Marketplace scams by country: what the message actually looks like
Scams are local, because payment rails are local. Here is the pattern that dominates in each major market, written the way it actually arrives in your inbox.
By Vaultmart Founder · · 7 min read
United States
Listings copied from elsewhere with stolen photos and a price far below market, usually for cars, phones and consoles. The seller cannot meet and wants a payment app transfer to hold the item.
Rule: if it cannot be seen in person before payment, it does not exist.
Canada
An e-transfer arrives for more than the asking price, followed by a request to refund the difference. The original transfer is reversed later. Rental variants ask for a deposit from an "overseas landlord".
Rule: never refund an overpayment, and never pay a rental deposit before viewing the unit.
United Kingdom and Ireland
The buyer or seller is away — abroad, offshore, on deployment — and proposes a courier. A deposit is requested before viewing, often for vehicles, rooms or pets.
Rule: in-person only, no couriers, no deposits.
Australia and New Zealand
Less outright fraud, more time-wasting: agreed meetups that nobody attends, and endless enquiries that go nowhere.
Rule: confirm the meetup in-app so a no-show is on the record.
India and South Asia
Advance payment via UPI or a QR code, often with a forged invoice, a fake ID document, or a story about goods held at customs by an official.
Rule: scanning a QR sends money, it never receives it. Cash or confirmed transfer on meetup only.
Germany and France
A link to a convincing but fake payment portal, or a triangulated transfer using a third party's account.
Rule: never open a payment link sent in chat. Settle in person.
Put this into practice
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