The deposit scam, explained

How it works

The pitch is always some version of 'send a deposit to confirm'. It comes dressed in reasons that sound legitimate: to prove you are serious, to hold the slot, to cover a taxi, to pay a 'verification fee'. Once you send it, the story escalates — the transfer 'failed', a second payment is needed, a 'manager' must be paid — or the account simply vanishes.

There was never a person on the other end you were going to meet. The deposit was the entire product.

Why it's convincing

It works because it borrows the language of real business. Deposits are normal in lots of industries, so the request does not feel absurd. Scammers add urgency — a slot about to be lost, another client waiting — so you decide fast instead of thinking. Urgency plus plausibility is the whole trick.

The rule that beats it

Do not send money to someone you have not met, in any form — bank transfer, wallet, crypto, gift-card codes, top-up vouchers. Gift cards and vouchers especially: no legitimate arrangement is ever settled in iTunes or gaming codes. That request alone is a confession.

Money in this space is handled in person, in cash, at the start of the meeting. Anyone insisting otherwise is telling you what they are.

• No deposits to strangers — for any reason, however reasonable it sounds.
• Never gift cards, vouchers or crypto — those are scam-only.
• Urgency is a tactic, not a fact — slow down and it dissolves.

'But some real providers ask for deposits'

A few established providers do use deposits to filter time-wasters. As a newcomer you cannot reliably tell those apart from scammers, and the downside of guessing wrong is total loss. The safe policy while you are learning is simple: no meeting, no money. You will not miss much, and you will lose nothing.