What if a buyer shows a fake banking app at collection?

Why does the phone screen not count?

At the door, a buyer may show a confirmation, a reference number, or a banking app that says the payment has left their account. You cannot tell a real app from a copied screen by looking at their handset.

The BBC reported on 31 July 2025 that a man was jailed for two years and three months after admitting offences that included using a fake banking app on Facebook Marketplace sellers. The point for you is the method: the seller trusted the screen. Check your own account instead.

The BBC reported on 31 July 2025 that a man was jailed for two years and three months after admitting offences that included using a fake banking app to take phones, e-bikes and a vehicle from Facebook Marketplace sellers between May 2024 and March 2025. Source

Facebook’s Marketplace safety help says local pickup items paid person to person are not covered by Purchase Protection, and that Facebook does not offer refunds for person-to-person transactions. It says to avoid payment links and to log in through the payment service’s own website. It also says not to share financial information, such as a PayPal login or bank details, and to reject an overpayment that the buyer then asks you to send back. Source

How long should a real Faster Payment take?

Pay.UK says that when both banks participate directly, the money is usually available almost immediately, and can sometimes take up to two hours. Some payments take longer, especially outside working hours. “It can take two hours” can be true of a real payment. It can also be what someone says while they leave with your phone.

Wait with the item. Refresh the banking app you opened yourself. If the money is not there, do not hand the goods over. A Faster Payment that you did send cannot be cancelled just because you have changed your mind, which is why the check has to happen first.

Pay.UK says that where both banks are direct participants, Faster Payments are usually available almost immediately, although they can sometimes take up to two hours, and that some payments take longer, especially outside normal working hours. It also says that, once sent, Faster Payments cannot be cancelled. Banks follow a separate Credit Payment Recovery process when a payment was sent by mistake. Source

What should I do if they have already left?

Call your bank on a number you look up, not a number in the chat. Tell them what you were shown and what is missing from your account. Keep the advert and the messages.

Facebook’s UK help says Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now, and its safety help says it does not refund person-to-person sales. Do not wait for Facebook to reverse a transfer that never arrived in your account.

Facebook’s UK help page on Purchase Protection says Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now. Source

The Payment Systems Regulator’s consumer page says APP fraud reimbursement protections started on 7 October 2024 for UK bank transfers over Faster Payments or CHAPS. It says you can expect reimbursement within 5 business days of a claim, that a firm can pause the clock while it gathers information, and that it must reach an outcome within 35 business days. There is an optional excess of up to £100, which cannot be applied to a vulnerable consumer. The maximum claim on that page is £85,000, though a firm may pay more. Report the payment to your bank as soon as possible and within 13 months, and report it to the police or agree that the bank may do so. Source

How does a SilentSale® order work?

SilentSale® is a UK marketplace for private buyers and sellers of personal goods. The buyer pays in the app. Stripe processes the payment and holds the funds until the order is completed. Buyer and seller each contribute £0.30 + 3% of the item price to SilentCover® (£0.60 each on a £10 item), a discretionary protection service.

For a posted item, tracked Shipping has a 72-hour window to report an issue after delivery. For an in-person sale, use PIN Pickup: the buyer inspects the item, then shares a six-digit PIN, and the seller enters it to finish. There is no cash in that handover, and there is no dispute step after the PIN. That describes this order. It does not cancel a bank transfer you have already sent, and it does not make another website’s email real.

Where should I read next?

Read fake notes at collection, cancelling a Faster Payment, selling locally without cash, fake payment emails and SilentSale® vs Facebook Marketplace.