Skip to guide
SafeResponsesCheck something suspicious

SCAM SAFETY GUIDE

How to Avoid Marketplace Buyer Scams

Fake buyers target sellers on marketplace and resale apps. They may send counterfeit payment notices, claim your account must be upgraded, or ask for a code that actually gives them access to your account.

Common warning signs

  • The buyer immediately asks to communicate outside the marketplace.
  • Payment appears only in an email, screenshot, or message—not in your account.
  • You must pay a fee or refund an overpayment before receiving funds.
  • The buyer requests a verification code, email address, or account login.

Examples of suspicious wording

‘I paid, but you need to upgrade your business account to receive it.’
‘Send me the code so I can prove your listing is real.’

Wording alone cannot prove a scam. Consider the sender, destination, request, and pressure together.

How to verify it safely

  1. Keep all communication and payment inside the marketplace.
  2. Check the order and balance by opening the official app yourself.
  3. Do not trust screenshots or forwarded payment emails.
  4. Use the platform’s reporting and seller-protection process.

If you already clicked, paid, or replied

  1. Contact the marketplace and payment provider immediately.
  2. Change your password and sign out other sessions.
  3. Tell your bank if you sent money or exposed card information.
  4. Preserve the listing, profile, messages, and transaction evidence.

RELATED GUIDES

Check the surrounding risk.

Romance and relationship scamsLearn how online romance scams build trust, avoid verification, and introduce emergencies, investments, or money requests.Fake job and task offersSpot fake remote jobs, check scams, equipment-purchase requests, and task schemes before you share information or money.Cryptocurrency and investment scamsLearn how fake trading platforms, guaranteed-return pitches, and withdrawal-fee scams work—and what to do after paying.

STILL UNSURE?

Get it checked before you act.

Send the suspicious message, screenshot, link, phone number, seller, or offer to SafeResponses for structured guidance and practical next steps.

Start a check

Educational guidance only. SafeResponses cannot guarantee that a message or sender is safe, recover funds, or replace law enforcement, legal, financial, or emergency services.