Hello, how can we help you?

"Phishing" is when scammers send emails, messages, or texts to trick you into giving them your personal information. They often pretend to be a company you trust.

Scammers need you somewhere we can’t see, which is why keeping your payments and conversations on Reverb is your best protection.

How Reverb contacts you

Reverb Support won't contact you any other way. If someone claims to be Reverb Support, especially in a message on Reverb, it's a phishing attempt. Reverb will never message you about submitting or completing a payment.

Signs of a scam message

A message is likely a scam if it:

• Asks for your email address or phone number, or to continue the conversation over text, email, or an app like WhatsApp.
• Asks you to pay or get paid outside Reverb, often with a discount to "skip the fees."
• Includes a link to "confirm" an order, verify your account, or view photos.
• Asks for personal information beyond what's needed for shipping, like bank or card details or screenshots of your PayPal account.
• Comes from an account posing as Reverb staff, with a name containing "Support" or "Helper."
• Sends you an invoice. Neither Reverb nor sellers send paper or PDF invoices asking for payment. You only pay at checkout on Reverb.
• Offers to overpay and asks you to send back the difference.
• Offers a discount or free-shipping code in exchange for your contact information. Reverb promotions never work this way.

If you see any of these, report the message. Don't reply, and don't click anything in it.

Examples of real scam messages

These are examples of the types of scam messages you might see on Reverb. Don't click any links in messages like these.

Asking for your email address

Wo͏͏uld yo͏͏u mi͏͏nd se͏͏nding ove͏͏r you͏͏r em͏͏ail add͏͏ress whe͏͏n yo͏͏u hav͏͏e a se͏͏c? The͏͏ ch͏͏eckout pr͏͏ocess req͏͏uires the͏͏ seller's ema͏͏il o͏͏n re͏͏verb? I'm i͏͏n Un͏͏ited Sta͏͏tes an͏͏d I'm set͏͏ t͏͏o co͏͏mplete thi͏͏s ord͏͏er Che͏͏ers!

Wait, I thought I was buying it directly from you, so you can just give me your еmail and I'll finish the order on my end.

Sending you a fake website

Thanks! Order placed. Check your email for the confirmation from Reverb.

I have already placed the order and the website asked me to send you this for confirmation: share.google/…

Moving the conversation off Reverb

Those photos aren’t displaying here so I can’t see them. Please text them here [phone number] instead. Let me know once they come I’ll check them right away, then we’ll complete everything here.

I’d love to buy this guitar like immediately. Kindly phone me at your earliest convenience. Thanks! Edward [phone number]

Hello. Do you have a video of this guitar? I'd like to hear it sound. Please send it to me at [phone number]

Taking the payment off Reverb

I completely understand, and I appreciate you letting me know. Unfortunately, because of the fees, I can't complete the sale through Reverb. If you ever decide you're comfortable using PayPal Goods & Services, just let me know. Thanks again, and I wish you all the best with your search!

The message before the scam

Some scams open with a message that’s indistinguishable from a real buyer’s. That’s by design — a warm, ordinary opener is meant to get you comfortable enough to answer the next message without thinking twice.

If a conversation stays on Reverb and moves toward a purchase, it’s a buyer. If it moves toward your contact details or off the platform, there’s a good chance it isn’t.

Why scammers want you off Reverb

Scammers push to move conversations off Reverb because our protections don’t follow you there. Here’s what they’re after:

• Your money. Once you pay outside of Reverb (by PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, wire transfer, cashier’s check, money order, or cryptocurrency) all buyer and seller protection is voided, and we can’t step in on a transaction that didn’t happen on Reverb.com.
• Your login and financial details. A fake Reverb sign-in page can capture your password, bank account number, or card details. With your login, someone can act as you and change your payout settings, publish listings, and message other users.
• Your safety net. On Reverb, you can report a message and our team can act on it. We can’t see conversations that happen off Reverb, so there’s nothing for us to act on.

Report it to Reverb

• Suspicious message on Reverb: Report the message from your inbox.
• Fake website or suspicious email: Contact Reverb Support and share the URL or email.
• Already clicked a link or entered your info, or noticed changes you didn't make (like a new email address on your account or charges you don't recognize)? Follow the steps for a compromised account.
• Already paid someone outside Reverb? Check your purchase history. If the order isn't there, the sale didn't happen on Reverb and isn't covered by Reverb Protection. Contact your bank or payment provider to try to stop or dispute the payment.

Additional resources