Avoiding scams

Published on Jul 22, 2025
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Scamming is an unfortunate possibility when trading online, but there are steps you can take to avoid losing your money.

Help! I think I’ve been scammed…

If you think you’ve been scammed, please see this section of the FAQ page for advice on how to proceed.

The vast majority of trades on r/HardwareSwapUK and other trading subreddits go smoothly, and trading hardware via the subreddit or Discord server can often be cheaper and more convenient than buying and selling on eBay or other online marketplaces. Our moderation team works hard to take proactive action against suspicious listings, but despite this, there is always a remote chance that you could end up trading with someone who intends to scam you.

Fortunately, there are ways you can spot potential scams before handing over any money.

How can someone scam me?

When it comes to purchasing goods online through private trading, scams can happen in multiple ways. These are the most common methods through which legitimate traders have lost money to scammers:

  • The buyer sends money to the seller, and the seller never sends the item they paid for.
  • The buyer shows a fake payment confirmation (e.g. a banking app screenshot or PayPal email) to trick you into thinking they’ve paid, when no money has actually been sent.
    • This is more common with in-person trades, where scammers use fake banking apps that look like the real versions to make it look like they’ve sent you money.
  • The item the buyer receives doesn’t match the description given to them by the seller/in the original listing.
  • The buyer receives the correct item, but raises a fraudulent dispute with their payment provider to try and recoup their money while keeping the item.
  • The buyer makes a “mistake” when sending you the money (e.g. in part or in full), and asks you to refund them

It’s important to note that you can be scammed as a legitimate seller as well as a buyer, though this happens much less often.

After carrying out their scam, a scammer is likely to block you or delete their accounts to avoid any further communication with you. This is commonly referred to as exit scamming - if you try to message somebody about a trade that’s already taken place, only to find their account is gone or you’re no longer able to message them, it’s highly likely by this point that you have been scammed.

A scammer is likely to try and convince you that the trade is progressing smoothly:

  • They might send over fake tracking information to create the illusion that an item has been posted. Scammers can purchase a postage label online and receive a tracking number without actually posting anything - until the official tracking site for the seller’s chosen courier shows that they have received an item, you should assume that nothing has been shipped.
  • They might send pictures of the item, despite not actually having it in their possession. They can obtain legitimate-looking pictures of an item from the Internet (e.g. listings on other marketplaces), or by convincing other legitimate sellers of the same item to send them photos.
  • When questioned about issues with the trade, the scammer may come up with an implausible excuse as to why the problem has occurred in the first place, and their story may change over time.

With the above information in mind, you might think it’s quite hard to avoid falling victim to a scam - after all, it’s in a scammer’s best interests to be as convincing and deceptive as possible. However, with a little bit of upfront detective work, it’s often easier than you think:

How can I prevent a scam?

When trading online, the only thing you can truly trust is your gut feeling - if something seems off, it’s always safer not to go ahead with the trade in the first place, and instead report the listing to the moderation team.

Scams manifest differently depending on if you’re buying or selling, and there are numerous places you can check to form a judgment about whether a trade is too good to be true:

Buying

The Listing

  • Is the price too good to be true? There are a few ways you can get a rough idea of what an item is worth:
    • Look at other recent subreddit listings for the same item, if you can find any. If the asking price of the listing you’re looking at falls significantly below the others, it’s likely to be a scam.
    • Search for the item on eBay, and filter the search results to show only sold and completed listings. Prices on eBay usually trend slightly higher than subreddit prices, but if the price of a listing is significantly lower than the prevailing eBay prices, it’s likely to be a scam.
    • If you are in the Discord server, you can use the /ebay command to carry out an approximate price check against eBay listings.
    • You can use the price check megathread or the #price-check channel in Discord to ask the community what an item typically sells for.
  • Is the information on the listing complete and accurate?
    • Check the timestamp pictures (if available) and see if you can spot anything that doesn’t line up with the text on the listing (e.g. different specification, model number, condition). Timestamps are only required on subreddit listings, but should be provided on request by a seller on Discord - see the timestamps FAQ page for more information on the rules on timestamps.
    • Check that the listing matches the required format - see the listings FAQ page for more information.
    • Sometimes, a scammer can unwittingly offer information that raises red flags. If they provide a suspicious reason for sale (e.g. one that creates a sense of urgency), the listing could be a scam.

The Seller

  • Does the seller have previous reputation selling on r/HardwareSwapUK?
    • The moderators of r/HardwareSwapUK operate a reputation system to enable frequent traders to show that they have a history of trading in the community. See the reputation FAQ page for more information.
    • A seller with a relatively new Reddit or Discord account and little to no reputation is a potential red flag, especially if the listing is for a high value item.
    • The rep system is designed to help you make judgments about a seller’s legitimacy, but is not an absolute protection against being scammed. You should use multiple methods of judging whether a trade is legitimate before proceeding.
  • Are they forthcoming with information?
    • Before proceeding with a trade, you are encouraged to ask further questions about the item you are trying to buy. You can also ask for more photos and/or videos of the item - videos in particular are harder to fake than photos.
    • If you are trading on Discord where timestamps on listings are not required, you should ask for a timestamp if you’re not sure.
    • Sometimes, you may have to wait a while for an answer; there are plenty of legitimate reasons why someone might not be able to send you a photo (they might be at work/on holiday/etc), but persistent excuses to avoid providing information should be treated with suspicion. If the seller makes an excuse as to why they can’t provide you with the information you’ve requested, this should also serve as a red flag.
    • Ask yourself whether the information they’ve provided makes sense. If they’ve given a reason for sale, make sure it adds up - as a specific example, “forgetting to return” a high-value item is a common reason that scammers give for listing an item, and is rather implausible given the generous return policies of UK retailers. Would you forget to return a GPU worth over £1000?
    • Sometimes oversharing can be a sign that someone is trying to hide something from you by making it seem like they’re being open and honest. If the seller provides long responses to simple questions, or if they provide lots of information you didn’t ask for, this can be mildly suspicious.
  • Are they trying to rush or pressure you into a sale?
    • A common method that scammers use against their victims is to create a sense of urgency - if you are rushing to do something, you are less likely to stop and think about what you’re doing.
    • Scammers might create a sense of urgency by placing a time limit or another time-based condition on your transaction. A common way in which this happens is that a scammer will tell a buyer they have someone else lined up to buy the item, but they’ll sell it to you instead if you pay for it ASAP.
    • They might also rush you by making an excuse that they can’t sell the item past a certain date or time, or by offering to drop the price if you buy it within a certain timeframe.
    • There is NEVER any rush to buy a particular item - if someone is trying to rush you, then move on, it’s likely a scam. The vast majority of legitimate sellers are willing to take their time to ensure a smooth trade, and shouldn’t pressure you into buying something if you want to “sleep on it” before handing over any money.
  • Are they pressuring you into using an unprotected payment method?
    • Certain methods of payment do not provide any protection if you need to seek a refund, such as PayPal Friends and Family, or bank transfer (in some circumstances).
    • r/HardwareSwapUK has specific rules on which payment methods are allowed; please see the payment FAQ page for more information. Sellers with less than 10 reputation are only allowed to use PayPal Goods and Services - if a seller with less than 10 rep tries to pressure you into paying by other means, please report this to the moderators.
    • Scammers might make excuses as to why they can’t accept a protected payment method (e.g. PayPal Goods and Services), and insist that you pay them via another method.
    • If the seller states that they want to avoid the fees associated with PayPal G&S payments, and you don’t mind spending a little bit more money, you can always offer to pay via PayPal G&S and send a separate Friends and Family payment to cover the fees. Most legitimate sellers are happy to accept this - if the trade turns out to be a scam, your only loss is the Friends and Family payment you sent to cover the fees.

Selling

Unfortunately, as a seller, it can be a little bit harder to tell if a buyer is trying to scam you, especially since scams can take place long after you send an item (e.g. via fraudulent payment disputes). The best thing to do is to retain as much evidence as possible (screenshots of messages, tracking info, receipts, payment confirmations, etc.) for EVERY trade you carry out, just in case it’s needed later.

However, there are still some things you can check to minimise the possibility of being scammed:

  • Does the buyer have previous reputation selling on r/HardwareSwapUK?
    • The moderators of r/HardwareSwapUK operate a reputation system to enable frequent traders to show that they have a history of trading in the community. See the reputation FAQ page for more information.
    • A buyer with a relatively new Reddit or Discord account and little to no reputation is a potential red flag, especially if the listing is for a high value item.
    • The rep system is designed to help you make judgments about a buyer’s legitimacy, but is not an absolute protection against being scammed. You should use multiple methods of judging whether a trade is legitimate before proceeding.
  • Is the buyer being “weird” about the payment?
    • In this day and age, securely sending money to somebody is extremely easy, so there should be no hoops to jump through when it comes to receiving your agreed-upon asking price.
    • r/HardwareSwapUK has specific rules on which payment methods are allowed; please see the payment FAQ page for more information.
    • If the buyer says they have paid you, but no money has appeared in your account, wait a couple of hours before taking any further action. Don’t rely on any evidence the buyer gives you that they have paid (as banking apps and confirmation emails are easily faked) - always wait for the money to appear in YOUR PayPal account or YOUR bank account before sending any items.
    • If the buyer “accidentally” sends you more money than you agreed on, and then asks you to send any of it back, do not send them any money. A common trick that scammers use is to send you too much money, then ask for a refund to be transferred back to them. After you send the money, the scammer later contacts their payment provider to reverse the original transaction, leaving you out of pocket for the amount you sent them as a refund. Instead, you should contact your bank or payment provider and ask them to reverse the transaction.
    • If the buyer does try to initiate a chargeback or payment reversal, provide as much information as you possibly can (screenshots, tracking information, receipts, etc.) to your payment provider so they can effectively contest the chargeback.
  • Is the buyer insisting on using their shipment service?
    • You should always arrange the shipment yourself, to eliminate any possibility that a scammer can dispute that the item didn’t arrive.
    • Do not use any shipping labels provided by the buyer - it’s OK for the buyer to offer to pay for postage, especially if you have stipulated this in your asking price, but you should still arrange the shipping yourself.
    • See the postage methods FAQ page for more information about how to successfully post an item to a buyer.

I think I’ve been scammed - what should I do now?

First off, send a modmail or open a Discord ticket, and provide as much detail as possible. A link to the original listing and screenshots of any communication with the scammer is crucial to ensure proper action is taken agaisnt them.

The next course of action depends on what payment method you used:

PayPal Goods and Services

You have 180 calendar days from the date of your payment to raise a dispute with PayPal. You can do this via the Dispute Resolution Centre - you should be prepared to provide evidence that the transaction took place, and that the seller didn’t hold up their end of the bargain.

In most cases, there is no need to report this to Action Fraud for a Crime Reference Number (CRN) - though it doesn’t harm anything if you wish to do so anyway.

Do not raise a chargeback or Section 75 dispute with your bank - this will be contested successfully as PayPal payments are not covered by S75, nor are they covered by Visa or MasterCard’s chargeback schemes. This will also likely result in your PayPal account being banned, which may make it more difficult to dispute the payment correctly.

Bank transfer (Faster Payments / BACS)

For payments made after the 7th October 2024, you are potentially protected by new regulations brought in by the Payment Services Regulator designed to protect victims of authorised push payment (APP) fraud - this is when a user of a payment firm (e.g. a bank or building society) authorises a payment to a fraudster, as opposed to the payment being unauthorised (e.g. if your debit card is cloned and used to pay for something by a fraudster).

You should contact your payment firm’s fraud hotline or general customer services ASAP (at the latest, within 13 months of the payment being sent) and state that you have been a victim of authorised push payment fraud. They should walk you through the process of claiming a reimbursement under the APP fraud scheme.

If you aren’t sure which phone number to call, dial 159 and listen to the operator’s instructions to be put through to your bank.

Your payment firm may ask that you make a report to Action Fraud and provide them with a Crime Reference Number (CRN), or they may request further information from you to understand whether you can be reimbursed under this scheme - if they ask you to do this you should cooperate as soon as possible.

Note that for claims made against the APP fraud reimbursement scheme, your payment firm is entitled to retain a £100 excess under certain circumstances - this depends on the specific policies of your payment firm. This means that for payments under £100, you may not be able to reclaim any money under this scheme - there is no harm in notifying your payment firm anyway, as they may be able to recover the money by other means.

If you made the payment before the 7th October 2024, it is unlikely that you have any recourse for a refund, though you should contact your bank anyway to see what they can do.

PayPal Friends and Family (or unapproved payment methods)

Unfortunately, there is no possibility that a PayPal Friends and Family payment can be refunded.

Do not raise a chargeback or Section 75 dispute with your bank - this will be contested successfully as PayPal payments are not covered by S75, nor are they covered by Visa or MasterCard’s chargeback schemes. This will also likely result in your PayPal account being banned.