Scammers do not invent a new trick every week. They repeat a small set of stories, on every marketplace and messaging app, because the stories work on people who are in a hurry. Once you know the pattern you will recognise it within the first two messages. These are the ones we see reported most in Pakistan, how each works, and the single habit that defeats each.
1. The token or advance
The story: the item is priced a little too well. The seller says several buyers are interested and asks for a small token through a mobile wallet to hold it for you. Sometimes it is called a booking fee, sometimes "just to confirm you are serious".
What happens: the money goes, and so does the seller. The number is switched off or you are blocked.
The habit: no money before you have seen the item and met the person. Not a token, not a small one, not to a "trusted" account.
2. The seller who is out of city
The story: the seller has been posted to another city, is in the forces, or has gone abroad. The item will be sent by courier or bus cargo as soon as you pay the delivery charge, the insurance or half the price.
What happens: a fake tracking number or a photo of a parcel arrives. Then a "customs" or "clearance" fee is demanded. There is no parcel.
The habit: buy what you can see, in your own city. If you really must buy from elsewhere, send a relative or friend there to inspect and collect.
3. The payment link for sellers
The story: you are selling something. A "buyer" agrees to your price without bargaining and says payment has been made through a courier or wallet service. You only need to open a link and enter your card or wallet details to receive it.
What happens: the page is a copy of a real company's site. What you type there, including the code sent to your phone, is used to empty your account.
The habit: nobody needs your card number, PIN or OTP to pay you. To receive money, a buyer needs only your account or wallet number. Never open payment links sent in chat.
4. The fake screenshot
The story: the buyer meets you, or sends a rider, and shows a screenshot of a successful transfer. Sometimes you also receive an SMS that looks as if it came from your bank.
What happens: the screenshot is edited and the SMS sender name is faked. By the time you check, the item is gone.
The habit: open your own banking or wallet app and look at the balance. Until you see the money there yourself, nothing has been paid. If the buyer is in a hurry, that is their problem.
5. The OTP "by mistake"
The story: a caller says they are from your bank, a wallet company, a courier or even BUY.net.pk. A code has been sent to your phone "by mistake", or it is needed to verify your ad or release your payment. Please read it out.
What happens: that code logs them in to your wallet, your WhatsApp or your marketplace account. With your WhatsApp they then ask your contacts for money in your name.
The habit: a code that arrives on your phone is for your eyes only. BUY.net.pk staff will never ask for it, in chat, by phone or by email. Hang up.
6. Overpayment and "wrong transfer"
The story: a buyer sends more than the price "by mistake", or a stranger says they sent money to your number by accident. In both cases you are asked, urgently and politely, to send the extra back.
What happens: the original payment was fake, was made with a stolen account, or is later reversed. What you sent back was your own money.
The habit: never refund from your own balance on someone's word. If money really arrived by mistake, tell the sender to raise it with their bank or wallet company, which can reverse a genuine error.
7. The rental deposit
The story: a flat or portion at a rent well below the area. The owner is abroad, or the agent is busy, and a deposit is needed to arrange a visit or to stop the ad being shown to others.
What happens: the property belongs to someone else, or the same "deposit" is taken from ten people.
The habit: visit first, see ownership proof, meet the owner or an agent with an office you can find again. Our guide to renting a house covers the documents.
8. Jobs, visas and loans with a fee first
The story: a job abroad, a work visa or an instant loan, for a registration, medical or file fee first.
What happens: more fees follow until you stop paying.
The habit: real employers pay you; they do not charge you.
9. "I am from BUY.net.pk"
The story: someone messages or calls saying your ad will be removed, or can be made featured for free, or that you have won a prize, if you pay a fee to a personal number or share a code.
The habit: payments to BUY.net.pk are made only from the order page inside your own account. Moderation messages appear in your account notifications, not from a stranger's WhatsApp number.
The pattern behind all of them
Three things repeat in every story:
- Money moves before the goods do.
- There is a reason you cannot meet or check.
- You are being hurried.
Any one of these is a reason to slow down. Two together are a reason to stop.
Five habits that make you a bad target
- See it, test it, then pay, at the handover.
- Keep the conversation in the BUY.net.pk chat, where it can be reported.
- Never share an OTP, PIN or password, and never open payment links.
- Confirm incoming money in your own app, not on someone else's screen.
- Meet in a busy public place, in daylight, with someone beside you.
If it has already happened
- Call your bank or wallet company immediately and ask them to block or recall the transfer.
- Change your passwords and PINs if you shared any code.
- Keep the chat, numbers, account details and receipts. Do not delete anything.
- Report it to the police and the national cyber crime authority.
- Report the ad and the chat on BUY.net.pk so the account can be suspended. The steps are in this help article.
Tell your family about these, especially parents and younger relatives. The full advice is in our safety center.
