I've paid and I think it's a scam
Act fast: the first hours matter. And it is not your fault: these scams are very well prepared.
1. Call your bank now
- Bank transfer: ask them to try to recover it from the receiving bank. It does not always work, but the sooner you ask, the better the chances.
- Bizum: tell your bank anyway. A Bizum is instant and hard to reverse, but the bank can act on the account that received it.
- Card: ask about a chargeback.
- Money transfer service (Western Union, Ria, MoneyGram…): call them straight away. If the money has not been collected yet, it can sometimes be stopped.
2. Keep the evidence
Screenshots of the listing with its link, the whole conversation, the phone number, email, IBAN and the payment receipt. Do not delete the chat, even if they block you.
3. Report it to the police
At a Policía Nacional station or a Guardia Civil post, with the evidence and the receipt. If you do not speak Spanish, bring someone who does if you can. Your bank will ask for the report, and it lets the account that received the money be investigated. If you sent a copy of your passport or ID, say so in the report: it can be used to impersonate you.
4. Tell the portal
If the listing was on idealista, Fotocasa or another portal, report it from its own page: they can take it down and warn other people who contacted it.
5. Beware of the second scam
After a scam, messages sometimes arrive from people promising to recover your money for a fee. That is usually another scam: do not pay anyone to «get it back».
Free help
017 is INCIBE's free and confidential cybersecurity helpline in Spain, and it deals with online fraud. If you are a student, also tell your university's international office: they may know of other cases.
Still not sure it is a scam? Paste the listing and the conversation below and we will tell you whether it looks like known scams.