Stay Safe on OfferUp: The Ultimate Guide to Avoiding Scams

The Ultimate Guide to Common Scams on OfferUp & How to Stay Safe

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OfferUp has revolutionized the way we buy and sell locally, transforming our closets, garages, and homes into digital storefronts. It’s a convenient platform for finding great deals and making extra cash. But with millions of users comes an inevitable question many people ask: is offer up safe? While the platform is a legitimate marketplace, its popularity has also attracted scammers looking to exploit unsuspecting buyers and sellers.

Understanding the various offer up scams is the first and most crucial step toward protecting yourself. This guide will walk you through the most prevalent schemes, provide actionable safety tips, and explain what to do if you find yourself targeted. By the end, you’ll be able to navigate the marketplace with confidence.

Table of Contents

How Do OfferUp Scams Work?

Before diving into specific schemes, it’s helpful to understand the general strategy behind them. At their core, how do offerup scams work is by exploiting trust and manipulating users to go outside the app’s built-in protections. Scammers create a sense of urgency, offer a deal that’s too good to be true, or play on your emotions to get you to act without thinking.

These scams on offerup can target both buyers and sellers. A scammer might pose as a legitimate seller with a fake item or as an enthusiastic buyer with no intention of paying. Their ultimate goal is almost always the same: to get your money, your personal information, or the item you’re selling without giving you anything in return. Recognizing these patterns is key to identifying and avoiding a potential offer up scam.

OfferUp Buying Scams: What Buyers Need to Watch For

As a buyer, you’re on the hunt for a great deal, but that enthusiasm can sometimes make you a target. These are some of the most common offerup buying scams to be aware of.

  • "Too Good to Be True" Listings: You see a brand-new iPhone or a popular gaming console listed for a fraction of its retail price. These are often lures used by offerup fake sellers. They use these phantom items to hook you, take your money through an off-platform payment method, and disappear. This is especially common with high-demand electronics, leading to many reported ps5 offer up scams.
  • The Shipping Scam: A seller lists an item for shipping but insists on payment through an external app like Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App to "avoid fees." Once you send the money, they never ship the item and block you. This is the classic offerup shipping scam. The central question of is offerup shipping safe depends entirely on whether you stay within the app’s official payment and shipping program, which offers protection.
  • Counterfeit or Damaged Goods: You meet in person to buy an item, but the seller rushes the transaction. When you get home, you realize the designer bag is a knockoff, the electronics don’t work, or the item is significantly damaged. Scammers often use fake profiles on offerup with no history, making it impossible to track them down after the fact.
  • Vehicle Scams: The marketplace is also used for big-ticket items, but this has led to various car scams on offerup. Scammers might list a vehicle with a sob story about needing to sell it quickly for a low price. They will often ask for a deposit via wire transfer or gift cards to "hold" the vehicle for you, and then they vanish. When considering a large purchase, always question is it safe to buy a car on offerup and insist on seeing the vehicle, title, and a vehicle history report in person before any money changes hands.

OfferUp Seller Scams: How Sellers Get Targeted

Sellers aren’t immune to fraud. In fact, many sophisticated offerup seller scams are designed to trick you into parting with your item without ever receiving payment. Here are the top scams on offer up that sellers face.

  • The Verification Code Scam: This is one of the most widespread offerup scams to look out for. An offerup scammer asking for phone number will contact you and say they need to send you a code to "verify you’re a real person." In reality, this offerup verification code scam is an attempt to create a Google Voice number linked to your phone number. They will use this new, untraceable number to scam others. Never, ever share a verification code with anyone. This is also known as the offerup confirmation code scam, and it’s a primary driver behind offerup phone number scams and offerup text scams. Some scammers even try to convince you this is a way to bypass offerup phone verification, which is completely false.
  • The Overpayment Scam: This classic fraud involves an offer up check scam. A buyer, often one of the many offerup fake buyers, will offer to pay with a check (or a fake digital payment confirmation) for more than the asking price. They’ll ask you to deposit the fraudulent check and wire back the "extra" money. Days later, the bank discovers the check is fake, and you’re out both the item and the money you sent back.
  • Fake Payment Emails: You’ll receive a very convincing but fake email that looks like it’s from Zelle, PayPal, or Cash App, claiming the buyer has paid you but the funds are "on hold" until you provide a shipping tracking number. This is a common zelle offerup scam or cash app offerup scam. The scammer hopes you’ll ship the item before realizing no money was ever sent. When questioning is zelle safe for offerup, the answer is it’s only safe for in-person transactions where you see the money in your account before handing over the item.
  • Empty Box / False Return Claims: A buyer purchases an item from you through OfferUp’s shipping program. After receiving it, they file a claim with OfferUp stating the box was empty or the item was not as described. They may even ship back an empty box or a different, broken item to get a refund, leaving you without your product and payment. This highlights the question, can you get scammed on offerup as a seller? Unfortunately, the answer is yes.

It can be difficult to determine if you are dealing with are there fake buyers on offerup, but a common red flag is when you see offerup fake buyers asking for phone number right away.

How to Spot and Avoid Scams on OfferUp

Your best defense is a proactive one. Following these offerup safety tips can dramatically reduce your risk of becoming a victim.

  • Stay On the App: This is the golden rule. Keep all communication and payments within the OfferUp platform. Their system logs conversations and tracks payments, which is your only real protection. Moving the conversation to text or another app immediately removes any safety net OfferUp provides.
  • Inspect User Profiles: Take a moment to check the buyer’s or seller’s profile. Look at their ratings, join date, and if they have completed any other transactions. While not foolproof, a brand-new profile with no picture or reviews is a major red flag. This is how to know if someone is legit on offerup. Reading reviews offerup from other users is a critical step.
  • Meet in Public, Secure Locations: For local exchanges, always meet in a well-lit, public place. Many police departments now have designated "Safe Trade Stations" in their parking lots or lobbies. This is fundamental to how to sell on offerup safely.
  • Never Pay Outside the App for Shipped Goods: If you’re buying something that needs to be shipped, use OfferUp’s official payment system. Do not use Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, or wire transfers. Paying through the app is the only way to be eligible for their buyer protection policies. This is the best answer for both is offerup safe for buyers and is offerup safe for sellers.
  • Trust Your Instincts: If a deal feels rushed, the person is making strange requests, or the price is unbelievably low, it’s probably a scam. Don’t be afraid to walk away. Learning how to spot offerup scams is often about listening to that gut feeling.
  • Never Share Personal Information: Do not give out your phone number, email address, home address, or any verification codes. There is no legitimate reason for a buyer or seller to need this information.
  • Examine Items Carefully: For in-person transactions, thoroughly inspect the item before handing over any money. If it’s an electronic device, ask to see it powered on and working. This is how to avoid scams on offerup in its most practical form.

What to Do If You Get Scammed on OfferUp

Discovering you’ve been scammed is a frustrating experience, but it’s important to act quickly.

  1. Report the User Immediately: The first step for getting scammed on offerup is to report the user’s profile and the item listing to OfferUp through the app. This helps them investigate and potentially ban the scammer from the platform. Learning how to report offerup scams is a simple process within the app’s help section.
  2. Contact OfferUp Support: If the transaction involved shipping through their platform, contact their support team to see if you are covered by any of their protection plans.
  3. File a Police Report: For significant financial losses or theft, file a report with your local police department. This may be necessary for any insurance or bank claims.
  4. Contact Your Financial Institution: If you paid with an external service like a credit card, PayPal, or your bank, contact their fraud department immediately. They may be able to reverse the charge. Unfortunately, services like Zelle and Cash App often function like digital cash, and it can be very difficult to recover funds.
  5. Report to Authorities: You can also report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Many victims wonder what happens if you get scammed on offerup. The outcome often depends on the payment method used. OfferUp’s ability to help is very limited for transactions that occurred off-platform. The question of does offerup refund scams is complex; they only offer refunds for transactions that qualify under their specific Buyer Protection policies, which require using their official payment and shipping channels. This is why following the rules is so crucial.

The Verdict: Is OfferUp Legit and Safe?

So, after exploring all the potential pitfalls, what’s the final verdict? Is offerup legit? Yes, OfferUp is a legitimate and established company. Is offerup reliable? For the most part, yes. The platform itself provides tools and a framework for successful transactions.

However, the more important question is, how safe is offerup? The safety of the platform largely depends on the user. Like any online marketplace (Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace), it is an open ecosystem where scammers can operate. The platform has security measures, but they are not foolproof. Many offerup reviews and discussions on forums like offerup reviews reddit reflect this duality: it’s a great tool, but you must be cautious.

Ultimately, are there scams on offerup? Absolutely. Does offerup have a lot of scams? It has its share, just like any large-scale C2C platform. But if you follow the safety guidelines, stick to the app’s official systems, and remain vigilant, you can significantly mitigate the risks. The platform’s offerup scam protection is strongest when you use it as intended. So, can you get scammed on offerup? Yes, but you can also take clear, effective steps to prevent it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are common scams on offerup?
The most common scams include sellers posting fake or counterfeit items, buyers using fake payment methods like fraudulent checks or phony Zelle/Cash App confirmations, and the widespread verification code scam where a user asks for your phone number to send you a code.

Is it safe to give my phone number on OfferUp?
No. It is never safe or necessary to give your phone number to another user on OfferUp. This is almost always the first step in the offerup verification code scam, where the scammer is trying to create a Google Voice number using your phone number for fraudulent purposes. Keep all communication within the OfferUp app.

How do I know if an OfferUp buyer is legit?
You can how to tell if offerup buyer is legit by checking their profile for positive ratings, a history of completed transactions, a verified status (TruYou), and a join date that isn’t brand new. A legit buyer will also agree to communicate and pay through the app and will not pressure you to go outside the platform.

What are some offerup scams 2025 to watch out for?
As technology evolves, so do scams. Looking ahead, some potential offerup scams 2025 may involve more sophisticated phishing attempts using AI to create highly realistic fake profiles and conversations. Scammers may also leverage deepfake technology for video "proof" of an item or use AI-generated payment confirmation screens that are harder to spot as fakes. Staying vigilant and sticking to the core safety principles will remain the best defense.

Does OfferUp offer buyer/seller protection?
Yes, but with strict limitations. OfferUp provides Buyer Protection for most items shipped and paid for directly through the app’s system. This may cover items that are not as described or never arrive. For sellers, protection is more limited. For local, in-person cash transactions, there is no protection from OfferUp once the exchange is made.