Every working scam has a rush button somewhere.
It might be a story about why the seller needs to sell today. A claim that three other people are about to buy. A sob story that makes you feel bad for asking questions. Or a small, friendly flattery that quietly tells you not to be the awkward one.
The rush button is not incidental. It is doing real work. The pressure is there to stop you doing the things you would normally do when sending a stranger money for something you have not inspected.
If you can name the tactic when you see it, most of the pressure leaks out. You go from "I need to decide quickly" back to "I can take my time on this."
Here are six pressure tactics that show up across marketplace scams worldwide, and a useful response to each.
1. False scarcity
"Three other people have messaged. I'll hold it for you if you can pay now."
This is the most common one because it works on a normal human reflex: we move faster when we think we are about to lose something.
The variation depends on the item. For high-demand goods (phones, GPUs, designer items) the story is usually about other buyers. For lower-demand items, it is about the seller's deadline — "I need it gone today, I'm moving in the morning."
What to say back: "No problem, if someone else gets there first that's fine. I'd rather check the item properly before paying."
A real seller who has multiple genuine buyers is not in a hurry. They have options. Only a scammer needs you specifically, right now.
2. The sob story
"I'm selling because my mum just passed and we're clearing out her house."
"I'm a single parent, I just need this gone so I can pay rent."
"My partner left and I'm moving overseas, everything has to go."
The sob story is doing two jobs at once. It explains the urgency, and it makes you feel like asking for proof would be rude.
Some of these stories are even true. That is what makes the tactic effective. The point is not that the story is impossible. The point is that the story is being deployed to short-circuit your normal checks.
What to say back: Nothing about the story. You are not there to assess whether someone's grief is real. You are there to assess whether a transaction is safe. Acknowledge briefly if you want — "sorry to hear that" — and then continue with your normal questions.
3. Borrowed authority
"I'm a nurse, you can trust me."
"I'm a teacher, I just want this to go to a good home."
"Look me up, I'm a small business owner."
These claims are unverified by definition. They are scripted to borrow the trust we extend to certain professions without making any verifiable claim about the actual person on the other end of the conversation.
The variant in higher-value categories is "I have a buyer protection policy" or "I work with the platform's verified seller program" — claims that sound official but exist only inside the message thread.
What to say back: "Happy to know that. What I'd still like is [the actual evidence: a serial number, live video, an in-person inspection]."
Borrowed authority is a substitute for evidence. The response is to politely accept the claim and continue asking for the evidence anyway.
4. Reverse pressure
This one runs the other way. Instead of pushing you to act, the scammer makes you feel awkward for being cautious.
"You sound like you don't trust me."
"I've never had anyone ask so many questions."
"If you're not serious about buying, please don't waste my time."
The goal is to make basic due diligence feel like an accusation. Many people back down here because they do not want to seem rude or paranoid, especially when the other party has been friendly up to this point.
What to say back: "It's nothing personal — I just check the same things on every transaction." Or simply repeat the question you were asking before they tried to change the subject.
A legitimate seller may find your questions thorough. They will not find them offensive.
5. Manufactured intimacy
"Hi love."
"Hey hun, I can do $50 less if you collect today xx."
A surprising number of marketplace messages reach for warmth very early. Pet names, cheerful tone, exclamation marks, smiley emojis. It feels harmless because it usually is — Australians, Brits, Americans and many others routinely soften messages with this kind of language in everyday life.
The problem is that the same pattern shows up in scams, where it serves a specific purpose: it builds a quick, low-cost sense of familiarity that makes you less likely to push back on the things that matter.
What to say back: Match the tone if you like, but do not let the warmth change what you ask for. The check-list is the check-list whether the conversation is formal or friendly.
6. Time-boxed deadlines
"I need to know in the next hour."
"I have to leave for work, can you decide now?"
"My partner is coming to collect it, can you confirm payment?"
This is the most direct version. A specific, short deadline is dropped into the conversation, often combined with one of the other tactics.
It is sometimes legitimate. People do have buses to catch, work shifts to start, partners on the way. But it is also one of the most reliable signals of a scam in progress, because a real deadline is something you negotiate around ("can we do tomorrow morning?") while a scam deadline always has a reason it cannot move.
What to say back: "I can't make a decision in that timeframe. If you need to sell sooner, no worries."
If the deadline was real, they will either accept it or come back later. If the deadline was the tactic, the conversation usually ends right there.
What these tactics have in common
Look closely and the six tactics are all variations of the same move. They are trying to get you to make a decision before you have the evidence to make it well.
False scarcity says decide before someone else gets it. The sob story says decide before you feel awkward asking. Borrowed authority says decide because of who I am, not what I can show you. Reverse pressure says decide before this gets uncomfortable. Manufactured intimacy says decide because we are friendly now. Time-boxed deadlines say decide before the clock runs out.
The defence is the same in every case. The deal can wait. If it cannot, it was probably not a real deal in the first place.
If you have been on the receiving end of any of these — whether you spotted it in time or not — Chekka is collecting anonymous scam stories from people around the world. The patterns and exact phrases scammers are using right now help us warn other people earlier. It takes about two minutes: chekka.ai/survey.