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MEDIUM RISK💻 Online

Is Sahibinden Safe? Fake Listings & How to Buy Without Getting Burned

sahibinden.com itself is Turkey's biggest legitimate marketplace — the danger is individual scammers on it. The classic patterns: fake property or product listings built from stolen photos, deposits requested by bank transfer (EFT/IBAN) before any viewing, and fake 'Param Güvende' payment links sent over WhatsApp that lead to cloned sites. The platform's real protections are strong when you actually use them: Param Güvende holds your card payment in escrow at a payment institution and only releases it to the seller after you receive and approve the item (2-day inspection window from individual sellers, 14 days from stores), and since 1 February 2026 all for-sale property listings legally require EİDS authority verification through e-Devlet, tied to the actual title deed.

🚩 Red flags

⚠Seller pushes you off-platform to WhatsApp immediately
⚠Any request to pay by EFT/bank transfer to an IBAN — Param Güvende works ONLY by card, on the site itself
⚠A 'Param Güvende link' sent to you in chat — the real flow starts from the listing page, never from a link someone sends
⚠Payment or deposit requested before viewing a property
⚠Property listing without EİDS/e-Devlet authority verification (mandatory for sale listings since Feb 2026)
⚠Price 30-50% below market, brand-new account, photos that reverse-image-search elsewhere

🛡️ How to protect yourself

✓Pay through Param Güvende on sahibinden.com itself — card only, money held until you approve delivery
✓Got a payment link in chat? Ask for the listing number and find it on the site/app yourself before paying anything
✓For property: verify the listing carries EİDS authority verification, and check the seller's kimlik against the TAPU at viewing
✓Never send deposits before an in-person viewing — no exceptions, however good the story
✓Use the inspection window: check the item properly before approving release of your money
✓Report suspicious listings to sahibinden and keep all chat/transfer records if something goes wrong
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If you're in trouble right now
Call 155 (Tourism Police — English-speaking officers in Istanbul, Sultanahmet office). For non-tourist-area emergencies, dial 112. Document everything before you confront anyone.

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This is not legal advice. Last reviewed: May 19, 2026. Patterns and red flags above are observed in real expat reports compiled by SettleIn. If you have a story we should know about, write to us via the chat.

Made in Istanbul · This is not legal advice