What are the red flags of this scam?

The price is significantly below what you would pay on a reputable retailer — genuine bargains exist, but a PS5 for £150 or designer trainers for £40 is almost always fraudulent • The seller insists on bank transfer, PayPal Friends & Family, or Revolut rather than a card-protected payment — bank transfers to strangers are almost impossible to recover once sent • The seller's profile was created recently, has few posts, and all reviews or comments are suspiciously positive and from accounts with no history • The seller is unwilling to meet in person to exchange goods and cash, or offers a 'courier collection' story as a reason you can't inspect before paying • They create urgency — 'I have another buyer lined up', 'it's selling tonight', or 'Black Friday price ends at midnight' • They ask you to pay first, then promise to ship — legitimate private sellers offering delivery either use eBay or PayPal Goods & Services protection, not bare bank transfers

What should I do if this happened to me?

Pay by credit or debit card wherever possible — credit card purchases over £100 are covered by Section 75; debit cards offer chargeback. Bank transfers have no automatic protection and are rarely recovered • For high-value items, insist on meeting in person in a public place to inspect goods before paying — if the seller refuses, treat it as a red flag and walk away • If you must pay remotely, use PayPal Goods & Services (not Friends & Family) or eBay checkout — both offer buyer protection; never pay by bank transfer to a private seller you have not verified • Check the seller's profile carefully: account creation date, number of previous sales, independent reviews from real accounts, and whether the photos are stock images (reverse-image-search them) • If you have already paid by bank transfer, call your bank immediately on the number on the back of your card and report it as a scam — the bank can sometimes recall the payment under the APP reimbursement scheme • Report to Report Fraud at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

HIGH marketplace Last reported: 5 Nov 2026 Share

A Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram seller takes your bank transfer for a discounted item and vanishes

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. Fake sellers on Facebook Marketplace, Facebook groups, TikTok Shop, Instagram and Snapchat list popular goods — consoles, phones, designer items, tickets — at tempting discounts and insist on bank transfer. After payment the seller blocks the buyer and disappears; no goods arrive. TSB logged £2.3M in losses Jan–Sep 2026, average £540 per victim.

Fake sellers on Facebook Marketplace, Facebook groups, TikTok Shop, Instagram and Snapchat list popular goods — consoles, phones, designer items, tickets — at tempting discounts and insist on bank transfer. After payment the seller blocks the buyer and disappears; no goods arrive. TSB logged £2.3M in losses Jan–Sep 2026, average £540 per victim.

Also known as: Facebook Marketplace scam UK, social media seller fraud UK, TikTok shop scam UK, Instagram seller scam UK, online purchase fraud Black Friday UK, Snapchat purchase scam UK

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 Pay by credit or debit card wherever possible — credit card purchases over £100 are covered by Section 75; debit cards offer chargeback. Bank transfers have no automatic protection and are rarely recovered
2 For high-value items, insist on meeting in person in a public place to inspect goods before paying — if the seller refuses, treat it as a red flag and walk away
3 If you must pay remotely, use PayPal Goods & Services (not Friends & Family) or eBay checkout — both offer buyer protection; never pay by bank transfer to a private seller you have not verified
4 Check the seller's profile carefully: account creation date, number of previous sales, independent reviews from real accounts, and whether the photos are stock images (reverse-image-search them)
5 If you have already paid by bank transfer, call your bank immediately on the number on the back of your card and report it as a scam — the bank can sometimes recall the payment under the APP reimbursement scheme
6 Report to Report Fraud at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

Red flags

⚠ The price is significantly below what you would pay on a reputable retailer — genuine bargains exist, but a PS5 for £150 or designer trainers for £40 is almost always fraudulent
⚠ The seller insists on bank transfer, PayPal Friends & Family, or Revolut rather than a card-protected payment — bank transfers to strangers are almost impossible to recover once sent
⚠ The seller's profile was created recently, has few posts, and all reviews or comments are suspiciously positive and from accounts with no history
⚠ The seller is unwilling to meet in person to exchange goods and cash, or offers a 'courier collection' story as a reason you can't inspect before paying
⚠ They create urgency — 'I have another buyer lined up', 'it's selling tonight', or 'Black Friday price ends at midnight'
⚠ They ask you to pay first, then promise to ship — legitimate private sellers offering delivery either use eBay or PayPal Goods & Services protection, not bare bank transfers

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Sources