How to Prevent Common C2C Transaction Scams?

Basic Level Scams:

1. SMS Scams

After placing an order, if the scammer notices that your payment method reveals your phone number (such as Alipay or WeChat account), they will chat with you to delay and then send you a fake payment confirmation SMS asking you to click to confirm payment. If you carelessly release the goods without verifying your balance, you are likely to be scammed. (You must log into online banking or use the mobile app to check your balance and confirm the payment before releasing the goods.)

2. "Please Pay on My Behalf"

When scammers choose to use Alipay, they select the "Please pay XXX yuan on my behalf" image. This image looks very similar to a transfer receipt. If you don’t verify the balance and payment status, you may release the goods without receiving the payment.

Additionally: When transferring money, pay attention to whether the other party uses a QR code with a fixed payment amount. If the QR code immediately shows "Please pay XXXXX yuan" after scanning, the scammer has directly set the payment amount. For example, if you are selling an order for 100 yuan, but the scammer sets a QR code for 1000 yuan, you may accidentally transfer extra money if you don’t carefully verify the payment amount.

3. Edited Image Scams

In this type of scam, after placing an order and clicking confirm payment, the scammer sends a fake receipt. If you do not verify the actual payment and only check the receipt image, you may be scammed. Always log into your bank account to verify if the balance has increased, and check your Alipay and WeChat transaction records to confirm payment.

Advanced Level Scams:

1. Two users place two orders with exactly the same amount at the same time. User A pays but does not immediately mark the order as paid. User B has not paid but clicks confirm payment and provides a screenshot of User A’s transfer receipt, constantly urging you to release the goods. If you rush to release without verifying the payer, you may release the goods incorrectly. At this point, User A can provide the payment proof to request release.

2. An order is placed for 10,000 yuan, but only 1,000 yuan is paid, or an order for 1,000 USDT is placed but only 1,000 yuan is paid, and similar operations. Such cases can be reported to customer service to verify the reason behind these actions. (These actions are not necessarily scams; they may be from novice users.)

High-Level Scams:

Scam One:

Scammers A and B place orders with you, then send you a friend request on WeChat using reasons like "long-term cooperation" or "please consider" to stay in your contacts list.

After lurking for a while, scammer A changes their WeChat information to someone else’s and contacts you to buy, wanting to proceed offline and find a guarantor (this person may be customer service, official staff, or a cryptocurrency influencer). Then scammer B changes their WeChat information to impersonate the customer service or crypto influencer to act as guarantor. A adds B and you to a group to conduct the transaction. If you release the cryptocurrency without receiving payment, you will be scammed.

Note: Scammer B may also impersonate other team members to request cryptocurrency transfers to certain addresses, or impersonate platform customer service and provide fake screenshots to scam you. Huobi staff will never engage in any guarantor transactions.

Scam Two:

A and C work together offline to find B. A first tells C, "I am going to buy a coin now at 20,000 each" (market price is slightly higher than 20,000). A says, "I will post an ad and call B to come and place an order." Then A contacts B and says, "I have a coin to sell to you at 20,000 each, a low price. You post the ad, and I will place the order." Then C takes a screenshot of the order and sends it to A, who then sends the order screenshot to B, telling B to mention A’s name in the order chat window or say nothing. Meanwhile, C is told to transfer money to A’s other account. To prove the ad belongs to A, A will provide their name in the chat window. Then C transfers money to A, but B never receives payment and cannot release the goods.

Note: Do not mention anyone’s name in the order chat window. Always make payments to the payment method linked to the other party’s account and ensure the name matches the platform’s verified real name.