AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Fake buyers on Facebook Marketplace and Jiji mostly use three tricks: they 'overpay' and ask you to refund the difference, they send a 'courier' to collect before money has truly arrived, or they show a fake credit alert. The fix is the same for all three: release nothing until you see the money in your own banking app balance.
Why sellers are the target
Most marketplace safety advice is written for buyers. Sellers face a different set of tricks, and they work because a seller wants the sale, is often busy, and is used to buyers paying by transfer. The fraudster's aim is either to get the item without paying, or to make you send them money on top. Jiji's own safety page for buyers warns about 'fake payment services', unexpected fee requests and requests to use money transfer services; the same tools are turned on sellers.
Trick 1: the overpayment and refund
The buyer agrees your price, then says they have 'mistakenly' sent more, or that a relative or company paid on their behalf and added extra for the courier. They send a screenshot or an alert showing the larger amount and ask you to transfer the difference back, quickly, because they 'need it for transport'.
Three things can be going on. The alert may be fake, so no money arrived at all. The money may have arrived from a third party's stolen funds, which your bank may later restrict when the true owner reports fraud. A 2015 CBN circular on industry fraud desks lets banks block or place no-debit restrictions on accounts once a fraud complaint is received, as the law firm Templars explains. Or a cheque or bank draft is involved that later bounces. In each case, the refund you send is real and theirs is not. The US Federal Trade Commission's job-scam guidance describes the same pattern with cheques, deposit, keep part, send the rest, and says plainly that a legitimate party 'will never ask you to do that'.
Worked example
Example only: you list a phone for ₦180,000. The buyer shows an alert for ₦230,000 and asks for a ₦50,000 refund. If the alert is fake, you lose the ₦50,000 you send. If the ₦230,000 was stolen money that is later reversed, you lose the ₦50,000 and the phone, and your account may be restricted while the bank investigates. Total possible loss: ₦50,000 + ₦180,000 = ₦230,000 in value, for a sale that never happened.
If you are ever overpaid by a real customer, the safe response is to ask your bank to reverse the whole transfer to its source, not to send a partial refund to a number the buyer gives you. See account restricted after receiving a scam transfer for why this matters.
Trick 2: 'my courier will collect'
The buyer says they are out of town or at work and will send a dispatch rider or logistics company to pick up the item. Variations:
- The rider arrives while the 'payment' is still 'processing', and the buyer begs you to release the item because the rider cannot wait.
- A 'courier company' emails or texts asking you to pay an insurance, clearance or 'upgrade' fee before it will collect, promising it will be added to the buyer's payment.
- The buyer sends a payment link that supposedly lets you 'receive' the money. Jiji's page advises avoiding payment links shared in chat.
A real buyer's courier does not need you to pay anything. If anyone asks you, the seller, to pay a fee to receive money, stop.
Trick 3: the fake credit alert
Fake alerts are text messages, edited screenshots or forged 'transfer successful' receipts made to look like a bank's. They often arrive at the same moment the buyer is standing in front of you. An SMS alert can be faked; your balance inside your banking app cannot. Our guides on spotting a fake credit alert and credit alert versus account balance go through the details.
How to sell safely
- Agree price and method in writing in the chat, so you have a record.
- Wait until the full amount shows in your account balance in your own app, opened yourself, not from a link.
- Do not hand over the item, or let a rider leave with it, until then. A buyer in a genuine hurry can pay earlier.
- Refuse overpayments. Ask for the exact amount, or have your bank reverse the transfer.
- Never pay a fee to receive money, and never click a 'receive payment' link.
- For in-person sales, meet in a busy public place in daylight and bring someone with you.
- Keep your own details private: no BVN, card details, PIN or one-time codes ever needed to receive a transfer.
If you are the one buying, see buying a phone or car on Jiji safely. If you lost money or goods, report quickly; see how to report fraud to the police and EFCC.
Where Pryme fits
Pryme customers can generate a verifiable receipt through our partner VerifyDoc.ai, and anyone can check that a verifiable receipt is genuine and unaltered, which is harder to fake than a screenshot; see receipts. It does not replace checking your own balance before you hand anything over.
Questions people ask
How do I know a buyer has really paid me?
Open your banking app yourself and check that the balance has increased by the full amount. Do not rely on an SMS, screenshot or receipt.
A buyer overpaid me and wants a refund. What should I do?
Do not send a partial refund. Ask your bank to reverse the whole transfer to its source, or decline it. Overpayment is a common scam.
Is it safe to let a dispatch rider collect before payment?
No. Release the item only once the money shows in your balance. A courier never needs the seller to pay a fee.
Can a buyer reverse a transfer after I send the item?
A bank can restrict or reverse funds if they came from fraud. That is why stolen-money payments and overpayment refunds are so risky for sellers.
Sources
- Jiji.ng FAQ: safety and Safe Deal · accessed Oct 2026
- FTC: Job scams (modified Aug 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- Templars: Freezing bank accounts in Nigeria (19 Nov 2025) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.