OLX and marketplace scams in Ukraine: how to sell and buy without losing money

To pay you for an item, a buyer only needs your card number or IBAN. Any link «to receive payment» or any request for your CVV, card expiry date or an SMS code is fraud, even if the page looks like OLX or a delivery service. The safest way to buy is OLX Delivery with payment on the platform: the money is only taken once you have inspected and collected the item. About 1,500 phishing sites imitating OLX are blocked every month, so this is mass, industrial-scale fraud.

Andrii Kolisnyk October 31, 2026 6 min read

How marketplace fraud works

Fraud on OLX, Ukraine's largest classifieds site, and similar platforms has long been an assembly line. The EMA association, which brings together Ukraine's payment market players, describes it like this: fraudsters buy ready-made phishing pages and services from Telegram bots, scripts scan new listings around the clock, and the operatives only find a victim and send a generated link. The money then goes to money mules' cards and is split across other accounts to make it harder to trace.

So a fraudster messages you not because you are careless, but because your listing ended up in an automated mailing. What protects you is not general caution but a few simple rules that break the scheme itself.

Schemes targeting sellers

A seller feels there is no risk: the money is supposed to come to them. That is exactly what fraudsters play on.

What fraudsters say and what it means
What you are told	What is really happening
«I have already paid through OLX Delivery, follow the link to receive the money»	The link leads to a phishing copy of OLX. A real payment shows in your account on olx.ua, not through a link from a messenger
«Enter your card details so the money can be credited»	Receiving a transfer does not require a CVV, expiry date or SMS codes. If they are requested, money will not arrive but be taken
«The payment failed because of a technical error, here is a new link»	A second charge. Fraudsters call it a refund, but they are taking money a second time
«OLX support» writes to you on Viber or Telegram	OLX does not message users in messengers. «OLX support» or «Trust&Safety OLX» on Viber or Telegram are fraudsters
«Your card must hold an amount equal to the item price»	An invented rule to get you to top up the card the fraudsters will then drain
«Let's continue on Telegram, it's easier»	Outside OLX chat the platform's filters do not work. OLX itself calls such a request a red flag

Schemes targeting buyers

A price well below market and a rush. «Urgent, I'm leaving the country», «today is the last day» are classic signals OLX warns about.
Prepayment to a card instead of OLX Delivery. The seller says delivery «doesn't work», «is expensive» or «this is faster». After the transfer they disappear.
A link to a «delivery service» for payment. The page copies the design of the delivery service or OLX and collects card details.
The seller avoids meeting and insists on shipping only, or on «their own courier».
Emotional pressure: a story about a sick relative or other reasons the money is needed right now.

How to sell safely

1OLX chat onlyA request to move to Viber or Telegram is a reason to stop
2OLX Delivery onlyOr cash on delivery or payment in person, never a link «to receive money»
3Card number onlyTo receive a transfer nothing else is needed: no CVV, expiry date or codes
4Status in your accountCheck orders only on olx.ua, never through a link from a message

Rules for selling safely on OLX and other marketplaces, based on advice from OLX and the EMA association.

Talk only in OLX chat. A suggestion to move to a messenger is a reason to end the conversation.
Choose OLX Delivery, cash on delivery or payment in person. With OLX Delivery, the seller is paid after the buyer inspects and collects the item, and you do not need to enter anything on outside websites.
If the buyer wants to pay by card transfer, give only your card number or IBAN. That is all that is needed to receive money.
Check order status only in your account on olx.ua or in the app opened yourself, never through a link.
For expensive items, arrange to meet and take payment in person, checking that it has arrived in your banking app.

How to buy safely

Pay online through OLX Delivery. Under OLX rules, the money is reserved and only taken once you have inspected the item at the branch and are happy with it. If you decline, the item price is refunded but delivery is not. The service works for items priced from UAH 30 to UAH 29,000.
Or choose cash on delivery: you pay for the item, delivery and the transfer fee after inspecting it at the branch.
Do not prepay to the card of a stranger, however good the price.
Check the seller's profile: how long they have been on the platform, what reviews they have, whether identical listings appear from different accounts.
For expensive purchases, meet in person and check the item before paying.

How to check a link

A phishing page can look exactly like OLX or a delivery service. Only the address gives it away. Read the domain from right to left: what matters is the part right before .ua or .com. Official OLX operations happen on olx.ua; signing in may redirect to ua.login.olx.com.

An address like olx-ua.pay-delivery.com is the site pay-delivery.com, not OLX, even though it contains «olx».
Links to unfamiliar services with random names, such as workers.dev, are named by the EMA association as a sign of fraud.
It is safer not to follow links at all and to open the OLX or delivery app yourself.

What to do if you have already entered your card details

Block the card immediately in your banking app, without waiting for a charge.
Call your bank using the number on the card or the official website and report the fraudulent transaction. What can be done and how fast is covered in our article on money stolen from a card.
Change your OLX password and turn on two-factor authentication. OLX introduced sign-in with a password and a one-time code precisely to prevent account takeovers.
Report it to the police and report the fraudster's account to OLX.
If you shared passport details or photos of documents, check that no loan was taken out in your name: how to do that is explained in our article on loans taken in your name.

Do not reply to anyone who then offers to «recover the money» for an upfront fee: that is a second round of the same fraud. And never agree to «receive a transfer and send it on» for a reward. That is how money mules are recruited, and in October 2026 the Verkhovna Rada passed criminal liability for handing your card to fraudsters. More in our article on transfer limits and money mules.

In short

To receive money, only your card number or IBAN is needed. Only fraudsters ask for your CVV, expiry date or SMS codes.
Talk only in OLX chat and check orders in your account, not through links.
Buy through OLX Delivery with online payment or cash on delivery: the money is taken after you inspect the item.
«OLX support» on Viber or Telegram, a «repeat payment» and «an amount on the card equal to the item price» are signs of fraud.
If you entered your card details, block the card at once and call your bank.

Figures in this article

Phishing domains imitating OLX blocked1,500
per month, 2026 data
OLX Delivery: minimum item priceUAH 30
OLX Delivery terms
OLX Delivery: maximum item priceUAH 29,000
OLX Delivery terms

Checked against official sources on October 31, 2026. If a figure changes, we update the article and the «Updated» date changes automatically.

Sources

This article is for information only. Platform and delivery service rules and features may change, so check current terms on their official websites.

Spotted a mistake or an outdated figure? Let us know and we will check it against the primary source and fix it.