How to confirm a payment before you release goods or crypto
Last reviewed 15 October 2026
The short answer
Release only when three things are true: the money is in your own account balance, it came from an account in the name of the person you're trading with, and that account has no scam reports. A screenshot proves none of these.
Why “the money arrived” isn't always enough
- Third-party payments
- The buyer gets someone else to pay you, often a victim of another scam or someone paying with stolen money. When that person reports the transfer, their bank can trace it to your account, and your bank may freeze your account or take the money back. By then your goods or crypto are gone.
- “Mistaken” transfers
- Someone sends you money, then asks you to send it back or to a different account. If the original transfer was fraudulent, you lose both. A genuine mistaken transfer should be reversed through the sender's bank, not by you.
- Split or partial payments
- The buyer pays part of the amount, or pays in several small transfers from different accounts, and pushes you to release before the rest arrives.
Before you release anything
1.Confirm the money is in your balance
Check your bank app or dial your bank's USSD code. The full amount should show in your balance, not just in an SMS or a screenshot the buyer sent.
2.Match the sender's name to your buyer
Open the transaction in your bank app and read the sender's name. It should be the person you're trading with. On a P2P platform, compare it with the buyer's verified name on the order.
If the name is different, don't release. Ask the buyer to pay from their own account, and return the money only through your bank, so it goes back to the account it came from.
3.Check the paying account
Look up the account number or phone number that paid you. Other traders may have reported it for fake payments, chargebacks or non-delivery.
4.Keep the trade where it started
On a P2P platform, keep the chat and the payment inside the order. Releasing early, or moving to WhatsApp or another app, can leave you without the platform's dispute process if something goes wrong.
5.Keep a record
Save the chat, the buyer's details and your bank's transaction record. If the payment is challenged later, that record is what shows you traded in good faith.
Don't release yet if
- The sender's name doesn't match the person you're trading with.
- The buyer asks you to refund an “overpayment” or a “mistaken” transfer.
- The amount arrived in several pieces from different accounts.
- The buyer wants to move off the platform, or rushes you to release.
- The buyer's story changes about who is paying or why.
- The paying account has scam reports on PeerVet.
No single check makes a trade safe. Each one removes a way you could lose the money after you've released.
If you've already released and something is wrong
- Contact your bank straight away on its official number and explain what happened.
- If you traded on a P2P platform, open a dispute or appeal on the order immediately.
- Keep everything: chat, order details, account numbers and your transaction history.
- Report the account on PeerVet so the next trader who checks it is warned.
Related guides
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