What is a Buyer Scam? 

A buyer scam is any scam that is perpetrated by the buyer.  

This could be in the form of:

• A buyer sending a fake proof of payment to the seller 
• A buyer depositing an invalid cheque  

A common tactic of a scammer would be to direct the conversation to WhatsApp. If you are unsure about a user, please send a snapshot of the conversation, contact number or email address used by the buyer to our helpdesk.

What Are the Buyer Scams You Need to Watch Out For? 

The buyer sends a driver to pick up an item:

The scammer insists on doing an EFT payment. After agreeing on a price, the buyer will send an EFT SMS notification to the seller’s phone showing that the funds were transferred. However, the SMS notification is fake. Once payment is made, the scammer sends a driver, which could also be via Bolt or Uber, to collect the item. 

What to do:  

• Do not hand over an item unless the money reflects on your account. With EFT payments, this could take up to a day to reflect. A tactic that the scammers use is to ask what financial institution you are with, knowing that same bank transfers are quicker.  
• Check with your bank to verify the legitimacy of the SMS notification received and if any payment was made. 
• If possible, ask the user to meet you in person. 

The buyer pays with a cheque:

In this scenario, the funds will reflect on the seller’s account. However, the payment will later be declined. 

What to do:  

• Contact your financial institution to confirm that the payment is legitimate 
• If payment was made by cheque, please wait until it has cleared before handing over the item 
• If possible, avoid cheque payments entirely and insist on EFT/Cash payments