The deposit-to-hold scam

How it works

You find a nice horse at a fair or slightly low price. The seller is friendly and quick to reply. They tell you other people are interested, but if you send a deposit today they will hold the horse for you. The moment the deposit lands, they stop answering, or they ask for a second payment before delivery, and then vanish.

The photos are often stolen from a real listing somewhere else, so the horse in the pictures is genuine, just not the scammer's to sell.

Red flags

• A deposit is required before you can see the horse in person or on a live video call.
• Urgency: the seller says the horse will be gone unless you send money now.
• Payment by wire, Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, or gift cards, with no willingness to use anything reversible.
• The seller avoids a video call, or the only footage is a short clip that could be from anywhere.

How to protect yourself

• Never send a deposit for a horse you have not seen live on video or in person.
• Ask the seller to hold up a sign with today's date next to the horse, or to do a short live call.
• Reverse image search the listing photos. If the same pictures appear on other listings under different names, walk away.
• Keep the conversation and payment on a traceable channel, and do not switch to a stranger's preferred app.