Buying or selling online: how to avoid scams

A convincing message is not proof of payment.

The answer in 2 lines. Selling? Check that payment has actually reached your account by opening your banking or selling account yourself. An email, receipt or the buyer's screen is not enough. Buying? Inspect the item where possible, question unusually cheap offers and resist pressure to pay a deposit. Keep conversations and payments within the selling service where suitable protection is available, and check its conditions. If you have lost money or disclosed payment details, contact your bank immediately, save the evidence and report the fraud.

Before money or goods change hands

Open the selling service yourself. Keep the conversation there so you retain a record of the listing, agreed price and delivery arrangements.
Do not use a buyer's link to receive payment. Never give them your card security code, banking password or an authorisation code.
As a seller, check your own account before releasing the goods. As a buyer, ask to see the item and inspect its condition before paying.

Stop: danger

Threats during collection: end the meeting and move somewhere safe. Do not argue over the item if doing so puts you at risk.
Immediate danger: call 999. For reporting after you are safe, use the police reporting options explained on Report Fraud's official help page.

Selling: recognise a fake payment

A buyer may show a banking screen marked 'completed', then insist that the transfer is simply taking time. Keep the item until you can confirm receipt independently. A screenshot can be fabricated; watching someone apparently make a transfer does not prove that your account has been paid.

Another warning sign is a message saying you must enter card details or pay a charge before sale proceeds can be released. Close the message and open your existing account yourself. If there is no matching transaction there, do not post the goods. See the police guidance on online shopping, particularly its selling and fake-email sections.

Buying: check the offer and the protection

An attractive price becomes more concerning when the seller refuses inspection, changes the collection arrangements or demands an urgent holding deposit. Ask specific questions about the item's condition and request photographs showing the details you need to check.

Read the payment protection conditions before committing: check whether private sales, collection and your chosen payment method qualify. A payment made outside the service may lose protection. For account security, follow the National Cyber Security Centre's shopping guidance: use a unique password and avoid links in unexpected messages.

What not to do

Handing over goods because the buyer is impatient or their screen says payment succeeded.
Assuming an established profile or positive reviews guarantee honesty.
Sharing a verification code to 'prove you are genuine' or 'accept the payment'.
Sending another payment to unlock a refund or recover money already lost.

If you have already paid or shared details

Contact your bank through its app or the number printed on your card. Explain whether you authorised a transfer, entered card details or disclosed a banking code. Ask what can be blocked, recovered or disputed. Do this before spending time challenging the seller.

Save the advert, profile, messages, payment reference and delivery evidence. Use Report Fraud to start a report and follow the questions about what happened. Record the reference provided. Separately, open the selling service yourself and use the report option attached to the advert or conversation.

Your rights in England

Buying from a private individual gives you fewer rights than buying from a business. Do not assume that an unwanted private purchase can simply be returned. MoneyHelper's consumer rights guide explains the distinction; check the private-seller section before deciding how to pursue a dispute.

If your complaint concerns your bank's handling of fraud, complain to the bank first. Then use the Financial Ombudsman Service's fraud page to check how to escalate it. A disappointing purchase and a fraudulent sale are not automatically treated alike.

Good to know

These steps are written for England. Report Fraud also takes reports from Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland has a separate police reporting route, explained in the official FAQs.
For collection, agree a suitable place, tell someone your plans and consider taking someone with you.
Photograph an item's condition before dispatch and retain the agreed description and proof of posting.

Illustrative example: Priya sells a bicycle in Nottingham. The buyer shows her a payment confirmation and says his lift is waiting. Priya checks her own account: no payment has arrived. She keeps the bicycle and ends the collection when he becomes pushy. Afterwards, she saves the conversation and reports the account through the listing.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 6 November 2026, for England. Confidence: high for independent payment checks, account security and reporting routes; medium for recovery, which depends on the payment method, circumstances and applicable protection. The example is illustrative.