Marketplace scam (fake listing and fake buyer): كيف يعمل وعلامات التحذير وماذا تفعل
Shopping scams · médio
Fake listing: the scammer posts a cheap item (often with copied photos), moves the chat to WhatsApp and asks for a deposit or full payment by Pix before delivery, then vanishes.
Fake buyer: the scammer pretends to buy your item and sends a fake "protected payment" link from the platform so you can "receive" — the link steals data or charges a "release fee". Another version asks for your WhatsApp code "to confirm registration".
Middleman (cars): the scammer re-lists a real seller's car for less, talks to both sides and has the buyer pay into the scammer's account. The buyer pays, the seller gets nothing, and both discover it at the transfer.
Sinais / Signs
- Price well below market and pressure to close.
- Request to leave the platform chat for WhatsApp.
- Deposit or upfront payment before seeing the item.
- A "secure payment" link sent by the buyer.
- Payment account in someone else's name.
- Request for a code received by SMS.
Prevenção / Prevention
- Negotiate and pay only within the platform using its official payment system.
- For expensive items, inspect in person in a public place and pay on handover.
- For cars, pay only the registered owner, with buyer and seller together.
- Sellers: never click links sent by buyers to "receive" money.
- Reverse-image search the listing photo to check if it's copied.
O que fazer / What to do
- Call your bank right away using the official number (back of the card or in the app) and ask to block cards, accounts and access.
- If you paid via Pix, ask your bank to open a MED (Special Return Mechanism) claim as soon as possible — time matters because funds move fast.
- File a police report (many Brazilian states accept online reports) and keep screenshots, receipts, numbers and links.
- Report the profile, ad or number to the platform (marketplace or social network) so it gets taken down and others are protected.
- Change passwords for email, banking and social media, turn on two-step verification and sign out of other devices.
FAQ
The buyer sent me a link to receive payment. Is it a scam?
Almost always. Platforms don't require sellers to click external links or pay fees to get paid.
Is this scam common?
Yes. "Fake sale" was the most reported scam by bank customers in H1 2025, with 174,000 reports (+314%), according to Febraban (source: Diario de Pernambuco).
How does the car-sale middleman scam work?
The scammer talks to both sides pretending to be the other and gets the buyer to pay their account. Insist on paying the registered owner with everyone present.
Radar
- — Fake-sale scam soars 314% and leads bank customer reports in Brazil. In H1 2025 there were 174,000 fake-sale reports and 139,000 fake call-center reports (+195.7%); WhatsApp scams fell 9.9%. المصدر: Febraban (via Diario de Pernambuco)
Diario de Pernambuco — Febraban: golpes mais relatados por clientes bancários (1º sem/2025) · CERT.br — Cartilha de Segurança para Internet · Consumidor.gov.br · FTC — ReportFraud