Almost every marketplace scam comes down to one thing: someone wants money before you have seen the item, or wants you to leave the platform.
Patterns worth recognising
- A deposit to hold something you haven't seen. The single most common one.
- Payment in gift card codes. There is no legitimate reason for this, ever.
- An overpayment, then a request to send the difference back.
- A shipping or courier fee for something that is supposedly local.
- Pressure to move to text or a messaging app immediately, then to pay there.
- A link to a payment page that isn't the payment app it claims to be.
Yard Snail does not process payments, hold deposits, arrange shipping, or offer buyer protection. Anyone claiming we do is not telling the truth.
Email that really is from us
We only email from yardsnail.com addresses. We never ask for your password, a verification code, a payment card, or an urgent payment. If an email claims to be from us and asks for any of those, it isn't from us.
If you think you've been targeted
- 1Stop replying. Don't send anything else.
- 2Report the listing or the message using the Report button.
- 3Block the account so they can't message you again.
- 4If you sent money, contact your bank or payment provider straight away — a fast call is the best chance of recovering it.
Cash at pickup, in a public place, after you've inspected the item, removes almost all of this risk in one move.
Meeting in person Safe meetups