OfferUp buyer: how to tell if they're real

By the Authentk team  ·  Published November 4, 2026  ·  Updated November 4, 2026

A real OfferUp buyer keeps talking in OfferUp's messages, agrees to meet at a public spot, and pays cash after looking at the item. A fake one needs something from you first: a verification code from your phone, a click on a link outside the app, your phone number, or a payment through an app before you meet. If a buyer needs any of those before the meetup, you have your answer.

What OfferUp verifies, and what it doesn't

OfferUp's main check is TruYou, a free program that's voluntary in most cases. Members give a mobile number, two photos of a government ID and a selfie taken on the spot. OfferUp's identity partner, Onfido, checks the ID and that the selfie matches it, and members who pass get a badge on their public profile.

OfferUp is candid about the limit. Its help page says membership "doesn't guarantee the user is who they say they are," or that they're trustworthy. The badge also stays on the profile for the life of the account. So it tells you an ID was checked at some point. It doesn't tell you the person messaging you today, or walking up to the meetup spot, is that person.

Beyond TruYou, OfferUp asks you to research the buyer: how many items they've sold, their star rating, what reviews say, and whether their own listings use real photos or stock images. All useful. All of it describes the account, not who's holding the phone.

The verification code scam

OfferUp's own list of common scams covers this one directly. A buyer asks you for a verification code and says it's so they can verify your listing. What they're usually doing is logging in to your account and using your code to get past two-step verification. OfferUp says it doesn't send codes to verify listings, and that you should never share a code or one-time password with anyone.

The FTC describes a close cousin on other marketplaces, where the code sets up a Google Voice number tied to your phone. Different target, same rule: a code sent to your phone is for you, never for the person who asked.

Notice the trick. "I just need to make sure your listing is real" sounds like caution, which is why it works. Real proof never needs anything back from the person checking it.

Other red flags on OfferUp

• A link off the app. A link to get paid, view the item, or verify your details on another website. OfferUp says its own links always contain offerup.com.
• An offer above your asking price. Usually followed by a request to settle through a payment app before you meet. OfferUp calls these very likely scams.
• A "you've been paid" message. Or a request for your bank details to complete the sale. OfferUp never sends payment instructions through chat.
• A rush to leave OfferUp messages. OfferUp calls moving the conversation off the app a common scam tactic, and suggests keeping your phone number, email and home address out of chats.
• A last-minute change of place. Car trouble five minutes before, so could you come to a new spot instead? OfferUp's advice is to always decline.
• Gift cards. As payment, or as a "refund" they want from you.

Checks that work, and their limits

• Meet at a Community MeetUp Spot. OfferUp's official spots are mostly in front of local businesses or police stations, and the app finds the nearest one. The limit: it lowers the stakes, it doesn't tell you who's coming.
• Big item? Meet first, share the address after. OfferUp's own tip for sofas and dressers: meet the buyer at a MeetUp Spot, and only share where the item is once you're comfortable with them.
• Cash, after they've seen the item. OfferUp recommends sellers take cash only. It removes the payment tricks; it does nothing about who arrives.
• Ask something specific. When they want to come, what they'll use it for, whether they've seen the photos of the scratch. Scripts tend to skip past specifics.
• Bring someone, and share your location. Not proof, but it changes the odds.

For pickups at your address, our longer guide covers the meetup itself: Facebook Marketplace meetup safety. Selling in more than one place? See how to tell if a Facebook Marketplace buyer is real and how to tell if a Craigslist buyer or seller is real.

Where a signed selfie fits

Because asking a stranger to "verify" is itself a known OfferUp script, the direction of proof matters. With Authentk, you prove yourself: you take a selfie in the app, and your iPhone signs it at the moment it's taken. The buyer needs nothing. They open the link or scan the QR code to see when it was taken, then upload the photo you sent. They see "Photo Matches" if it's the signed original and "Photo Does Not Match" if it was swapped or substantially changed. No app, no code, no account, no login, no payment. See what a verified photo looks like. OfferUp is right to warn about links from strangers, so a buyer who'd rather not open one is being careful, not difficult. Meet at a MeetUp Spot either way.

You can also send a request so a buyer takes a live photo for you. That's a bigger ask: they need an iPhone, the free app, and a sign-up with their phone number. A stranger who won't install an app for a $60 bike rack is being sensible, not suspicious, so save requests for moments like a buyer collecting from your home. TruYou and a signed selfie answer different questions: one says an ID was checked once, the other says this photo was taken just now on that phone. Neither proves who someone is legally, and neither says whether the deal is honest.

Questions

Sources

• OfferUp Support, TruYou verification program.
• OfferUp Support, Common buying and selling scams.
• OfferUp Support, Safety tips for meeting up.
• OfferUp Support, Tips for messaging.
• Federal Trade Commission, The Google Voice scam: How this verification code scam works and how to avoid it, consumer alert, October 2021.