Most sellers expect to negotiate the price or arrange pickup. A scam often arrives disguised as a small extra step: confirm a code, pay to upgrade an account, refund an accidental payment or use a different delivery service. The pressure to finish a promising sale can make that step seem reasonable.
This guide focuses on selling your belongings. If the offer involves paid work, recruiting or buying supplies for a supposed employer, use our separate guide to job and money-making scams.
Recognize the transaction changes that deserve a stop
The exact wording varies. Look at what the other person is asking you to do with your money, account or item.
| Buyer request or claim | Why it matters | Your next step |
|---|---|---|
| “I paid; the screenshot proves it” | An image does not establish payment status in your account | Open the official account independently and inspect the transaction |
| “I overpaid; send the difference to my mover” | You may be sending real money against an invalid payment | Stop; contact the payment provider through its official channel |
| “Send me the code so I know you are real” | A code can grant access or link an account | Do not share it; end the verification request |
| “Pay this fee to receive my money” | The buyer may be directing you to a fake payment process | Check official support without using their link |
| “Use this new address instead of the order address” | Your fulfillment evidence may no longer match the order | Use the platform's approved address-change or cancellation process |
| “Refund me through a different app” | The refund may become a separate unrecoverable payment | Resolve the original transaction through its provider |
These are reasons to pause and verify, not an invitation to investigate the person's identity yourself. You do not need to prove criminal intent before declining a sale that requires an unsafe arrangement.
A payment message is not the payment
The FTC describes fake payment notices and bogus refund requests in its online-selling scam warning. A convincing logo or familiar sender name does not make the message part of your real account.
Open the marketplace or payment app yourself, using your saved app or a known address. Look for the actual order and transaction, not merely an email notification. Check the amount, status and applicable instructions. If the transaction is absent or unclear, keep the item and contact official support.
Do not treat every visible balance as irrevocable. Payment methods have different dispute, hold and reversal rules. Follow the platform's instructions for when an order can be fulfilled, and avoid telling a buyer that you will ignore those rules because their message sounds urgent.
A useful response is: “I can complete the sale once the transaction is confirmed through the platform's normal process.” You do not need to argue about whether the buyer's bank is slow or whether their courier is waiting.
Overpayments create a second loss
Consider this fictional scenario: you list a desk for $200. A buyer sends a $650 check and asks you to pay $450 to a mover. Even if your bank initially makes $650 available, that does not establish that the check is genuine. If it is later rejected, the money you sent to the mover can become your loss, along with the desk if you released it.
The FTC's fake-check guidance explains the gap between funds availability and final discovery of a counterfeit or fraudulent check. Do not use an unfamiliar buyer's check to finance a refund, shipping service or other payment.
If you already deposited the check, contact your bank's fraud team using a known channel and explain the entire sequence. Do not spend or forward the apparent proceeds while trying to resolve it. A request to return money to a different person or account is a further reason to stop.
An electronic “accidental payment” also needs the provider's process. Do not create a separate payment merely because someone insists it will be quicker. Let the provider explain how to address the original transaction without adding another one.
Keep codes, passwords and account changes out of the sale
A buyer does not need your login code to determine whether you own a chair or a phone. The FTC's seller warning describes scammers using verification-code requests to link services to someone else's number. Decline the request even if the buyer frames it as protection against dishonest sellers.
Use a unique password for your selling account and enable available multifactor authentication. The FTC recommends account protection and warns against sharing credentials in its payment-app guidance.
If a link claims you must upgrade your payment account, open the actual service and look for the requirement there. A legitimate service may have genuine account types and charges; that does not establish that the buyer's message is genuine. Verify any requirement through support you locate independently.
Never give the buyer remote access to your device so they can “help” receive payment. For a device you are selling, complete your own backup and reset process before the handoff. Our electronics resale guide explains why account removal and transaction payment are separate steps.
Keep a shipped sale tied to its real order
Before buying a label, compare the recipient and address with the official order instructions. A friendly message asking you to ship to a cousin or a different office can change what evidence you have if the transaction is disputed. Use the platform's supported correction process instead of improvising.
Save the listing, photographs and identifying records privately. Pack the item appropriately, keep proof of shipping and use the required tracking or delivery service. Tracking shows aspects of transport; it does not, by itself, prove that the item matched every condition statement in your listing.
On eBay, protection and resolution depend on the policy's eligibility requirements, and payments completed outside the platform can fall outside its Money Back Guarantee. Read the actual policy rather than assuming the platform will cover any arrangement that began in its messages.
Be particularly cautious when a buyer offers a higher price to move the transaction elsewhere. Compare the possible extra proceeds with the protections and records you would lose. Our selling-fee guide can help you decide whether a normal transaction is worthwhile without accepting an unusual payment arrangement.
Make local handoffs predictable
Agree on the item, amount, time, location and payment method before leaving. Choose a practical public location in daylight where possible, and bring another person. OfferUp's meeting-safety guidance recommends cash for local sales and warns against last-minute relocation requests. Cash still requires ordinary care; it is not a guarantee against every problem.
Give the buyer a reasonable opportunity to inspect the item under the agreed conditions, then complete payment before releasing it. Do not let urgency replace the handoff sequence. If the buyer arrives with a different payment proposal, you can postpone or decline.
Large furniture can make a public transfer impractical. Arrange a specific pickup window, have another adult present and limit access to the relevant area. Share the full pickup address only when needed for the agreed meeting. See furniture pickup planning for the moving and measurement details.
If someone becomes threatening, prioritize leaving or seeking immediate help over completing the sale or keeping a deposit. A piece of property is not a reason to continue a dangerous confrontation.
If you already sent money or released the item
Act promptly and keep the sequence clear. Save messages, transaction identifiers, the listing, shipping information and the buyer's account details as displayed. Do not alter the records or keep engaging merely to collect more evidence.
Contact the payment provider or bank through its official support channel. Explain what you authorized, what the other person represented and whether the item has been released. Ask what reversal, fraud-reporting or dispute options are available. The FTC's steps after a scam organizes actions by payment method; recovery is not guaranteed.
If a parcel is already in transit, contact the carrier promptly to ask whether an eligible interception or return request is possible. Availability and charges depend on the shipment and carrier. Do not promise yourself that tracking will allow the item to be recovered.
Report the account through the marketplace and report fraud through ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you exposed a password or recovery method, secure the affected account through the real provider. Be wary of anyone who then asks for an advance fee to recover your loss.
Frequently asked questions
Can a buyer fake a payment screenshot?
Yes. Treat it as a message, not as account evidence. Open your own account independently and check the actual transaction and fulfillment instructions. If you cannot verify it, do not release the item simply because the image looks convincing.
Is a long-established buyer profile proof of safety?
No. Profile history can provide context, but it does not verify a specific payment or request. Evaluate the transaction itself. An established account can still be misused, and an unfamiliar profile does not require you to accept an unusual arrangement.
What if a payment provider really needs identity verification?
Complete legitimate requirements only through the provider's official app or website that you open yourself. Do not send identity documents, passwords or login codes to the buyer. Official verification and a buyer's request to “prove you are real” are separate things.
Should I refund an accidental payment immediately?
Contact the provider and use its process for the original transaction. Do not send a new payment to another account or app at the sender's direction. A separate transfer may create a loss even if the original transaction is later reversed.
What should I say when I decide to stop the sale?
Keep it brief: “I can only use the platform's normal payment and pickup process, so I won't proceed with this arrangement.” You do not owe a long argument or further personal information. Save relevant records and report suspicious activity through the proper channel.
Sources and research
Official consumer-protection and platform guidance was checked October 30, 2026. The desk example and suggested responses are fictional illustrations. No platform or payment method is represented as eliminating fraud risk.