You agree a price for a second-hand item. The other person then sends a link and says that a courier is waiting, payment is reserved or the parcel will be cancelled unless you act immediately. Before opening a new form, return to the arrangement you actually made: what is being sold, who is arranging delivery and which service you agreed to use.
Separate the sale from the unexpected link
RIA warns that a supposed courier link requesting bank-card details may be a phishing attempt. Omniva separately warns that its couriers do not ask for PIN-based identification by phone.
A familiar logo or a polished message is not enough to establish who operates a page. Nor does a conversation about a real item make every later instruction trustworthy. You can continue discussing collection or delivery without following the link the other person supplied.
Check through a route you choose
- Open the carrier's official website or app independently, rather than through the chat link.
- Look for the relevant service instructions there and compare them with the request.
- If necessary, contact the carrier through contact details on its official site.
- Check a payment through your own bank's official channel, not a screenshot supplied by the other person.
Keep the question specific: does this service actually require the step being requested for this transaction? Avoid entering details merely to see what happens next. If the explanation changes from delivery to insurance, account activation or a refundable fee, stop and clarify before proceeding.
Keep useful evidence
Save the listing, agreed price, messages and any details of the proposed delivery. Keep them private. When asking the platform or carrier for help, send only what is needed and avoid exposing passwords, PINs or unrelated account information. Do not forward suspicious links to friends as an invitation to test them.
If information has already been entered
Use the bank's official app or contact number promptly if card details may have reached a phishing page. Estonia's Tax and Customs Board advises blocking an exposed card through an official bank channel. Explain what happened accurately, including whether you entered data or approved an operation; do not assume that closing the page reverses a transaction.
A cautious pause does not accuse every buyer of dishonesty. It keeps a routine sale from turning into a different transaction you did not intend. If the arrangement cannot be explained clearly and checked independently, do not continue through that form.