You sell a jacket for twenty euros and lose hundreds. It sounds absurd, yet this is exactly what the most widespread scam on classifieds and swap platforms looks like today. The target is not buyers but sellers: people who simply want to sell something they no longer need on Vinted, Facebook Marketplace or local classifieds. Here is the whole script step by step, the signs that give it away at first glance, and what to do if you have already clicked.

How the scam unfolds

The script is polished and always the same:

  1. A fast reply to your listing. Soon after posting, a buyer appears. They want the item now, do not haggle, do not ask for more photos. They often write in broken language or translator English.
  2. Moving off the platform. They suggest continuing on WhatsApp, Telegram or e-mail “because the app is not working”. That takes you out of reach of the marketplace’s protections.
  3. “The courier will handle the payment.” They claim to have booked shipping with payment included: a courier picks the item up and the service “releases” your money. Sounds convenient; you do nothing.
  4. The “receive your payment” link. A link arrives to a page with the courier’s or marketplace’s logo: a form asking for your card number, expiry and CVC so the money “can be sent to you”.
  5. Money leaves instead of arriving. The card details go straight to the attacker. Instead of receiving twenty euros, your card starts paying: often immediately, while you are still “waiting for confirmation” on the fake page.

The one sentence that protects you

Remember: to receive money you never need to enter your full card number, expiry and CVC. Those three details are only for paying. Whoever has them can charge your card. Any page that asks for them “so it can send you money” is a scam. No exceptions.

More signs that give the scam away

  • A link from a chat. No real courier or marketplace sends you payment links over WhatsApp. Payments happen inside the platform’s app.
  • The domain does not match. Fake pages run on random domains with the carrier’s name only in the path or subdomain. Check what sits just before the first slash.
  • Time pressure. “The courier is waiting, confirm within 15 minutes.” A genuine sale is not running away; we cover pressure tactics in scam messages.
  • The perfect buyer. No haggling, no questions, willing to pay more than you ask. That is not how classifieds work.
  • Fake “support”. The fraudulent page often opens a chat with an “operator” who walks you through the clicks. It is part of the theatre.

You can have a suspicious message or e-mail assessed by our phishing e-mail checker: it exposes spoofed links and fake senders right in your browser.

How to sell online safely: 5 rules

  1. Stay in the app. Keep all communication and payment inside the marketplace’s official app. Vinted and similar platforms have a built-in payment system; it never asks for your card details to receive money.
  2. Payment links from chat do not exist. Anyone sending you a “link to your money” is a scammer. This rule has no exceptions.
  3. An IBAN is enough to get paid. Outside a platform, have the money sent by transfer and ship the item only after it is credited.
  4. In person = cash or instant transfer. For hand-to-hand sales, cash is safest, or an instant transfer you see credited on the spot.
  5. Secure your account. A strong password and two-factor authentication protect your marketplace account from takeover; see our guide to password managers and two-factor authentication.

Entered your details? Act now

  1. Call the bank and block the card. Many banking apps do it in a minute. Every minute counts.
  2. Check transactions and dispute them. Unauthorised card payments can be disputed (chargeback); report all of them to the bank.
  3. Report the fraud to the police and to the marketplace; reported profiles get blocked and you protect others.
  4. Change your passwords. If you entered login credentials anywhere, change them and enable two-factor authentication. The full recovery procedure is in what to do when your account is hacked.

The same fake-payment-gateway mechanism powers the motorway vignette scams and fake parcel messages; learn one and you will recognise them all.

Clicked and not sure what now?

Get in touch. We will advise what to check and in what order, help secure your accounts and devices, and set up protections so it does not happen again. For businesses and homes in the Liptov region.

I need help after a scam

Summary

The seller scam rests on a single lie: that receiving money requires entering your card details. It does not. The card number, expiry and CVC are for paying only, and whoever asks for them “to send you money” wants to charge your card. Stay inside the marketplace app, ignore payment links from chats, and if things go wrong, block the card immediately and request a chargeback. A twenty-euro jacket should never cost hundreds.

This article is part of our Cybersecurity overview.