The buyer who pays another way
A buyer or seller is keen, agreeable, and wants to settle up outside the marketplace. Once you leave the platform you leave its protections, and an email saying "payment received" is not the same as money in your account.
How does it work?
As a seller: the buyer says they paid, and an email arrives saying the money is on hold until you "upgrade to a business account" by sending a refundable amount. No payment app works like that.
As a buyer: the seller wants a deposit by payment app to hold the item, then disappears.
A third version sends a verification code "to prove you are real". It is a code for creating a phone account in your name.
What does one look like?
I'll take it, no need to haggle. My cousin will collect. I've sent the payment by Zelle but it says your account has a limit, so I added $300 to upgrade you to business. Check your email and send the $300 back once it clears.
- No questions about the item.
- The proof of payment is an email, which anyone can write.
- You are asked to send money in order to receive money.
What are the warning signs?
- A push to move to text, email, or a messaging app.
- Overpayment, with a request to refund the difference.
- A request for a code sent to your phone.
- Pressure to ship before money shows in your account.
How do I check it myself?
- Keep chat and payment inside the marketplace.
- Confirm any payment by opening the payment app yourself. Ignore links in the email.
- For local sales, meet in a public place and take payment there.
What if I already acted?
- Sent money through a payment app? Report it in the app right away and ask for a reversal, then tell your bank.
- Shared a verification code? Secure the account it belongs to and change the password.
- Report the profile to the marketplace so it can be removed.
Sources
Written by the Scammer Checker editors. Published September 21, 2026. Reviewed against the sources above on September 21, 2026. The example is ours and uses reserved example domains.