Selling online? The fake-payment scams to watch for
Most scam advice is aimed at buyers. But if you sell things online, you are a target too, and I learned that the hard way: I sold a laptop, the payment looked completely real, and it turned out to be fake. By the time I realised, the laptop was gone. So here is how the seller-side scams work, and how to avoid them.
How the fake-payment scam works
The buyer seems keen and easy. Then the payment “happens”: you get an email or screenshot that looks like a bank transfer or PayPal payment confirming the money is on its way. Under that cover, the scammer pushes you to hand over or post the item quickly. The catch is simple: the money never actually arrives. The confirmation was faked, or the payment is later reversed.
A few variations:
- Overpayment. They “accidentally” pay too much and ask you to refund the difference. The original payment then bounces, and your refund is real money gone.
- “Friends and family”. They ask to pay by PayPal’s friends-and-family option. It is cheaper for them, but it strips away your seller protection, so you cannot get help if it goes wrong.
- Off-platform. They want to move the deal off Facebook Marketplace, Vinted or eBay to WhatsApp or email, away from the platform’s protections.
The red flags
- Any pressure to post or hand over the item before the money is truly in your account.
- A payment “confirmation” by email or screenshot rather than money you can see in your own banking app.
- A request to pay by friends-and-family, or to take the deal off the platform.
- An overpayment with a request to refund the difference.
- A buyer who arranges their own courier to collect, then disputes the payment.
How to sell safely
- Only trust money you can see in your own account. Not an email, not a screenshot, not a “pending” message. Open your banking app and confirm the funds have actually cleared before you part with anything.
- Use the platform’s own payment and postage where you can. It is what gives you protection if there is a dispute.
- Never refund an “overpayment.” Cancel the sale instead.
- Say no to friends-and-family and to moving off the platform.
If it has already happened
Act quickly: contact your bank (dial 159), and work through what to do if you’ve been scammed and how to report a scam. And if you are carrying the financial and emotional weight of it like I did, this may help.
More in our scams and fraud section.