[jayrobin]

Happened to me the other day. I got a weird feeling when they responded with a long message within seconds of me messaging (maybe it’s partially automated?), then when they wanted to pay upfront with Zelle and asked for my email I knew it was a scam.

At that point they’d send you a fake Zelle/Venmo phishing email, saying you need to upgrade to a business account, or “login” and do something else to accept the payment.

[Symbiote]

It's helpful being outside the USA. Many scammers are easier to spot.

Profile pictures are obviously American, and often show more breast than face.

Instant replies.

Quickly ask for an unusual payment method which no local would use.

Write in the local language (machine translated) and don't switch to English if I write in English.