What is phishing? (and how sellers get tricked)
Phishing is a fake message that tries to make you share a password, code or payment, and sellers often meet it as a fake courier notice or a fake payment screenshot.
What phishing means
Phishing is when someone pretends to be a trusted sender to trick you into doing something harmful. The message might ask you to click a link, enter a password, share a code or send money. The person is not guessing your password; they are persuading you to hand it over.
It works because it arrives at a busy moment, looks official and creates a little panic.
How it shows up for sellers
Sellers deal with couriers, payments and customers all day, so the tricks are shaped around those.
- A message that says a parcel is on hold and asks you to pay a small fee or confirm details through a link.
- A message that claims to be from your courier or marketplace saying your account will be closed unless you log in now.
- A "customer" who says they paid and sends a screenshot, then asks you to ship before the money is visible, or to refund an amount they never paid.
- A call from someone claiming to be a bank or payment support asking for a code you just received.
- A buyer who asks you to scan a code or approve a request "to receive money". Receiving money never needs you to approve a payment.
None of these needs an example from real news. The pattern is always the same: hurry, trust, and an ask for something sensitive.
A sample
Imagine you get this message: "Your parcel is held. Pay Rs 25 now at this link to release it, or it will be returned."
Slow down and ask:
- Did I actually have a parcel in transit today? Check your own orders and tracking.
- Is the link the real address of the courier, or something that only looks similar?
- Would the courier really ask for a fee by message?
If you are unsure, do not click. Open the courier's app or website yourself by typing the address or using your saved bookmark, and check there.
A simple checklist
- Never share a code, PIN or password with anyone who contacts you first.
- Check the sender. A slightly odd number or a strange spelling is a warning.
- Do not trust screenshots as proof of payment. Check your actual account balance or the payment dashboard.
- Take a breath if a message pushes you to act within minutes.
- When in doubt, call the company using the number from their official site, not the one in the message.
If you clicked
Do not feel embarrassed. Act quickly.
- Change the password of any account you typed it into, and anywhere you reused it.
- Contact your bank or payment provider right away if money or a payment code was involved.
- Turn on a second step for logins, as in what two-step verification is.
- Warn anyone who helps you with the store.
Payment checks for your own orders
For orders on your own store, confirm payment on your store's order screen rather than a screenshot sent by a buyer. On WhatsApp orders, you can mark an order as paid only after you have actually seen the money, as covered in marking WhatsApp orders as already paid on UPI.
Where to start
Tell everyone who helps you the one rule: nobody asks for a code and nobody approves a payment to receive money. Then read what makes a strong password for your store admin to tighten the rest.