The scams to watch for
1. “Click this link to receive your payment”
Common on DoneDeal, Adverts.ie and Facebook Marketplace. A “buyer” agrees to your price without questions, then sends a link to a page that looks like a delivery or payment service and asks for your card details “so the money can be sent”. It’s a fake page that steals your card details. You never need to enter card details to receive money.
2. The courier or overpayment scam
The buyer says they’re abroad or busy and will send a courier, or that they’ve paid too much by mistake and asks you to send back the difference. The payment is fake or gets reversed, and you lose the item and the money you sent.
3. Fake “you’ve been paid” emails and texts
A message says you’ve been paid, with a link to “confirm the sale”. Real payments show in the app or your banking app, not just in an email or text. eBay explains how to spot fake emails.
4. “Can I pay you another way?”
On Vinted, eBay and Depop, a buyer who wants to pay outside the app is a warning sign. If you agree, you lose the platform’s protection.
5. “Message me on WhatsApp”
Moving the chat off the platform means nothing is recorded where the platform can see it. Keep all messages in the app.
6. “The box was empty” or “it never arrived”
Your best defence is evidence: use tracked postage, and take photos or a short video of the item being packed and sealed.
7. “Please send it to a different address”
Only ever post to the address on the order or the platform’s label.
Protect yourself before every sale
- Describe the item honestly, flaws included, with clear photos.
- Photograph the item as you pack it, and photograph the sealed parcel and label.
- Keep proof of postage until the order is complete.
- Keep every message and payment inside the app, or for local sales, take cash or check the transfer has arrived in your banking app before handing anything over. A screenshot isn’t proof.
- Never share codes sent to your phone or email. No real buyer needs them.
If something goes wrong
- Tell the platform first. Report the buyer or message in the app.
- If you’ve lost money or given card details, contact your bank straight away and ask them to stop any transactions. Banks run 24-hour fraud lines.
- Report it to An Garda Síochána at your local Garda station, especially if you’ve lost money. Keep the messages, adverts and payment details as evidence.
- If you entered a password on a fake page, change it at once, and anywhere else you use it. Turn on two-step verification.
For more on spotting fraud, see FraudSMART, the banks’ fraud awareness site, and An Garda Síochána’s fraud advice.