telling you to click a link to complete the sale, or to claim your money. If you click the link and give your credit card or debit card number, the scammer will steal your money. The message can come via the chat, email, Whatsapp or SMS, and often looks very convincing.

How to tell it’s a scam: 

• SwapCircle will never send you a message asking for financial information.
• Is the buyer pressuring you to talk on WhatsApp or email? Scammers know the SwapCircle Chat has in-built protection, and it’s easier for them to send you links to scam websites on other platforms

What to do if you suspect it’s a scam:

• Don’t click any links
• Don’t give your email address or phone number
• Report the user to SwapCircle
• Block the user so they can’t message you again

Pressuring you to act quickly

Scammers don’t want to give you time to realise it’s a scam. Don’t feel you have to act quickly just because the other user wants you to.

Pressure to leave the SwapCircle chat

If the buyer wants to move to another platform for more photos, you can add them to the item listing instead. An extra benefit is that other potential buyers can see them too.

1. Click "Report Abuse" to report a Listing
2. Expected action time (24 – 72 hrs)
3. What happens? (we freeze, investigate, or possibly ban)

1. Seller refuses to use SwapCircle's protected payment.
2. Price seems too good to be true.
3. Seller pressures you to pay immediately or via WhatsApp.
4. Seller can't provide additional photos or answer questions.
5. Listing has vague description or stock photos instead of real ones.
6. Anyone asking for your PIN, password, or personal banking details.