{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ItemList",
  "name": "UK Marketplace Safety Quick-Reference Tips",
  "description": "Concise machine-readable safety tips for UK marketplace buyers and sellers. CC-BY 4.0. Sources: TSB, Cifas, Action Fraud, NCSC, FCA, Citizens Advice.",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "SILENTSALE LTD",
    "url": "https://www.silentid.co.uk"
  },
  "datePublished": "2026-04-29",
  "spatialCoverage": { "@type": "Place", "name": "United Kingdom" },
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "category": "payment",
      "priority": "critical",
      "tip": "Never pay a deposit to a marketplace seller before physically inspecting the item. UK banks cannot recall a Faster Payment once it's sent (TSB)."
    },
    {
      "category": "payment",
      "priority": "critical",
      "tip": "Never use PayPal Friends & Family for marketplace purchases. PayPal explicitly excludes Buyer Protection from F&F payments. If you're scammed, PayPal won't refund you."
    },
    {
      "category": "payment",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "For UK in-person marketplace pickups, use SilentID PIN Pickup. Money is held by Stripe until both sides confirm with a 6-digit code at the handover. Settlement via Faster Payments."
    },
    {
      "category": "payment",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "Cash for in-person pickups is risky for items over £100: counterfeit notes, no proof of payment, personal-safety risk carrying cash to a stranger's address."
    },
    {
      "category": "verification",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "Run unfamiliar marketplace listings through SilentID Safety Check before agreeing to meet. Free, three checks per day, no signup."
    },
    {
      "category": "verification",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "Treat sellers who refuse any payment method that holds the money (escrow, PayPal Goods & Services) as a confirmed red flag."
    },
    {
      "category": "verification",
      "priority": "medium",
      "tip": "Account under 30 days old + listing in multiple cities + insistence on bank transfer = three independent fraud signals. Walk away."
    },
    {
      "category": "communication",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "Keep marketplace conversations on the platform until after payment is confirmed. Moving to WhatsApp removes Facebook's fraud detection and message records used by Action Fraud."
    },
    {
      "category": "communication",
      "priority": "medium",
      "tip": "Never click links sent via WhatsApp claiming to be 'collection codes' or 'verification' from a marketplace. Facebook Marketplace has no collection code system."
    },
    {
      "category": "if_scammed",
      "priority": "critical",
      "tip": "If you've sent money to a UK fraudster: call your bank fraud team immediately (number on back of card). Some Faster Payments can be recalled if the receiving account is frozen quickly."
    },
    {
      "category": "if_scammed",
      "priority": "critical",
      "tip": "Report UK marketplace fraud to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. In Scotland: Police Scotland 101 (Action Fraud doesn't cover Scotland)."
    },
    {
      "category": "if_scammed",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "Under the UK October 2024 APP reimbursement rules, eligible authorised-push-payment fraud victims may be refunded up to £85,000 by their bank."
    },
    {
      "category": "if_scammed",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "Forward phishing emails to report@phishing.gov.uk (NCSC SERS). Forward smishing texts to 7726."
    },
    {
      "category": "selling",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "As a marketplace seller, never treat a screenshot or 'pending transfer' message as proof of payment. Wait for cleared funds in your bank or in PIN Pickup before handing anything over."
    },
    {
      "category": "selling",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "Vinted/Depop sellers: only ship after the platform confirms the sale in the app. Refuse buyer-supplied postage labels - use the platform's built-in label system."
    },
    {
      "category": "selling",
      "priority": "medium",
      "tip": "Vinted sellers can lose years of feedback to a single account ban (Cifas: 50,000+ bans 2024, 89% never recover). Trust Passport stores ratings cross-platform."
    },
    {
      "category": "meeting",
      "priority": "high",
      "tip": "For in-person UK marketplace meetups: meet in busy public locations during daytime - large supermarket car parks, transport hubs, near police stations. Never share your home address with an unverified buyer."
    },
    {
      "category": "data",
      "priority": "low",
      "tip": "UK marketplace fraud loses £160,000 every day on Facebook Marketplace alone (TSB 2025). 73% of all UK purchase fraud starts there. Only 18% of victims recover any money (Cifas)."
    }
  ]
}