Avoid online shopping fraud thanks to Certy 

When buying second-hand items online, the chances of running into some kind of fraud are high. Not receiving the smartphone we bought, or not in the condition we had read it would be, are both likely. For example, you do not receive your smartphone, even though you had already paid for it. Or the item you bought is in much worse condition than described in the ad. As more and more online services focus on the sale of second-hand items, the Italian start-up Certy is developing ways to prevent online scams.

Innovation Origins had a chat with Certy’s founders Riccardo Sanna, Antonio Masini, and Emanuele Sogus for this instalment of the start-up of the day series. 

What does Certy do? 

Sanna: “Certy was set up as a way to protect people who buy second-hand items online and stop scammers from committing fraud.  Users can – and do – use our website to request a check on the listing they are looking at. Initially, we did this by sending people to check up on listed articles. If everything was alright, our Certy – that’s how the person checking the item is called – could pick the item up personally and then ship it to the buyer. Our service is embedded in a few classified websites – those that connect buyers and sellers –…