The deposit-before-viewing scam
The most-reported UK marketplace fraud: seller demands a holding deposit, then vanishes. TSB says £160,000 is stolen on Facebook Marketplace every single day.
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The deposit-before-viewing scam works like this: a fraudster lists a high-demand item at a below-market price, claims there are multiple interested buyers, and asks you to send a Faster Payment deposit to “hold” the item. Once the money clears, they vanish. Never pay anything before you have physically inspected an item. Use SilentID PIN Pickup — payment is held until both sides confirm at the handover. (Source: TSB, 2025)
What is the deposit-before-viewing scam?
The deposit-before-viewing scam is the UK’s most-reported Facebook Marketplace fraud pattern, identified as the dominant type by both TSB and Cifas. A fraudster posts a high-demand item — typically a games console, smartphone, power tool, van or designer item — at 30 to 50 per cent below its genuine market value. When you express interest, they claim that several other buyers are also coming to look at it that day, and offer you the chance to “secure” it with a holding deposit sent via Faster Payment. Once the money arrives in their account, the listing is deleted, the profile is deactivated, and you have no way to recover contact. The item never existed.
TSB reports that £160,000 is stolen on Facebook Marketplace every single day in the UK (Source: TSB, 2025), and that 73% of all UK purchase fraud originates on the platform. The deposit pattern is consistently at the top of their reported fraud types.
How does the deposit-before-viewing scam work?
- 01
Fraudster posts an irresistible listing
High-demand, low price. The images are either stock photos or lifted from a genuine listing elsewhere. The account is typically brand-new.
- 02
You message to arrange a viewing
The conversation feels normal at first. The seller confirms availability and seems friendly.
- 03
Urgency is introduced
"I’ve had loads of interest. Someone is coming at 3pm. The only way I can hold it for you is if you send a small deposit." The amount is typically £30–£150.
- 04
You are moved to WhatsApp
The seller asks for your number to "send more photos" or continue the conversation. This takes the exchange off Facebook’s own moderation layer.
- 05
Faster Payment is requested
They provide a sort code and account number. They may send a fake "bank confirmation" screenshot showing their account details are "verified".
- 06
Money is sent — seller disappears
The moment the Faster Payment clears (typically within seconds), the seller blocks you, deletes the listing, and closes the Facebook account.
What should you do if you have been targeted by the deposit-before-viewing scam?
If you have already sent money, speed is everything. Only 18% of victims ever recover any funds (Source: Cifas), but your chances improve significantly within the first hour.
- Call your bank immediately — the number is on the back of your card. Some Faster Payments can be recalled if the receiving account is frozen before the fraudster withdraws.
- Report to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. You will receive a crime reference number your bank will ask for when processing a reimbursement claim.
- Submit an APP fraud reimbursement claim to your bank. Since October 2024, UK payment service providers must reimburse eligible APP fraud victims up to £85,000 (PSR).
- Report the listing and profile on Facebook — use the Report option on both the listing and the seller’s profile page.
- Preserve all evidence — screenshots of the listing, conversation, and payment confirmation before anything is deleted.
How does SilentID PIN Pickup prevent the deposit-before-viewing scam?
PIN Pickup makes the deposit scam architecturally impossible. The buyer pre-authorises the full payment in the SilentID app before travelling to the meet. The money is held — the seller cannot access it. At the physical handover, both sides confirm with a 6-digit PIN, and only then does the payment clear via Faster Payments. There is no mechanism for a seller to receive any money before the item has changed hands, so the holding-deposit demand has nothing to attach to.
Run the listing through SilentID Safety Check before you arrange the meet — it screens account age, image reuse, duplicate listings, and reported scam history, and flags the signals that most buyers miss.
Related guides
7 warning signs of the deposit-before-viewing scam
Any one of these on its own is enough reason to walk away. If you see two or more together, treat it as a confirmed scam.
High-demand item priced 30–50% below market
PS5, iPhone, designer trainers, van or car — listed at a price that makes it the cheapest result on the entire platform. The under-pricing is the hook, not a bargain.
Urgent time pressure
"Three other people are coming to look at it today." "I need it gone by tonight." Artificial urgency is designed to short-circuit your ability to pause and check.
Request for a holding deposit via Faster Payment
Any request to send money before you have seen, held, or verified the item. The stated reason varies — "holding fee", "courier booking", "petrol money" — but the mechanism is the same.
Refuses any form of escrow or protected payment
An honest seller has nothing to lose from a payment method that holds the money until collection. A scammer cannot allow that, because the item does not exist.
Account created recently with little activity
Profile under 30 days old, fewer than 50 friends, no public posts, stock-photo avatar. Action Fraud data consistently shows brand-new accounts are disproportionately linked to this fraud type.
Same listing posted in multiple cities
Search the listing title verbatim. Identical items appearing in London, Manchester and Glasgow simultaneously from different "sellers" are almost always the same fraud operation using lifted images.
Moves conversation off Facebook immediately
Pushes to WhatsApp or Telegram within one or two messages. This removes the listing from Facebook’s own scam-reporting layer and makes it harder to trace.
Frequently asked questions
Use PIN Pickup — never pay a deposit to a stranger
Download SilentID. Pre-authorise payment in the app; money is held until you inspect the item at the meet. The deposit scam cannot work.
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Reviewed by the SilentID editorial team. We update each guide quarterly with new UK fraud data.