# Fake seller scam: how it works and what to do · Bipe A second-hand ad with a good price leads to a chat off the site. The seller asks for the Pix up front, or a deposit to hold the item, and disappears. Here is how to spot it and what to do. **The fake seller scam: the seller takes the Pix and disappears** Also called: fake seller, marketplace scam. ## The numbers - **174,000** reports of a fake sale to banks, the most reported scam of the half year (first half of 2025. Source: [Febraban](https://portal.febraban.org.br/noticia/4381/pt-br/)) ## How it works 1. The scammer lists a used item with copied photos and a price below normal. 2. They ask you to chat off the site and say others are interested. 3. They ask for the Pix up front or a deposit, to someone else's account, and disappear. ## How to spot it - The price is well below normal. - The seller will not let you see the item first. - The name on the Pix account is not the seller's. ## What to do - See the item before you pay, or pay inside the site, with its protection. - Before you confirm the Pix, check the name your bank shows. - Already paid? Talk to your bank, ask for MED and file a police report. ## How Bipe helps Each item shows where it stands on iPhone and Android. - [Verified seal](https://bipe.chat/en/features/verified-seal/) (iPhone: Coming soon; Android: Coming soon): A seal with a name verified through Pix or gov.br, so you know who is on the other side. - [Pix requests](https://bipe.chat/en/features/pix-requests/) (iPhone: Coming soon; Android: Coming soon): The request card shows the name your bank will display. If you see another name, don't pay. - [Scam warnings](https://bipe.chat/en/features/scam-warnings/) (iPhone: In the test app; Android: In development): A warning shows under a message that looks like a scam, such as a rushed Pix, a new number or a boleto. It is on by default, with nothing to set up. - [A pause before paying](https://bipe.chat/en/features/pause-before-paying/) (iPhone: Coming soon; Android: Coming soon): On a suspicious money request, copy and pay stay locked for 5 seconds, to break the scam's rush. **What Bipe does not solve here:** A verified person can still scam. The seal proves who the person is, not that they are honest. The ad is on another site, and Bipe only sees the chat. Bipe only protects the chats that happen in Bipe. If someone in the family still uses another app, a scammer can write to them there. ## Who describes this scam - [Golpe Falsa Venda](https://portal.febraban.org.br/DetalheAntifraude/13/pt-br/) (Febraban) - [Glossário de Tipologias de Fraudes e Golpes Digitais](https://www.gov.br/mj/pt-br/assuntos/alianca-nacional-de-combate-a-fraudes-bancarias-digitais/glossario_final_iniciativa_1-8_v10.pdf) (Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública e Febraban (Aliança Nacional de Combate a Fraudes Bancárias Digitais)) - [Veja 10 dicas para fazer compras seguras no Dia das Crianças](https://portal.febraban.org.br/noticia/4504/pt-br/) (Febraban) ## Other common scams - [Fake relative](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-relative-scam/) - [Taken number or account](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/cloned-number-scam/) - [Fake bank call centre](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-bank-call-scam/) - [Pix and fake boleto](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/pix-scam/) - [Fake shop](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-shop-scam/) - [Threats with your data](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/threat-scam/) - [Fake acquaintance](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-acquaintance-scam/) - ["I sent you a code by mistake"](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/code-by-mistake-scam/) - [Romance scam](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/romance-scam/) - [Fake lawyer](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-lawyer-scam/) - [Fake government body](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-government-scam/) - [Fake delivery fee](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-delivery-fee-scam/) - [Fake job and task scam](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/task-job-scam/) - [Fake support](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-support-scam/) - [Fake buyer and fake receipt](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-receipt-scam/) - [Fake rental](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-rental-scam/) - [Wrong Pix](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/wrong-pix-scam/) - [Fake boleto](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-boleto-scam/) - [Fake loan](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-loan-scam/) - [Fake investment](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-investment-scam/) - [Betting and "tigrinho"](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/betting-scam/) - [Fake link](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-link-scam/) - [Phantom hand and fake app](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/remote-access-scam/) - [SIM swap](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/sim-swap-scam/) - [Fake kidnapping](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-kidnapping-scam/) - [Sextortion](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/sextortion-scam/) - [Group chat scam](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/group-chat-scam/) - [Fake fundraiser](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/fake-charity-scam/) - [Scams in Brazil in numbers](https://bipe.chat/en/scams-in-brazil/) ## Where these numbers come from Researched on 13 October 2026. We only use numbers that have a source. Surveys by a company or a private association are marked as such. - [Golpe da Falsa Venda é o mais aplicado contra clientes bancários no 1º semestre do ano](https://portal.febraban.org.br/noticia/4381/pt-br/) (Febraban, 2025-11-11) - [Glossário de Tipologias de Fraudes e Golpes Digitais](https://www.gov.br/mj/pt-br/assuntos/alianca-nacional-de-combate-a-fraudes-bancarias-digitais/glossario_final_iniciativa_1-8_v10.pdf) (Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública e Febraban (Aliança Nacional de Combate a Fraudes Bancárias Digitais), 2025-10) - [Golpe Falsa Venda](https://portal.febraban.org.br/DetalheAntifraude/13/pt-br/) (Febraban, 2025-04-05) - [Veja 10 dicas para fazer compras seguras no Dia das Crianças](https://portal.febraban.org.br/noticia/4504/pt-br/) (Febraban, 2026-10-06) ## Download - Install on iPhone: https://testflight.apple.com/join/k3ycEfzk (Test version, through Apple TestFlight.) - Download for Android: https://bipe.chat/baixar/android/bipe.apk (Test version. Download the file and open it on your phone. Android asks you to allow the install. Notifications do not work yet.) An experiment by Envisioning: https://envisioning.com ## Source code - iPhone app: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-ios - Android app: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-android - App rules and text: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-shared - Invites and @ directory: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-api - This site: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-web - Colours and styles: https://github.com/bipe-chat/compound-design-tokens - On-device scam model: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-ml - Business bridge and inbox: https://github.com/bipe-chat/bipe-business