How to Spot and Avoid Online Buying and Selling Scams

IndiaWish Team · Safety · 3 min read

How to Spot and Avoid Online Buying and Selling Scams

Almost every buying and selling scam has the same goal: to get you to send money or share a code before you have the item or the payment in hand. If you remember one rule, make it this one: you never need to enter your UPI PIN, scan a QR code or share an OTP to receive money.

Here are the scams people meet most often, and how to stay ahead of them.

Scams against sellers

"I'll send you money, just scan this QR code"

The "buyer" agrees to your price at once, then sends a QR code or a payment link "to send you the money". Scanning a QR code and entering your PIN pays money out of your account. Receiving money needs nothing from you except your UPI ID or phone number.

"Accept the payment request"

You get a UPI collect request labelled as a payment to you. Approving a collect request and entering your PIN sends your money to them. Decline any request you didn't expect.

Overpayment and "refund the extra"

The buyer "accidentally" sends more than the price, often with a fake screenshot or a fake SMS, and asks you to return the difference. Always check your bank app or statement, never a screenshot or an SMS, before you hand anything over or send any money back.

Fake courier or "army officer" buyers

The buyer can't meet because they are posted far away, and will send a courier and pay through an agent who first needs a "transfer fee" or "security deposit" from you. Real buyers do not ask sellers to pay anything.

Scams against buyers

"Pay a token amount to hold the item"

The price is too good, the seller is out of town, and they want an advance before showing the item. Once you pay, they disappear. Pay only when you have seen and checked the item.

Stolen or locked items

A phone that is still logged into someone's account, a bike whose papers don't match, or a laptop with a BIOS password may be stolen or unusable. See our checklists for phones, bikes, cars and laptops.

Fake rental listings

A beautiful flat at a low rent, an owner who is "abroad", and a request to pay the deposit to get the keys by post. Never pay a deposit for a home you haven't visited. Our guide to renting without a broker explains what to check.

Simple rules that prevent almost every scam

  1. Meet in person in a busy public place in daylight, and check the item before paying.
  2. Never share OTPs, PINs or passwords, not even with someone claiming to be from IndiaWish, a bank or the police.
  3. Receiving money never needs your PIN or a QR scan.
  4. Check payments in your own bank app, never on a screenshot.
  5. Don't pay advances for items or homes you haven't seen.
  6. Keep the chat on IndiaWish until you meet. Scammers like to move to WhatsApp quickly, where the conversation can't be reported on the platform.
  7. Too good to be true usually is. A new iPhone at half price is bait.
  8. Don't click links sent by buyers or sellers that ask you to "verify", "claim" or "log in".

More tips are on our safety page.

If something goes wrong

  • Report it on IndiaWish: open the ad or the chat and use Report, or block the user. Our team checks every report.
  • Call 1930, the national cyber crime helpline, as soon as possible if you lost money. Quick reporting gives the best chance of the bank holding the money.
  • File a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal at cybercrime.gov.in.
  • Tell your bank right away and ask them to block the transaction and your cards or UPI if needed.

Keep screenshots of the chat, the ad, the payment and the other person's number. They help the police and your bank.

Shop and sell with confidence on IndiaWish.