Is this payment email real?
Paste the “payment” email a buyer sent you. We check the sender and the wording for the scripts fake buyers use, like “upgrade to a business account” or “refund the difference.”
How the fake payment scam works
- 1A buyer agrees fastThey offer your full price, often without seeing the item, and ask for your email address or to move to text.
- 2A fake payment email arrivesIt looks like Zelle, Venmo, PayPal or Cash App and says the payment is pending or on hold.
- 3You’re told to pay to get paidTo “release” the money you must upgrade your account, pay a fee or refund an overpayment. The buyer promises it will all be returned.
- 4The money you send is realThere never was a payment. Anything you send, and any item you ship, is gone.
Rules that stop almost every seller scam
- Only trust money you can see in your balance after opening the app or bank yourself.
- Never send money, gift cards or codes to a buyer, for any reason.
- Never share a verification code, even to “prove you’re real.”
- Don’t ship or hand over the item until the payment has fully cleared.
- Keep the conversation inside the marketplace app.
- For local sales, meet in public and prefer cash.
Questions
Does Zelle email you about payments?
Zelle says it will never email or call you to request money. Zelle payments appear in your own bank’s app or website, so check there.
Do I need a business account to receive money on Venmo or Zelle?
No. A message saying a payment is stuck until you upgrade to a business account, especially one asking you to send money to do it, is a scam.
The sender address looks real. Is the email safe?
Not necessarily. Sender names and addresses can be faked. The only proof of payment is the money showing in your balance when you open the app yourself.
Is what I paste sent anywhere?
No. This checker runs entirely in your browser.
Also try the buyer message checker, or see all seller tools.