Check before you pay
Buying from someone you don't know? Check the listing, message, website or payment request before sending money.
Submit a listing, message, invoice, link or payment request and review potential warning signs before you send money. Free, private transaction checks.
Get a risk assessment in minutes. It highlights warning signs — it can't confirm a transaction is safe.
How it works
Check before paying, in three steps
Submit
Upload a screenshot, photo, document, text, or link.
Analyze
Our system analyzes the information for potential risk indicators.
Decide
Review the warning signs and recommended verification steps before paying.
Why trust Before You Pay?
Clear about its limits
Before You Pay does not tell you that a transaction is guaranteed safe or fraudulent.
Understand the assessment
See the warning signs identified, the level of confidence, and how much relevant information could be checked.
Practical next steps
Get specific things to verify or ask before deciding whether to send money.
Privacy and control
Your checks and reports aren't made public unless you choose to share a report. If you create an account, saved assessments are associated with your account.
What Before You Pay checks
Every assessment looks at the evidence you submit for transaction warning signs like these.
- Payment method and payment request patterns, such as requests to pay off-platform or by irreversible transfer.
- Urgency and pressure language in seller messages or invoices.
- Identity and contact details that are missing, inconsistent, or impossible to verify.
- Website and domain signals for an unfamiliar store, including registration age and public security reputation data.
- Listing or invoice details that don't line up with the price, product, or business named.
When to use Before You Pay
- You're about to send a deposit for an online marketplace purchase or a rental.
- You received a suspicious payment request by text, email, or chat.
- An invoice arrives with new bank details or an unexpected amount.
- You found a suspicious website or an online store you've never heard of.
- A seller message pushes you to pay quickly or move to another app.
What the assessment can and cannot tell you
What it can do
- Highlight transaction warning signs found in what you submitted.
- Flag claims that could not be verified from the evidence available.
- Point out information that is missing before you decide.
- Suggest concrete verification steps and questions to ask.
What it cannot do
- Confirm that a person, seller, or business is genuine.
- Guarantee that a payment is safe or that you'll get your money back.
- Prove that a transaction is fraudulent.
- Replace your own judgement, or advice from your bank or the police.
Examples of what people check
Online marketplace purchase
A used-item listing priced well below market with a seller who wants a deposit before you view it.
Suspicious payment request
A message asking for an e-transfer, gift cards, or crypto, often with a reason you can't verify.
Invoice warning signs
An invoice from a familiar supplier with changed banking details or an unusual due date.
Unfamiliar website or store
A shop you found through an ad, with thin contact details and a very new domain.
Suspicious seller message
Chat that pressures you to decide now, or moves the conversation away from the platform.
Privacy and evidence handling
What you submit stays private to your account and is used only to produce your assessment. Reports aren't public by default. If you choose to share one, we create a redacted snapshot with personal details removed, and you can revoke the link at any time. You can delete an individual check, or your whole account and its stored evidence, from Settings.
Learn Before You Pay
Short, practical guides on recognizing warning signs before you send money.
Buying online · 8 min read
How to Check an Online Seller Before Paying
What to look at on a seller's profile, listing, photos and messages before you pay someone you don't know.
Payments · 9 min read
Red Flags to Check Before Sending Money Online
A plain-language list of payment warning signs, plus why a single signal is rarely proof on its own.
Websites · 9 min read
How to Check a Suspicious Website Before Buying
What a domain, a padlock and a polished design can and cannot tell you about an online store.
Frequently asked questions
Does Before You Pay tell me if something is a scam?
No. It reviews the information you submit and highlights potential warning signs, unverified claims and missing details. It cannot confirm that a transaction is legitimate or fraudulent.
Do I need an account?
No — your first check is free and needs no account. That first assessment is temporary: it is deleted automatically after 24 hours unless you save it to a free account. A free account keeps your reports and includes three checks per month.
What can I submit?
A screenshot, photo, PDF, website link, or pasted message text — for example a marketplace listing, a seller message, an invoice or a payment request.
How long does a check take?
Most assessments finish in under a minute after you submit your information.
What happens to the information I submit?
It is stored privately in your account and used only to produce your assessment. Reports are private unless you create a share link, and share links are redacted and can be revoked.
Disclaimer
This assessment is an automated risk assessment based on the information provided and available evidence. It is not a guarantee that a person, business, listing, website, or transaction is legitimate or fraudulent.