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The safest rule for selling online is simple: trust only what you can verify inside the official payment or marketplace account. A buyer’s screenshot, email, text message, or claim that a transfer was sent is not proof that money arrived. Sign in through the service’s genuine app or a website address you already know, confirm the transaction there, and do not hand over or ship the item until the account shows a settled payment.
Scammers commonly combine fake payment notices with overpayment stories, requests for one-time codes, or impersonated customer support. The exact protections and deadlines vary by marketplace, so keep the conversation and payment in the platform’s supported process whenever possible and read the rules for the specific transaction.
Why online sellers are targeted
Once a listing is public, a fraudster can contact you without needing access to your account. The goal may be to obtain the item before any real payment exists, make you send money back, take over a phone number, or collect credentials through fake support.
These schemes rely on pressure and convincing-looking evidence. A message may use a familiar logo, a forged payment receipt, or a phone number that appears in a search result. None of those proves who is contacting you. Treat every claim as unverified until you check it through a channel you opened independently.
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The payment rule: verify in the receiving account
What counts as independent confirmation
Open the payment service or marketplace yourself. Use its installed official app, a bookmark you created previously, or a web address you type manually. Sign in and look for the transaction in your own account activity. Check the amount, status, payer details shown by the service, and whether the funds are available for withdrawal under that service’s rules.
A buyer’s forwarded email, text, image, or screen recording is not independent confirmation. Neither is an email link that asks you to sign in to “release” or “verify” a payment. Unexpected links can lead to phishing pages that steal your password.
When to release or ship an item
Do not release the item, provide a pickup code, or ship it because the buyer says payment is complete. Wait until the official account shows the transaction and the service’s terms allow you to proceed. If the status is pending, under review, reversed, disputed, or otherwise unclear, pause and contact the provider through its verified support path.
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Save the listing, the buyer’s profile information, messages, payment record, and shipping details. These records help you explain what happened if the platform later asks for evidence.
Fake payment notifications and duplicate-payment claims
How the fake-notification version works
In a documented pattern, a person posing as a buyer says they paid through a mobile-payment app. The scammer then sends a fabricated notification so the seller will hand over or ship the item. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes this seller-targeted tactic in “Selling stuff online? Here’s how to avoid a scam” (July 2022).
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Ignore the notification until you see the transaction after signing in independently. If it is absent from your account, assume no payment was made. Do not click a link in the notice or call a number included in it.
How the “I paid twice” version works
Another variation says the buyer accidentally sent two payments and wants one returned. The request may include a screenshot or an urgent explanation. Do not refund an alleged duplicate based only on that message. Verify both entries in the actual receiving account and ask the payment provider, through its known support channel, whether either transaction is genuine and reversible.
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Fake-check overpayment scams
Why an account balance can be misleading
A buyer may offer a check for more than the agreed price and ask you to send back the difference. The FTC explains that banks can make deposited-check funds available quickly—usually within two days—before the check has completed all fraud checks. A visible balance therefore is not proof that the check has cleared.
Do not send the difference, ship the item, or spend the funds merely because they appear in your account. Contact your bank using the telephone number on your statement, debit card, or the bank’s known website, and explain that you suspect a counterfeit or altered check. The bank will tell you what review and recovery steps apply; those procedures and timelines differ, so do not assume that an available balance is final.
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Warning signs in an overpayment request
- The buyer pays more than the agreed price without a clear, independently verifiable reason.
- You are told to refund the “difference” before the original payment is fully settled.
- You are asked to use a different payment method for the refund.
- The buyer creates urgency, discourages you from contacting the bank, or insists that a screenshot is sufficient.
Never give a buyer a verification code
What the code request is designed to do
A supposed buyer may say a code is needed to prove you are a real seller, reserve the item, or prevent fraud. The code may actually be a one-time passcode sent to your phone or email for an account or number-registration action.
In the Google Voice scam described by the FTC (October 2021), a fraudster interested in a listing asks the seller to repeat a verification code. The scammer uses it to create a Google Voice number linked to the seller’s phone number. The same principle applies to any one-time code: it is intended for you to enter into the service that requested it, not to read aloud or forward to another person.
“No matter what the story is, don’t share your Google Voice verification code — or any verification code — with someone if you didn’t contact them first,” the FTC advises. A legitimate buyer does not need your login code, password, or security answer.
How to recognize fake customer support
Do not trust a search-result phone number automatically
Scammers can create customer-service pages and pay for them to appear in search results. They may use a trusted company’s name, logo, or similar web address. The FTC’s April 2025 guidance says, “Don’t assume the phone number that comes up in search is legit.” A high ranking, an “Ad” label, or polished branding is not authentication.
Find support from a channel you control
- Open the marketplace or payment service’s official app, if you have it installed.
- Otherwise, type a web address you already know yourself rather than following a link from a message, pop-up, or advertisement.
- Use the Help or Support area after signing in and start a new case there.
- Compare any phone number or email address with the contact details displayed in that authenticated account.
If you cannot verify a contact through those steps, end the conversation. Do not let an unexpected caller or chat agent direct you to a new website, ask you to install remote-control software, or request credentials.
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Demands that prove support is fake
The FTC states, “No legitimate company will ask you to send gift cards or wire money, or give your password in exchange for customer service help.” Treat the following as stop signs:
- A request for a wire transfer, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or cash to “unlock” a payment or refund.
- A request for your password, one-time code, full card number, or security answers.
- An instruction to install remote-access software or let the caller control your computer.
- Unsolicited urgency, threats of account closure, or demands that you stay on the phone while acting.
- A support number or link supplied in an unexpected email, text, social-media message, or search advertisement.
Keep the transaction inside the marketplace when possible
Moving a buyer to a private chat, personal email, or an unapproved payment method can remove the marketplace’s records and protections. A platform may require its own checkout, messaging history, tracking method, or response deadline for seller protection. It may exclude certain item categories, pickup arrangements, payment types, or transactions conducted outside the platform.
There is no universal “safe” marketplace or payment method. Check the current policy for the platform and the specific transaction before accepting an offer.
What to compare in a platform’s current policy
| Policy question | Why it matters to a seller |
|---|---|
| Is payment processed in the platform’s checkout? | An off-platform payment may not create a qualifying transaction record. |
| Does seller protection apply to this item and transaction? | Coverage can depend on category, price, delivery method, location, and proof of shipment or delivery. |
| What exclusions and evidence requirements apply? | You may need tracking, photographs, serial numbers, or messages kept in the platform. |
| How are refunds, chargebacks, and disputes handled? | The platform, payment provider, or card issuer may have different procedures and may reverse funds while reviewing a claim. |
| What are the deadlines? | Missing a reporting or appeal deadline can end the platform’s review even when records exist. |
| Does an off-platform conversation or payment void protection? | Taking the deal elsewhere may leave you with no platform process to enforce. |
Read the policy before a problem occurs. Save a copy or note the relevant section, because terms and deadlines can change.
A safe workflow from listing to handoff
Before you accept an offer
- Decide in advance which payment methods and delivery options you will accept under the marketplace rules.
- Keep communication in the marketplace message system unless there is a clear, documented reason to use another channel.
- Do not publish unnecessary personal details such as your home address, phone number, or email address.
- Know the exact price, shipping charge, and pickup conditions so an unexpected “overpayment” is easy to spot.
When a buyer says they paid
- Do not click the buyer’s payment link or open an attachment as proof.
- Open the official app or manually entered website.
- Check the transaction in your own account and read its status.
- Confirm that the amount and recipient details match the listing.
- Release or ship only when the service’s rules say the payment is valid for that step.
Before shipping or meeting for pickup
- Use the shipping address and tracking procedure required by the platform, if applicable.
- Photograph the item, packaging, serial number, and shipping label when appropriate.
- For local pickup, verify the transaction in the account before handing over the item; do not accept a screenshot as a substitute.
- Do not allow a buyer to change the payment or delivery process at the last minute without independently checking the platform’s policy.
What to do when something feels wrong
Pause the transaction. Do not argue with the person or try to “test” a suspicious payment by sending a small amount. Use a separate device or browser session to sign in to the official service, or contact the provider through the authenticated Help section. A real support team can explain a hold or pending status without asking you to bypass security.
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Block or report the account through the marketplace after preserving the evidence. Keep the listing URL, profile name, message timestamps, email headers where available, payment records, receipts, tracking numbers, and any phone numbers or web addresses used by the scammer.
If you already shared information or sent money
If you shared a password or one-time code
- Stop communicating with the person who requested it.
- Use the service’s official app or manually entered website to change the password immediately.
- Change the same password anywhere else you reused it.
- Review account sessions, recovery email addresses, phone numbers, payment methods, and forwarding rules; remove anything you do not recognize.
- Contact the affected provider through its verified support channel and explain exactly what was disclosed and when.
If a phone number may have been linked to another service, ask the provider to secure or remove unauthorized numbers and review recent activity. Do not use a support number supplied by the suspected scammer.
If you sent money
- Contact the payment provider, bank, or card issuer immediately using a known official number or authenticated support channel.
- Describe the transaction as suspected fraud and ask what cancellation, recall, or dispute options are available.
- If the marketplace was involved, open its dispute or safety case before the stated deadline and attach your records.
- Preserve confirmation numbers and the provider’s instructions. Do not promise yourself that a payment can be recovered; outcomes depend on the method, timing, and provider.
For card-funded transactions, the FTC advises contacting the card issuer about disputing an unauthorized or fraudulent charge. That buyer-focused guidance does not guarantee a seller’s recovery, so follow the issuer’s and marketplace’s current process for your circumstances.
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If you deposited a suspicious check
Call the bank through a known channel and tell it that you suspect the check is counterfeit or altered. Do not spend the funds or send any requested difference while the bank investigates. Follow the bank’s instructions about account protection and documentation.
Report the scam and protect your records
Report suspected fraud to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If identity information was exposed, use the affected account provider’s official recovery process and consider the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov resources. Reporting does not guarantee a refund, but it creates a record and can help investigators connect related complaints.
Keep your evidence in one secure folder. Include:
- The original listing and edits to its price or description.
- All marketplace messages, emails, texts, and voicemail details.
- Full email headers when available, not just screenshots.
- Payment-account activity, receipts, bank notices, and dispute case numbers.
- Shipping receipts, tracking events, delivery confirmation, and pickup details.
- The scammer’s usernames, phone numbers, email addresses, payment handles, and web addresses.
Quick decision guide
| What happened | Safe next action |
|---|---|
| A buyer sent a payment screenshot | Ignore the screenshot; check the official receiving account yourself. |
| A notification says payment is pending or unavailable | Do not ship or hand over the item; contact verified support if the status is unclear. |
| A buyer says they paid twice | Verify both transactions independently; do not refund through another method. |
| A check is larger than the sale price | Do not return the difference; ask your bank to review the check. |
| A buyer asks for a verification code | Refuse and end the conversation. No buyer needs your one-time code. |
| A search result provides a support number | Find support in the official app or a web address you entered yourself. |
| “Support” asks for a password, gift card, wire, or remote access | End contact, secure the account through a verified channel, and report the impersonation. |
| You already sent money or information | Contact the real provider immediately, secure affected accounts, preserve evidence, and report the fraud. |
Bottom line for sellers
Make independent verification the gate for every handoff. Confirm payment inside the account that is supposed to receive it, reject overpayment and duplicate-payment stories until the provider confirms them, never disclose a one-time code, and locate support through an official app or a web address you entered yourself. Keep the deal inside the marketplace’s supported flow, learn its protections and deadlines, and act quickly through verified channels if you suspect fraud.
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