Safety Guide

How to Spot a Selling Scam Before You Lose Money

Most people you meet through a marketplace are genuine. The few who aren’t use the same handful of tricks again and again. Learn them once and you’ll recognise them anywhere, on SUP or any other app.

The One Rule to Remember

You never need to scan a QR code or enter your UPI PIN to receive money. Scanning and entering a PIN always sends money out of your account.

Common Scams

Six Tricks Scammers Use on Buyers and Sellers

Each one is a pattern reported again and again by police and banks across India.

The QR Code to “Receive” Money

How it works: A buyer, often saying they’re in the army or police and posted far away, can’t come to see the item. They agree your price at once and send a QR code “so you can receive the payment”. Scanning it and entering your PIN pays them. Then they ask you to scan again “for the refund”.
What to do: Never scan a QR code or enter a PIN to receive money. Ask the buyer to come and see the item, or walk away.

The Fake Payment Screenshot

How it works: The buyer shows or sends a screenshot of a “successful” payment and asks for the item. Sometimes they say they paid too much and want the difference back.
What to do: Open your own bank or UPI app and check the money has arrived before you hand anything over. A screenshot proves nothing.

The Advance or “Token Amount”

How it works: A seller asks for an advance to “hold” an item you haven’t seen, often at a price that seems too good to be true.
What to do: Don’t pay anything before you’ve seen the item. Pay only when it’s in front of you and you’ve checked it.

Courier and Transport Charges

How it works: The item will be “delivered”, but first you must pay for courier, transport, insurance or tax. Then another charge appears, and another.
What to do: Buy and sell locally, and check the item yourself. Any fee you must pay to receive an item is a warning sign.

Moving the Chat to WhatsApp

How it works: Within a few messages, the other person asks to continue on WhatsApp or by phone, away from the marketplace’s warnings and reports.
What to do: Keep talking in the app until you’ve met and trust the person.

Asking for an OTP, PIN or Card Details

How it works: Someone asks for the code sent to your phone “to confirm the deal”, or for your card number “to send the money”.
What to do: No genuine buyer or seller ever needs your OTP, UPI PIN or card details. Never share them with anyone.

How SUP Helps

Built to Make These Tricks Harder

Every feature here is in the app today.

Scam Warnings in Chat

A Be Careful warning appears on messages that look like these scams, with Report and Get Help right under it.

Chat Without Your Number

Buyers reach you in the app, so your number can’t be passed around or spammed.

Owner or Dealer Label

Every Ad says whether it’s from the owner or a business, so nobody can pretend.

Every Ad Checked

A person looks at each Ad before it goes live, which keeps fake listings out.

Seller Reliability

See when someone joined, how fast they reply, what they’ve sold, ratings, and whether their phone is verified.

Report and Get Help

Report a person in two taps. If you’ve been scammed, the app walks you through what to do next.

These lower the risk, but no app can stop every scam. The habits on this page are what keep you safe, wherever you buy and sell.

Meeting Up

Meeting a Buyer or Seller Safely

Most deals end with a short meeting. A few simple habits make it a safe one.

Meet in a busy public place, in daylight: a market, a metro station or a café.
For anything expensive, bring a friend or family member along.
Check and test the item properly before any money changes hands.
Buying a phone? Check the IMEI matches the box and bill, and that it’s signed out of the old owner’s account.
Buying a vehicle? Check the RC, insurance and that the chassis number matches.
Selling? Count the cash, or check the UPI payment in your own app, before you hand it over.

Safety Questions

Is It Safe to Sell on OLX, Facebook Marketplace or SUP?

Any marketplace can be used safely if you follow the habits on this page, because scammers use the same few tricks everywhere. SUP adds scam warnings in chat, keeps your number private and labels every Ad as Owner or Dealer, but meeting in person and checking before you pay matters most.

Can Someone Send Me Money Through a QR Code?

No. A QR code is for paying, never for receiving. To receive money you only share your UPI ID or number, and you never enter your PIN. Anyone asking you to scan to receive is trying to take your money.

I Paid a Scammer. Can I Get My Money Back?

Call 1930 straight away and report it at cybercrime.gov.in, then tell your bank. Quick reports give the best chance of freezing the money before it is moved on.

Buy and Sell With Warnings Built In

SUP’s chat flags the scams on this page as they happen. Free to use, with no commission.

Join the Waitlist