A buyer who says you must pay a fee or “upgrade” your PayID account before you can receive sale proceeds is trying to scam you. PayID is a legitimate Australian payment-addressing service; the common marketplace scam relies on fake messages and social pressure, not a breach of PayID. Never send money to receive a payment.
What PayID is—and what the scam is
PayID lets someone send money using an identifier such as a mobile number, email address or ABN linked to a bank account. It operates within Australia’s New Payments Platform and is offered by participating financial institutions. CHOICE’s explanation of PayID scams distinguishes PayID, the addressing method, from Osko, a fast payment service used through participating banks. Your bank app is where you should confirm whether money has arrived.
The scam does not generally involve criminals hacking PayID’s payment rails. They impersonate PayID, a bank or a payment notification, then trick a seller into sending money or disclosing sensitive information. PayID is not a guarantee against fraud, and a transfer made in error or to a scammer may be difficult to recover.
How the marketplace “upgrade” scam works
- A supposed buyer responds quickly to a listing, sometimes offering the full price without asking about the item or arranging an inspection.
- They insist on paying remotely through PayID and ask for the phone number, email address or other identifier registered to your PayID.
- They claim the payment is pending because your account is personal rather than “business,” or say a limit or other problem must be fixed.
- You receive a convincing-looking email, SMS, screenshot or link that appears to confirm a payment or explain an upgrade requirement.
- The buyer demands an upgrade fee, reimbursement, minimum-balance payment or other transfer to release the supposed funds.
- If you pay, the money goes to the scammer. The promised sale payment may never arrive.
Scammers may copy official logos and wording, create urgency, or use emotional pressure to make the request seem legitimate. Scamwatch describes these impersonation tactics.
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Red flags in a buyer’s messages
- They contact you unusually quickly, show little interest in the item, or refuse to inspect it.
- They offer full price without discussion and pressure you to mark the item sold.
- They insist on PayID or refuse reasonable alternatives.
- They say you need a business account, an upgrade, a fee or a payment to unlock funds.
- They send a screenshot or a purported bank or PayID email instead of letting you verify the deposit yourself.
- They say they have overpaid and ask you to refund the difference, or ask you to pay several PayIDs.
- They ask for your bank login, card PIN, one-time password, security code, identity documents or a link click.
- They want to move the conversation off the marketplace or create an account at their direction.
One unusual detail is not proof on its own, but a request to send money first to receive sale proceeds is a decisive reason to stop. Scamwatch advises caution around unusual payment instructions and requests to create new accounts or PayIDs. See its buying and selling scam guidance.
What PayID will not require from a seller
- A payment to create or activate PayID, receive money, upgrade to a business tier, or release a transfer.
- A reimbursement to a buyer to resolve an alleged payment problem.
- A link click to accept money, or your online banking password, PIN or one-time code.
- A new bank account opened because a buyer tells you to do so.
CHOICE reports that PayID is free, does not use paid account tiers for this purpose, and that Australian Payments Plus does not directly contact users by email or SMS. A bank may send legitimate account notifications, but a message is not proof that a sale payment has cleared: check independently in your bank’s official app.
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How to verify a payment before handing over the item
- Open your bank’s official app yourself, or type the bank’s website address manually. Do not use a link supplied by the buyer.
- Check your own account’s transaction history and available balance for the amount. Confirm it is in the correct account and shows as received, rather than relying on a pending message from the buyer.
- Where your bank displays a payer or account name, check whether it fits the transaction. A plausible name can help catch a mistake, but it does not prove the person is trustworthy.
- Release the item only after you have verified the funds in your own account. A screenshot, email or SMS from the buyer is not proof of payment.
Scamwatch recommends checking the name shown for a PayID or bank-transfer recipient and warns that instant payments can be difficult to recover. For a seller, the practical test is what appears in the seller’s own bank account—not what a buyer says they sent.
Is it safe to give a buyer your PayID?
Sharing the PayID identifier linked to your phone number or email does not, by itself, give someone access to withdraw money from your bank account. CHOICE’s experts say someone with the identifier can generally use it to pay into the linked account, not take money out.
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That does not make sharing it risk-free. A phone number or email can attract spam, phishing attempts and further social engineering. Do not provide banking credentials, card details, security codes or identity documents, and be wary if the buyer uses the information to push you off-platform or send a link.
Sell more safely on Marketplace, Gumtree and similar platforms
- Keep messages on the marketplace platform where possible, and do not click payment links sent by prospective buyers.
- For suitable local sales, meet in a safe public place and inspect or demonstrate the item before completing the exchange.
- Check payment in your own bank app while the parties are present when practical, particularly for a high-value item.
- Do not accept overpayments that require you to refund money, or follow a buyer’s unusual instructions to pay another account.
- Use payment and buyer-protection processes officially recommended by the platform when available. Avoid unfamiliar links or unverified escrow services.
- Keep the listing, messages and payment records. Stop if you feel rushed or the arrangement changes unexpectedly.
Neither cash nor digital payment is universally safest. Cash avoids fake digital confirmations but can involve counterfeit notes and personal-safety concerns; PayID can be convenient but requires independent verification and may be hard to recover if sent to a scammer. For expensive goods, Scamwatch recommends in-person inspection and care with payment details and account-name mismatches.
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PayID scams can target buyers too
Buyers should be wary of unusually low prices, sellers who refuse inspection, requests to pay several PayIDs or accounts, and an account-holder name that does not match the supposed seller. Do not transfer money simply to “hold” an item when the seller or listing cannot be verified. These are among the warning signs in Scamwatch’s marketplace guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If you have already sent money or shared information
If you sent money
- Contact your bank immediately using the number in its official app, on its website or on your bank card. Ask it to stop, recall or investigate the transaction. Give it the time, amount, recipient details, PayID, messages and screenshots.
- Stop communicating with the scammer. Report the account and listing to Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or the platform involved.
- Report the scam to Scamwatch and make a ReportCyber report if money, accounts or personal information were compromised.
- Change passwords for affected accounts, especially email, banking and marketplace accounts, and any other account where you reused the same password. Enable multifactor authentication where available.
Cyber.gov.au’s recovery guidance puts urgent contact with your financial institution among the first steps. A report is useful, but it does not replace contacting the bank promptly.
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If you disclosed personal information
Contact your bank and secure your email and social-media accounts; change exposed or reused credentials. If identity information or documents may have been stolen, contact IDCARE and any government service connected to those documents. Cyber.gov.au sets out these steps in its scam recovery guidance. Be alert for follow-up messages from people claiming they can recover your money for an upfront fee.
If you shared only your PayID
If you did not send money or disclose a password, security code or identity document, block the scammer, report the account and listing, and watch for phishing attempts. Do not engage with anyone claiming to be “PayID support”; contact your bank if you notice a suspicious transaction.
For small businesses selling online
Businesses should treat payment-detail changes and unexpected transfer requests as a separate verification task. Scamwatch’s small-business guidance covers impersonation and payment-diversion tactics. Practical controls include verifying changed details through a known contact channel, separating invoice creation from payment approval, setting transaction limits and alerts, keeping records, and training staff that no PayID upgrade fee is needed to receive a payment.
Historical loss figures are not a current total
CHOICE and a 2023 report cited more than A$260,000 in PayID-specific impersonation losses during 2022, based on Scamwatch figures reported through secondary coverage. That is a historical figure, not a current 2026 national loss total. See the CHOICE article and the 2023 report.
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