DoneDeal, Adverts and Facebook Marketplace get used every day across Ireland — and so do the scams that target them. Here is the honest 2026 guide to spotting them, what to do if you get caught out, and how to sell safely online.
Most Irish marketplaces let anyone create an account with an email address. No ID, no real-name check, no verified phone. That is convenient — and it is exactly what scammers rely on. A throwaway account, a stolen photo, a fake courier link, and they are gone before the listing is taken down.
A 'buyer' on DoneDeal or Adverts asks you to ship via a courier link they send by text or email. The link is a fake AnPost / DPD page asking for your card details to 'release the payment'. The payment never existed — they just wanted your card.
Red flag: Pushed off-platform, asked to click a courier link, asked for card details to receive money.
Buyer 'accidentally' pays too much by bank transfer and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment is reversed days later; the refund you sent is gone.
Red flag: Excess payment + urgent request to send the difference back.
Buyer sends a screenshot showing a transfer 'in progress' and pressures you to hand over the item. The transfer was never made, or is cancelled the moment they walk away.
Red flag: Screenshot instead of a real notification in your own banking app.
Buyer meets you, inspects the phone or console, then swaps it for a dummy or a broken unit while distracting you, and hands the dummy back as 'not what I wanted'.
Red flag: Hand-off out of sight, sudden change of mind after handling the item.
A brand-new iPhone or PS5 listed at half price by a brand-new account with no history, no verified ID and a story about 'moving abroad'. Deposit requested up front.
Red flag: New account, no reviews, deposit before viewing, won't meet in person.
Safegram is built in Dublin around a single idea: a marketplace where you actually know who you are dealing with. Every seller is identity-verified before they can list, every conversation is end-to-end encrypted, and there is nowhere for throwaway scam accounts to hide. If you are tired of getting "is this still available?" from an account with no history, this is what we built it for.
The fake AnPost / courier-link scam, overpayment-and-refund, fake Revolut transfer screenshots, on-the-spot product swaps, and too-good-to-be-true listings from brand-new unverified accounts are the most reported scams on DoneDeal, Adverts and Facebook Marketplace in Ireland in 2026.
Use a marketplace with verified profiles, keep all conversation in-app, meet in a public place for cash or use a verified in-app payment, never click courier links sent by a buyer, and check the payment has actually landed in your own banking app — never trust a screenshot.
DoneDeal is a legitimate Irish marketplace, but most accounts are not identity-verified, which is why courier-link and overpayment scams are common. Treat every off-platform request as a red flag and prefer marketplaces where the seller's identity is verified before they can list.
Report it to An Garda Síochána, contact your bank or card provider straight away to attempt a chargeback, report the listing or account to the platform, and report the incident to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).
Safegram is free on iPhone and Android. Verified Irish sellers, encrypted chat, no fake accounts.
