Protected payment clone
A buyer or seller shares a lookalike payment page and pressures you to pay or release goods before confirmation inside the real platform.
What happened
Scammers copy the language of protected payments, then send a fake link that claims funds are waiting. The goal is to make the victim pay a release fee, disclose card details, or hand over goods.
How it works
The scam relies on urgency and familiar platform wording. The fake page may show logos, receipts, and countdowns, but it is not connected to the real payment rail.
Red flags
- The payment page is sent through chat instead of the official app.
- The sender says payment is protected but asks for extra release fees.
- You are pushed to act before confirming the transaction inside your bank or platform.
What to do now
Pause the transaction. Open your bank or platform directly, verify the payment status there, save the chat and link, then report the incident through the official support route.
What not to do
Do not enter OTPs, card PINs, full card details, or account passwords into a link shared by a buyer, seller, or courier.
Evidence notes
- Lookalike domains and shortened links are common in this pattern.
- Screenshots, payment links, and chat timestamps help TrustOps corroborate future reports.