Marketplace Scam Warning Signs

Marketplace scams reuse a small number of scripts. Once you recognise the shape of each one, they become easy to end early.

The item that is too cheap

A car, phone or apartment priced far below every comparable listing is bait. The follow-up is always the same: the seller cannot meet, the item is elsewhere, and a deposit is needed to hold it. Never pay a deposit for something you have not seen.

The courier or shipping story

The seller is "working abroad" and will send the item by courier once you pay, sometimes through a fake escrow or delivery site with a convincing invoice. There is no item. Insist on collection in person.

The overpayment and refund

A buyer sends — or claims to send — more than the asking price and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment is fake or later reversed, and your refund is real money gone.

The verification code request

Someone asks you to send a code you have just received by SMS "to prove you are real". The code is a login or account-verification code for a service in your name. Never share one, with anyone.

The fake payment screenshot

You are shown a screenshot of a transfer. Screenshots are trivially faked, and pending transfers can be cancelled. Only release an item when the money is in your account and available.

The rental viewing that never happens

A property is advertised at an attractive rent, the "landlord" is out of the country, and the keys will be posted after a deposit. Legitimate landlords and agents let you view first.

The rushed deal

Urgency is the common thread: another buyer is waiting, the offer expires today, decide now. Any pressure to skip a normal step — viewing, inspection, paperwork — is the warning sign itself.

What to do

End the conversation, do not send money, report the advert or user, and keep the messages. If you have already paid, contact your bank immediately and report it to the police.