If you go the chat route, never give out personal information in a public chat room. It's best to get to know a person a bit and exchange e-mails.
Privacy is always a concern.
If you choose to post on a bulletin board, never post your home address or phone number. Use your e-mail to get a dialogue going before trading. Personally, I'd never send money to someone and don't recommend it. The Ultimate Bandlist , and it surely is. Provides thousands of links to pages on specific bands.