How can I tell if a proof of payment is fake?
A proof of payment is just a picture and can be edited in minutes, so no POP proves anything. The only proof is money showing as cleared in your own banking app or bank statement, not pending, not an SMS, not a screenshot.
Fake POPs are the most common trick in private sales on Marketplace, Gumtree and WhatsApp groups. They often come with pressure: "the driver is already on his way", "it will reflect in two hours", "my bank shows it went through".
Fake payment notification SMSes exist too, with the bank's name as sender. Ignore them and look in the app.
How to check
- Log in to your banking app yourself and look at the balance and the transaction list.
- Do not hand over anything while the payment is "pending" or "will reflect later".
- Ignore SMS notifications and emails about payments; they can be faked.
- Look at the POP for odd fonts, a wrong date, an amount that does not match or a missing reference.
- If the buyer gets angry when you wait, that tells you something.
Frequently asked questions
- They paid by immediate payment. Can I release the item?
- Only once you see it cleared in your own app. An immediate payment that is real shows up straight away.
Want to know if there are warning signs about the person you're chatting to? Veritaza checks the photos, the messages, the number, the email address, the name and the ID document, for R99.
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