Selling on DoneDeal, Adverts.ie or Vinted and the "buyer" asks for my details or sends a link

Selling on DoneDeal, Adverts.ie or Vinted and the "buyer" asks for my details or sends a link

You put a bike, a cot or a jacket up for sale on DoneDeal, Adverts.ie, Facebook Marketplace or Vinted. Within minutes a "buyer" gets in touch: they're very interested, they don't haggle, and they want to sort it out today. The catch comes next: a link "to receive the payment", a supposed courier booking, or a request for your card details "so the money can be sent to you". This scam is aimed at sellers, and the rule that defuses it is simple: to receive money, you never need to enter your card details, a code or your banking password anywhere.

How does the fake buyer scam work?

There are several variants:

• The fake payment link. The buyer says they've already paid "through the platform's secure payment" or "through An Post/DPD's delivery service" and sends you a link (by WhatsApp, text or email) to "accept the payment". The link leads to a page copying the marketplace or courier, which asks for your card number, expiry date, CVV and then the code your bank sends you. With that, they make payments from your card.
• Moving off the platform. They ask you to continue on WhatsApp "because the app is giving trouble". Outside the platform you lose its protections, and they can send you anything.
• The "courier will collect it" story. They're "working away" or "abroad" and will send a courier, who you supposedly have to pay a fee to, or whose "insurance" you have to cover, with a promise of reimbursement.
• The overpayment. They "accidentally" send more than the price (by fake screenshot, or with a payment that will later bounce) and ask you to refund the difference.
• The code request. They ask you to confirm you're "a real seller" by sending a code you've just received by text. That code may be for your WhatsApp, your bank or your marketplace account.

How do I tell the buyer is fake?

• They don't ask about the item, the condition or to see it: they just want to pay quickly.
• They want to move the conversation off the platform.
• They send links to receive money, especially with odd domains ("donedeal-payment", "vinted-secure-ie", "anpost-delivery-confirm").
• They ask for card details, codes or passwords. Nobody needs these to pay you.
• The story is complicated: they're abroad, a relative will collect, a courier will come.
• The new or empty profile, with no history or reviews.
• The pressure: "I need it today", "if you don't confirm now the payment will be cancelled".

What do I do right now?

1. Don't tap the link and don't enter any details.
2. Keep the conversation inside the platform. If they insist on WhatsApp, that's a reason to be suspicious.
3. Use only the payment and delivery systems built into the platform, and check payments from within the official app, not from links in messages. On Vinted, payments and shipping are handled inside the app; on DoneDeal or Adverts.ie, the safest option is usually to meet in person in a public place.
4. If you sell in person, accept cash or a bank transfer that you can see in your own banking app before handing over the item. A screenshot proves nothing.
5. Never send codes you receive by text.
6. Report the profile on the platform and block it. Report the number in the spam numbers directory.

What if I've already entered my details or a code?

1. Ring your bank immediately on the official number (on your card or in its app) and ask them to block the card and check for payments you don't recognise.
2. If you entered a bank code or approved something in your banking app, tell the bank: a payment may already be authorised.
3. Change your passwords for your marketplace account and your email if you entered them, and turn on two-step verification.
4. If you sent a WhatsApp code, follow the steps to recover your account and warn your contacts.
5. Report it to the Gardaí at your local Garda station, with screenshots of the chat, the profile, the link and any bank movements.
6. Report it to the platform so it can close the fraudulent account.

If your bank won't refund unauthorised payments and you disagree, complain formally to the bank; if that doesn't resolve it, you can bring it to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman (FSPO).

Where do I report it?

• The marketplace, using the report option on the profile or the chat.
• Your bank, if card details or codes are involved.
• An Garda Síochána, at your local station.
• NoCall, in the spam numbers directory.

The CCPC explains online marketplace scams in more detail, and its phishing guide covers the fake payment pages these buyers use.

Frequently asked questions

The link looked exactly like the platform's page. How do I know? The design can be copied perfectly. What gives it away is that it reached you through a buyer's message and asks for your card details to receive money. Real platforms don't work like that.

The buyer sent a screenshot of the payment. Can I send the item? No. Check that the money is actually in your account, in your own banking app. Screenshots are easy to fake.

I sell on Facebook Marketplace. Does the same apply? Yes, and more so: there's no built-in payment system to protect you. Meet in person, see the payment in your account, or accept cash.

Can I just ignore the message? Yes. Ignoring, blocking and reporting is the right answer.

In short

To receive money, you never need to enter your card, a code or a password. If a buyer sends you a link, wants to leave the platform or asks for codes, it's a scam. Keep everything inside the platform, check payments in your own banking app and, if you've already entered details, ring your bank now. Report the number in the NoCall directory to warn other sellers.