Mercari scams: how fake buyers, sellers and "support" messages work
Quick answer
Mercari scams include fake "Mercari" emails and chat messages that push you to log in on a lookalike site, and buyers or sellers who want to pay or be paid outside the app. Mercari is the platform being imitated. Keep every deal inside Mercari and report scams.
- Comes by
- Website, Email, Text, Social media
- Pretends to be
- Mercari
- Last updated
How it works
Mercari says its own warning signs are the best guide.
Fake Mercari messages. Mercari says it never messages users in the app's chat: its notices show up under Notifications, and its emails come only from a mercari.com address. A message or email saying you must verify your account, click a link within 24 hours, or download a file is phishing. The link leads to a copy of the login page that collects your password.
Deals outside the app. Mercari says it doesn't protect transactions where payment is sent outside its app or site. A buyer or seller who asks you to pay or get paid by another method, or to chat somewhere else, is removing that protection. The FTC adds a seller-side version: a fake payment notice or an "overpayment" with a request for a refund.
What they want is your login, your card details, or money sent where it can't be recovered.
Red flags
- A chat message that says it's from Mercari (Mercari uses Notifications instead)
- An email from any address that doesn't end in mercari.com
- A deadline to verify your account or click a link
- A buyer or seller who wants payment or chat outside the app
- An "overpayment" and a request to send some back
- A price far below what the item normally sells for
Example message
Your Mercari account has been flagged for suspicious activity. Verify your identity within 24 hours at [link] or your balance will be frozen.
What to do
- 1
Don't click the link or answer the message
Open the Mercari app or type the site address yourself, and look under Notifications. If nothing is there, the message wasn't from Mercari.
- 2
Keep the deal inside Mercari
Decline any request to pay, get paid or chat off the platform. Don't ship an item until the payment shows in your own Mercari account.
- 3
If you entered your password, change it now
Change your Mercari password (or set up a passkey), turn on multi-factor authentication, and change it anywhere else you used the same one.
- 4
If you paid or sent money, contact your bank or card issuer
Use the number on the back of your card. Say it was fraud and ask them to reverse the charge.
- 5
Report it
Report the message or account to Mercari through its help center, and file a report with the FTC.
Report it
Check if your details are exposed with Serus
Scammers find your number and address on data brokers and people-search sites. Serus removes them.
Why you got it
Phishing messages work better when they know your name and email, and fake buyers like sellers with a visible listing. That information comes from public profiles, people-search sites and breaches. Serus finds the data brokers that list you and removes your details, and it alerts you when your email appears in a breach, so fewer scammers can aim a message at you.
Frequently asked
Is Mercari a scam?
No. Mercari is a real marketplace, and scammers use its name in phishing messages. Mercari says it never contacts you through in-app chat and only emails from a mercari.com address.
How do I know a message really came from Mercari?
Mercari says its messages appear under Notifications in the app, and its emails come from a mercari.com address. Anything else isn't from Mercari.
Why shouldn't I pay outside the app?
Mercari says it doesn't protect transactions where payment goes outside its app or site, so you'd have nothing to appeal to.
A buyer says they overpaid me. What do I do?
Don't send money back. The FTC describes fake payment notices and overpayments as a common seller scam. Check your own Mercari balance first.
Sources
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