Legal information notice: this article provides general information and isn't a substitute for advice from a qualified lawyer.
Our general guide covers fake listings on Facebook Marketplace. This one deals with a narrower and very common problem: the payment itself being fake. Sellers get screenshots of transfers that never happened, “overpayments” they’re asked to refund, or requests to “verify” by entering a PIN. Buyers get asked to pay in advance for goods that don’t exist. Here’s how to spot and handle each.
The only reliable proof of payment is money visible in your own bank or UPI app. Not a screenshot, not a message saying “sent”, not an SMS forwarded by the buyer. Wait for the credit, then hand over the item.
If someone claims to have overpaid, don’t refund anything until you can see the original payment in your own account.
If money has already been debited — including through a collect request or QR scan — call your bank’s official number and report it in writing.
Report at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930, with the profile link, phone number, and screenshots.
Use Marketplace’s report options on the listing or the profile so it can be reviewed.
Screenshot the profile page, chat, the fake payment image, and the listing before they disappear.
Prefer meeting in a public place and taking payment in a way you can verify on the spot. If a buyer insists on shipping and “pay later”, or insists on a payment method that’s unusual for the deal, treat that insistence itself as the warning.
| Genuine | Fake-Payment Pattern |
|---|---|
| Credit appears in your own bank/UPI app | Only a screenshot or 'sent' message is shown |
| Buyer pays the agreed amount | 'Overpays' and asks you to return the difference |
| You never need a PIN to receive | Asks you to approve a request or scan a code 'to receive' |
No. Reporting to your bank, cybercrime.gov.in, and Facebook is free.
Yes. A lawyer is worth considering only for larger losses where the bank disputes liability.
Need professional legal help with this?
Find a Lawyer on VidyodayFor fake listings and non-delivery on the same platform, see our guide on the Facebook Marketplace scam. For the QR and collect-request tricks, see our guides on fake QR fraud and the UPI collect request scam.
Only when the credit appears in your own bank or UPI app.
Don’t refund anything until you can see the original payment in your account. This is a classic trick.
That’s a collect request or QR trap that actually pulls money out of your account.
It depends on speed and circumstances; report to your bank and 1930 immediately.
Meeting in a public place and verifying payment on the spot removes most of these tricks.
That’s the reverse scam — a request for advance payment for goods you haven’t seen is a red flag.
Yes. It helps protect others.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Platform reporting options change — check the platform’s help pages for current steps.
