The parcel never came. The seller stopped replying, or the page disappeared overnight. It's a horrible feeling — and it's not your fault. Scam pages are built by people who do this professionally.
What you do in the next few hours matters more than anything else. Here's the order of operations.
1. Save the evidence first — before anything else
Pages get deleted and chats get unsent. Immediately screenshot:
- the seller's page or profile (name, handle, follower count, posts)
- the full conversation, including the payment request
- your payment proof — transfer receipt, reference number, the account name and number you paid
- the original ad or post for the item
Do this even if you're embarrassed or angry. Every later step depends on this folder of screenshots.
2. Call your bank immediately
If you paid by transfer, call your bank's hotline the same day and report the transaction as a fraud. Be realistic: a completed transfer usually cannot be reversed. But the receiving account can be flagged, and in some cases banks can freeze funds that haven't been withdrawn yet. Speed is everything here. If you paid by card, ask specifically about a chargeback — card payments have dispute processes that transfers don't.
3. Report it to the authorities
- Your nearest police station — bring printed screenshots and your payment proof. Ask for the complaint number; you'll need it for the bank and any follow-up.
- The CID's cyber crime channels — online fraud complaints can be escalated through the Criminal Investigation Department.
- Sri Lanka CERT — the national computer emergency readiness team accepts reports of online scams and fake pages.
A single report rarely brings money back on its own, but reports accumulate. Repeat scammers get caught because many victims filed, not because one did.
4. Report the page — loudly
Report the account on Instagram or Facebook so the page gets reviewed and removed. Then post your experience, with screenshots, in the buy-and-sell groups where the seller operates. This is the most immediately effective thing you can do: it cuts off the scammer's next victims, and group warnings are exactly what the next buyer will find when they search the page name.
5. Watch for the follow-up scam
A cruel pattern: after being scammed, victims get contacted by "recovery agents" who promise to get the money back for an upfront fee. This is the same scam wearing a new face. No legitimate recovery service asks for advance payment.
Next time: remove the gamble entirely
Everything above is damage control. The cure is structural — never let your money sit unprotected with a stranger in the first place.
That's what TrustPay is for: you pay TrustPay, not the seller. The money is only released after you confirm your order arrived as described, and if it never arrives, you get every rupee back — including the fee. Your first 30 days of buyer protection are free. See how it works.