The cell market app has a rising variety of customers, however not all of them are real. Be careful for these widespread scams.
04 Feb 2026
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6 min. learn
OfferUp has been in enterprise for practically 15 years. Though little identified exterior the US, {the marketplace} app competes for shopper hearts and minds with business giants Craigslist, Fb Market and eBay. And like them, it has an issue with fraud. When you’re seeking to purchase or promote on the platform and wish to keep away from the scammers, learn on.
Prime 10 OfferUp scams
OfferUp claims to course of over 30 million transactions annually. That’s inevitably going to draw some customers with nefarious motives. Listed here are the commonest scams chances are you’ll encounter on the platform:
Counterfeit objects
Watch out for high-value objects that transform rip offs. The vendor will sometimes attempt to persuade you to pay through a third-party service (e.g., Zelle, Venmo) fairly than by means of the app, as doing so means the merchandise received’t be lined by OfferUp’s Buy Safety.
Cost rip-off
As above, scammers (whether or not purchaser or sellers) will typically attempt to trick you into transacting through third-party money app providers. They might:
- Promise to pay above the asking value for a product you’re promoting, with a purpose to persuade you to conform to them utilizing a money app. They then overpay utilizing a stolen account or pretend test, and ask for a refund. When you pay it, you’ll finally be down the refund, plus your merchandise, and could also be requested to repay the unique fraudulent sum
- Ask to pay through present playing cards, which transform pretend or with zero worth
- Declare to be out-of-town sellers, requesting cash-app cost for objects they by no means find yourself transport
Account takeover
A purchaser asks you for a verification code with a purpose to ‘confirm’ your itemizing, for example by means of Google Voice. Actually, they’re normally attempting to log into your account and wish the two-factor authentication code despatched by OfferUp. When you hand it over, they get management of your account, enabling them to entry your private data and doubtlessly use your account to rip-off others.
Empty field
Some sellers add disclaimers in a prolonged merchandise description saying they’re solely providing the field or a digital picture of the merchandise. So when it arrives, all you’ll obtain is an empty field.
Phishing hyperlinks
Rip-off patrons and sellers would possibly ship you a message saying one thing like “click on right here to receives a commission” or “click on to confirm your information”. Doing so will take you to a phishing website the place you’ll be requested to fill in your logins, cost particulars and/or different delicate private data.
Electronic mail phishing
Some patrons or sellers would possibly ask on your electronic mail handle or cellphone quantity throughout the transaction course of. They’ll use it to spam you with malicious hyperlinks designed to steal your data or set up malware in your gadget.
Deposit rip-off
A vendor posts a high-value merchandise, providing to ship it to you so long as you put a deposit down to safe it. It seems the merchandise doesn’t exist, and also you’ve misplaced the deposit.
Bouncing checks
A scammer pays for an merchandise you’re promoting through test, which bounces a number of days later, leaving you with out the merchandise and no cost.
Funding alternative
A vendor posts a list about an “funding alternative” or related, however requires you to ship cash first.
Faux jobs
Scammers might pose as employers that require upfront cost for ‘background checks’ or related. Alternatively, they might request you fill in your private and monetary particulars as a part of the ‘utility course of,’ which they will use for identification fraud.
What OfferUp protects
OfferUp affords 2-day Buy Safety for patrons, that means that you’ve 48 hours from supply to file a declare for objects:
- Considerably not as described
- Broken in transit
- Counterfeit
It’s also possible to file for objects not acquired and/or empty field scams.
Nonetheless, OfferUp won’t supply safety for something bought off-app, or that violates its guidelines (e.g., present playing cards, alcohol), or that was paid for in money, in individual.
What to look out for
Whenever you’re searching the app, the next ought to all be purple flags:
- Offers which can be too good to be true, normally from fraudulent sellers who need you to place a deposit down, or rip-off patrons wanting to steer you into transacting off app.
- A purchaser profile with no historical past. This isn’t essentially a scammer, but it surely pays to be further cautious
- A prompt meetup level that’s not a Neighborhood Meetup Spot, as this might point out they need the transaction to not be noticed
- A purchaser/vendor asks for a verification code, which they really wish to log into your account
- Consumers/sellers ship you messages containing hyperlinks to ‘confirm’ or related
- A vendor tries to make use of urgency to hurry you into making an unwise determination, like shopping for a counterfeit merchandise or placing a deposit down for a non-existent merchandise.
- Emotional manipulation, comparable to scammers saying they cannot meet in individual as a result of they’re within the army or out of city on household emergency
- Phrases like “field solely,” “digital picture,” or “reproduction” hidden in a prolonged product description
- Requests to repay app
- Inventory photographs of things fairly than ones they’ve taken themselves, indicating they don’t truly personal the product
- Overpayment for an merchandise
Staying protected
To remain protected on the app, the recommendation could be very easy: don’t depart it and don’t click on on any doubtful hyperlinks. Meaning by no means leaving the app for messaging or funds, by no means handing over your private particulars, and never responding to messages with hyperlinks in them. When you prepare an in-person sale, make certain it’s at a Neighborhood Meetup Spot. And if you wish to be extremely cautious, solely purchase from or promote to a consumer with a “TruYou” badge on their profile, indicating their identification has been verified.
I’ve been scammed, what subsequent?
If the worst-case state of affairs involves move, report the rip-off to OfferUp instantly, in case you’re lined by the agency’s 2-day Buy Safety. In Messages, faucet the dialog with the scammer and the three dots within the nook, then Report. Submit a Buy Safety declare within the OfferUp Assist Middle.
When you’ve paid exterior of the app, contact your financial institution to file a chargeback (if a card cost) or file a report with the money app you paid with. The latter is unlikely to get your a reimbursement, however might assist get the scammer banned.
When you’ve shared private data or a verification code with a scammer, change your app passwords, and do the identical for any websites you reuse the identical credential on. Monitor your financial institution accounts for uncommon exercise. And be cautious of any follow-up phishing makes an attempt that pop into your inbox/messages.
Lastly, contemplate reporting the rip-off to the authorities, eg FTC, FBI or Report Fraud (UK). Earlier than you delete messages or block the consumer, take screenshots of the unique itemizing, the scammer’s profile, your chat historical past and any cost receipts.
OfferUp is nice approach to choose up bargains in your space, or make a bit extra cash from objects you now not want. However bear in mind, not everyone seems to be appearing in good religion.
