Alert: Marketplace “buyer” overpayment scams

If you sell on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or similar, you’ll meet this scam within your first few listings. The “buyer” is keen, pays fast — too fast — and something about the payment goes sideways. Every variation below ends the same way: you send real money or real goods against a fake payment.

The current variations

• Overpayment: “I’ve sent $500 instead of $50 by mistake — please refund $450.” The original payment was fake; your refund is real.
• Fake PayID email: an email styled like PayID/your bank claims the buyer paid, but you must “upgrade to a business account” by paying a refundable fee. PayID has no such thing.
• Fake payment screenshot: a screenshot of a “pending transfer”. Pending in their photo editor.
• Courier pickup: “My agent will collect; I’ve added their fee to your payment — please pay the courier.” Same con, extra character.
• The deposit hold: for rentals and big items, a fake receipt for a deposit you’re asked to partially “release”.

Sell safely

• Never refund “overpayments” — tell the buyer to cancel their payment instead
• Never pay a fee to receive money (PayID, PayPal and bank transfers don’t work that way for sellers)
• Meet locally where you can; cash or instant transfer you watch arrive in your own app
• Be suspicious of buyers who won’t inspect the item or negotiate at all
• Report scam buyers to the platform and to Scamwatch