In this guide 10 sections
At a glance
The short version.
Watch for
- Immediate agreement to buy without normal questions about the item
- Pressure to move chat, checkout or delivery outside the marketplace
- A screenshot or email presented as the only evidence of payment
Already acted?
Contact the marketplace and payment provider immediately through their official apps or websites.
See every recovery stepWhat is changing now
The current pattern.
Marketplace fraud targets both sides of a sale. Buyers may see copied listings or be pushed toward unprotected payment. Sellers may receive fake payment notifications, overpayment stories, courier requests or verification-code demands. The common move is to replace the platform’s evidence and dispute process with information controlled by the stranger.
How it works
How the scam unfolds.
A fraudulent seller may copy photos from a genuine listing, price the item just below the market and create urgency around another interested buyer. They request a deposit or full payment outside the platform and offer excuses for why collection, inspection or protected checkout is unavailable.
A fraudulent buyer may claim to have paid, then send a copied receipt or an email that says the seller must upgrade an account, pay a fee or refund an overpayment. Another variant asks for a verification code supposedly to prove the seller is real; the code may instead create or take over an account.
A real name, profile age, review score or local phone number can be stolen or compromised. Safer verification comes from the marketplace’s own order state, the financial account itself, and a transaction process that preserves the platform’s protection.
Warning signs
Reasons to stop and verify.
- Immediate agreement to buy without normal questions about the item
- Pressure to move chat, checkout or delivery outside the marketplace
- A screenshot or email presented as the only evidence of payment
- A fee, account upgrade or voucher required before receiving money
- Overpayment followed by a request to return the difference
- A request for a one-time code to prove that you are a real buyer or seller
Spot the signs
What it can look like.
Highlighted phrases are warning signs; the numbered notes explain each one.
Buyer ‘Mark_Deals22’
BuyerHi, is the bike still available? I’ll pay your full asking price, no need to see it.1 (warning sign 1)
BuyerCan we continue on WhatsApp?2 (warning sign 2) I rarely check this app. What’s your email for the payment?
An email arrives from ‘SafePay Support’ an hour later
EmailA payment of £450.00 is pending.3 (warning sign 3) To release the funds, upgrade to a Business account for £150.4 (warning sign 4) The buyer has agreed to cover this fee.
BuyerI’ve sent you the screenshot, please hurry5 (warning sign 5) — my courier is already on the way.
- No questions about the item
Agreeing to the full price without asking about condition, collection or anything else is unusual for a genuine buyer.
- Moving off the platform
Leaving the marketplace’s messaging and checkout removes its records, protections and dispute process.
- A ‘pending’ payment
Genuine payments appear in your own account. An email saying money is waiting is not evidence that it exists.
- Pay to get paid
A real payment service does not ask the recipient to pay a fee before receiving money. This is the core of the scam.
- Screenshots and a rush
Screenshots are easy to fake, and a courier ‘on the way’ pressures you to hand over the item before you check.
Confirm payment only by signing in to the marketplace or payment service yourself. If the money is not there, it has not been paid.
Composite example: names, numbers and “.example” addresses are fictional.
Worked example
A realistic pattern, separated into evidence.
This composite example is educational. It does not describe a real person or reproduce a live malicious message.
A buyer’s courier and payment email arrive together
- 01The opening
A buyer accepts the asking price immediately and says a relative or courier will collect the item. They ask for the seller’s email address because the payment app supposedly needs it.
- 02The escalation
An official-looking email says payment is pending until the seller buys a voucher or sends a refundable upgrade fee. The buyer shares a screenshot and pressures the seller because the courier is already on the way.
- 03The decision point
The marketplace does not show a paid order and the real payment account shows no funds. The only evidence comes from the buyer and a message that asks the recipient to pay in order to receive money.
Independent verification
Test the request without using its evidence.
These checks deliberately move the decision away from the person, link, number or account that introduced the request.
- 01
Check the platform state
Open the marketplace directly and confirm whether it records an order, payment and protected delivery. Messages outside the platform do not replace that record.
- 02
Check the financial account
Sign in to the payment provider independently. Do not use an email link or accept a screenshot as proof of cleared funds.
- 03
Read the protection rules before paying
Confirm which items, payment methods, delivery methods and deadlines are covered. Off-platform payment usually removes the marketplace’s ability to help.
- 04
Verify the item or buyer without codes
Use in-platform history, inspection and ordinary questions. A stranger does not need a code sent to your phone to verify that you are real.
Prevention
Make the next attempt harder.
- 01
Read the protection rules once
Learn which payment and delivery options your marketplace protects before you buy or sell, so requests that step outside them stand out.
- 02
Meet safely for local sales
For collection in person, meet in a public place, bring someone with you where possible, and inspect the item or confirm cleared payment before anything changes hands.
- 03
Keep chat inside the app
Politely decline to move to text, email or other messaging apps. Conversations on the platform are records you can use in a dispute.
- 04
Share only what the sale needs
Buyers do not need your email address, home address or phone number before a sale is agreed and paid through the platform.
If you already acted
Protect access and contact the real provider.
- Contact the marketplace and payment provider immediately through their official apps or websites.
- Ask the card issuer or payment service what dispute or reversal process applies.
- Change credentials and secure the linked account if a code or password was shared.
- Preserve the listing, profile, messages, receipts, collection details and shipping information.
- Report the account to the platform and to the relevant consumer-protection or police service for your location.
Common questions
Short answers to real doubts.
Is it safe to sell to a buyer who wants to send a courier?
Be careful. Wait until cleared payment shows in your own account, and remember that some payments can still be pulled back later. Some payment services’ seller protection does not cover items collected by the buyer or by a courier they arrange, so sending the item yourself with tracking, or through the marketplace’s own delivery, keeps more protection. A courier story that arrives with a payment email, a fee or pressure to hurry is a strong warning sign.
A buyer asked me to read out a code to prove I’m real. What is that?
It is often a verification code for an account the scammer is creating or taking over using your phone number. Do not share codes sent to your phone with anyone, for any reason.
Read the verification-code guideWhich payment methods are safest when buying from a stranger?
Use the marketplace’s own checkout if it has one, or a payment method with purchase protection such as a credit card. Avoid bank transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency and ‘friends and family’ payments to people you do not know, because they are hard to reverse.
Sources
Official guidance used for this article.
Stop & Verify summarises these sources for general education. Reporting routes and legal protections vary by location.