Selling your old MacBook safely, and the buyer scams to avoid

MacUpdated

To sell an old MacBook safely, wipe it first, take payment through a method you can check yourself, and don't post it until the money has cleared in your account. The scams aimed at sellers mostly involve payments that look real and aren't: fake confirmations, overpayments and reversed transfers.

Quick answer

Use a well-known marketplace with seller protections, keep the conversation and payment on the platform, and check your own bank or payment account rather than a message or screenshot. Never refund an "overpayment". Ship only once payment has cleared, with tracked delivery, and be wary of a prepaid label from the buyer. Report fraud to your bank and to Report Fraud.

What should you do before you list your MacBook?

Wipe it, so the buyer gets a clean Mac and none of your data. Apple's advice is to back up, then reset the Mac to factory settings with Erase All Content and Settings, which also turns off Find My and Activation Lock. The full steps are in how to wipe a MacBook before selling it. If the Mac has an AppleCare plan, Apple says you can cancel it or transfer it to the new owner. Sold it already without erasing? See removing a Mac from your Apple Account.

The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) adds a few checks before you erase anything:

  1. Make sure you have a backup of everything you want to keep.
  2. Know the logins for any accounts the Mac signs you into automatically, such as banking, shopping, email or social media.
  3. If you get verification codes by text on that device, make sure they work on another device first.

If you're asked whether to keep your personal files when erasing, the NCSC says not to choose that option when selling.

What scams target people selling a MacBook?

Get Safe Online's advice on selling online lists the scams aimed at sellers. The ones that matter most for a laptop sale:

  • Overpayment. The buyer pays, then says they accidentally sent too much and asks you to refund the difference. Get Safe Online says the original payment later turns out to be fake or reversed.
  • Off-platform payment. The buyer moves the chat to WhatsApp, email or text, then sends fake payment screenshots or links to phishing pages.
  • Shipping label tricks. The buyer sends you a prepaid label that routes the parcel somewhere else, then claims you shipped to the wrong address.
  • "Item not received" claims. The buyer gets the MacBook, then tells the platform it never arrived. Without proof of delivery, you can lose both the laptop and the money.
  • Stolen card purchases. The buyer pays with a stolen card. When the real cardholder disputes it, the payment is reversed.
  • Return swaps. The buyer swaps the item for something faulty or cheaper and returns that for a refund.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) describes the same patterns, including a fake payment notification sent in the hope you'll post the item before you realise, and a buyer who claims they paid you twice and asks for one payment back.

How do you spot a fake payment confirmation?

Don't trust the message. Check the account. A screenshot, an email that looks like it's from a payment service, or a link the buyer sends you all prove nothing on their own. Report Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre, lists fake order confirmation emails that steal login or payment details among the methods criminals use.

  1. Close the message. Don't click any link in it.
  2. Open your banking app or payment service yourself, the way you normally would.
  3. Look for the money there. If it isn't in your account, you haven't been paid.
  4. Get Safe Online's rule: don't ship items until payment has cleared in your account.

If you get a suspicious email, the NCSC asks you to forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.

What is an overpayment scam?

It's a payment for more than your asking price, followed by a request to send back the difference. The FTC explains why it works with cheques: by law, banks have to make deposited funds available quickly, so the money can show in your balance even when the cheque is fake. When it bounces, the bank takes the full amount back, and the money you refunded is gone.

The FTC's advice is plain: never deposit a cheque for more than the selling price. Get Safe Online goes further for UK sellers and says to avoid accepting cheques or money transfers from unknown services.

How should you take payment?

Get Safe Online's advice is to use well-known UK marketplaces and apps with buyer and seller protections, and secure payment options such as PayPal Goods & Services or bank transfers you can verify. It adds: never share your bank login details or payment card PINs.

The FTC notes that many sites recommend selling to a local buyer you can meet in person and accepting only cash, and, if you're not selling locally, checking what seller protections the site offers. It says not to accept a mobile payment from someone you don't know.

If you meet in person, Get Safe Online says to meet in a safe, public place rather than at home.

How do you post the MacBook safely?

  1. Wait until the payment has cleared in your account.
  2. Use a tracked delivery service, so you have proof of sending and receipt.
  3. Be wary of a prepaid label from the buyer. Get Safe Online warns these can route the parcel somewhere else.
  4. Keep copies of the messages, payment confirmations and delivery receipts. Get Safe Online says these help resolve disputes.
  5. Share as little personal information as you can, and use the platform's messaging system rather than giving out your phone number or email.

What should you do if you've been scammed?

Get Safe Online says to report a suspected scam to the selling platform, and if you've lost money, to tell your bank immediately: the faster you do, the more chance you have of recovering it.

Then report it. Report Fraud says to report fraud as a crime to Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040, or to Police Scotland in Scotland. In the US, the FTC takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Report Fraud also warns that fraudsters sometimes contact previous victims claiming they can recover the lost money. That's a second scam, and Report Fraud says to hang up on anyone who calls offering it.

Where Failshot fits

The old Mac is sold. The new one now holds your banking, email and accounts. Your password is the first layer. Failshot is the second: while it's on, it photographs whoever unlocks your Mac, then, with Pro, records a 5-second video. For macOS 14 or later. Free to download. It's free to use. Pro adds video, email alerts and the encrypted vault, and you can try Pro free for 7 days. Your card is taken at sign-up and charged on day 8 unless you cancel. The trial is on failshot.app, for the Mac.

More questions

Is it safe to accept bank transfer when selling a MacBook?

Get Safe Online suggests secure payment options such as bank transfers you can verify. Check that the money has arrived and cleared in your own account, not on a screenshot, before you hand over or post the MacBook.

Should I let a buyer send their own courier label?

Get Safe Online warns about prepaid labels that route the parcel somewhere else, after which the buyer claims you sent it to the wrong address. Its advice is to use a tracked delivery service, so you have proof of sending and receipt.

A buyer says they paid twice. What should I do?

Check your own account first. The FTC describes buyers who claim they paid twice and ask for one payment back as a scam. Get Safe Online says the original payment in overpayment scams later turns out to be fake or reversed.

Where do I report a scam buyer in the UK?

Report it to the selling platform, tell your bank if you've lost money, and report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, report it to Police Scotland. Forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.

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