📦 Marketplace overpayment and fake shipping scams
The buyer 'accidentally' overpays, or the shipping agent needs a fee — marketplace fraud in its two classic shapes.
How the scam works
- You sell something. The buyer sends more than the price and asks you to refund the difference — their payment was fake and will bounce.
- Or the 'shipping company' demands insurance/fees before your sale can complete — the company does not exist.
- Vinted, Marktplaats, Facebook Marketplace and eBay all protect deals inside their own platforms; scammers need you off-platform.
Red flags
- Overpayments and refund requests
- Shipping agents contacting you before any sale
- Requests to move to WhatsApp or email
- Payment links that look like the platform but are not
What to do
- Keep the entire deal inside the platform's official flow.
- Never refund an overpayment — let the fake payment bounce.
- Real shipping costs are paid by the buyer through the platform, never by you to a stranger.
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