Leboncoin scam: what to do and how to keep proof

What to capture on Leboncoin

Why Leboncoin evidence disappears so fast

Leboncoin moderates actively. When an ad or account is reported, or when the scammer has collected enough money, the ad is withdrawn and the profile closed. The link you saved then shows only an error page. Scammers also edit ads themselves: the price, the photos or the location can change between the day you answered and the day you file a complaint.

Phishing pages imitating Leboncoin, a courier or a bank are usually hosted on short-lived domains. They are often taken down within days, sometimes hours. If you do not keep a copy, you will only be able to describe them.

The most common Leboncoin scams

• Fake payment link (seller side): a “buyer” asks you to click a link to receive the money through “paiement sécurisé” or to arrange delivery, and the page asks for your card details or a bank code.
• Fake rental or holiday rental: an attractive flat or holiday home, a landlord “abroad”, and a request for a deposit or the first rent before any visit.
• Vehicle scam: a car below market price, a seller who cannot meet, and a transport or “escrow” company that asks for payment first.
• Advance payment for goods: you pay by transfer, cash voucher or payment app outside Leboncoin and never receive the item.
• QR codes or verification codes: the other party sends a QR code or asks for an SMS code you just received, which is used to take over your account or approve a payment.

What they share: the scammer tries to move you away from the Leboncoin messagerie and from its secure payment, because the platform’s own protection and records only work inside it. Leboncoin itself warns not to scan QR codes received in the messagerie and lists its only official email domains as leboncoin.fr, news.leboncoin.fr and messagerie.leboncoin.fr.

The first hour: what to do, in order

1. If you entered card details or a code on a suspicious page, call your bank and block the card (opposition) now. Every minute counts.
2. Capture the ad and the public profile from their URLs before reporting anything.
3. Capture the whole Leboncoin conversation from your own logged-in browser, and export or capture any WhatsApp, SMS or email exchange.
4. Save the URL of any fake payment or delivery page and capture it without entering data.
5. Change your Leboncoin password and your email password if you typed them anywhere, and check your account for listings or messages you did not create.
6. Only then report the ad and the user to Leboncoin, and file a complaint.

Capturing the ad and the profile

The annonce and the public member profile are visible without logging in, so they can be captured from their URL. A proper capture keeps what a screenshot cannot: the exact URL, the full page including the part below the fold, the underlying HTML and the time the page was retrieved.

• Copy the ad URL from the address bar; it contains the ad’s identifier, which Leboncoin and the police can use.
• Capture the whole ad page, including all photos and the full description.
• Capture the profile page with ratings and the member’s other ads.
• If several ads use the same photos or wording, capture them too; it helps show an organised scam.

With GetProofAnchor you paste the URL and the page is captured on our server: full-page screenshot, HTML, network log, SHA-256 hashes, an eIDAS qualified timestamp and a Bitcoin anchor, packed into an Evidence ZIP anyone can verify. If you just need it done fast, we can capture the public URLs for you.

Assisted Capture: we capture the ad for you within 60 minutes →

Capturing the messagerie and the payment trail

The Leboncoin messagerie is only visible when you are logged in, so no outside service can capture it from a URL. You need a capture made from your own browser, of your own account.

• Scroll to the very beginning of the conversation so the whole thread is loaded, including dates.
• Make sure the other party’s pseudonym and the linked ad are visible.
• Keep your order or transaction page if you used paiement sécurisé, with its status and dates.
• Download bank statements and keep transfer receipts, the IBAN or phone number you were given, and any SMS from your bank.

How the browser widget captures logged-in pages such as a Leboncoin chat →

Paiement sécurisé: what it covers and the deadlines

Leboncoin’s paiement sécurisé (also called transaction sécurisée) holds the buyer’s money until the item is received. It only protects transactions made inside Leboncoin. A payment by transfer, voucher or third-party app outside the platform is not covered, and a link sent by a buyer or seller is never part of it.

• Non-delivery: according to Leboncoin’s help centre, the buyer has 30 days after the shipment is confirmed to report that the parcel did not arrive.
• Item not as described or damaged (private seller): the buyer has 3 days after confirming receipt to report the problem.
• After a problem is reported, there is a 7-day period to find an amicable solution with the seller before Leboncoin can step in.
• Automatic refund if the seller does not confirm availability within 48 hours or does not ship within 6 days of confirming.

Deadlines can change, so check the current rules in the Leboncoin help centre on the day you act. Whatever the deadline, capture the transaction page and the conversation before you open a dispute.

Where to report in France

Leboncoin and your bank

Report the ad and the user through the report button, and contact Leboncoin support with the ad URL, the sender’s email address and any fraudulent link. If money left your account, contact your bank immediately: block the card, dispute unauthorised card payments and ask whether a transfer can be recalled.

Police complaint and THESEE

For classified-ad scams (fake seller, fake buyer, fake rental ad) an adult victim can file a complaint online through THESEE, the Interior Ministry’s service for internet scams, via service-public.fr. You log in with FranceConnect; people who cannot use it, such as foreign visitors, can use a Service Public account. You do not even need to have paid, it is enough that money was requested. Otherwise, file at any commissariat or gendarmerie brigade.

• PHAROS (internet-signalement.gouv.fr) for illegal content online, such as a phishing page.
• 17Cyber on cybermalveillance.gouv.fr for help if your accounts or devices were compromised.
• SignalConso (signal.conso.gouv.fr) if the seller was a professional.

Dealing with a French seller from abroad

Many victims are not French: tourists booking a holiday rental, buyers from Belgium, Germany or Czechia hunting for a car. The same order applies. Capture the ad, the profile and the conversation, then report to Leboncoin and your bank. THESEE accepts complaints from people of any nationality, and you can also report to the police in your own country, attaching the same evidence.

Language barriers make screenshots even weaker: a French-speaking investigator has to trust your cropped images. A capture with the original page, its source code and a verifiable timestamp can be read and checked by anyone, in any country, without relying on your word.

Screenshot or forensic capture?

A screenshot is a picture of a page. It has no URL you can prove, no source code and no reliable time, and editing one takes minutes. For a small dispute it may be enough; for a police complaint, a bank dispute or a civil claim, a stronger record is worth the few minutes it takes.

A forensic capture records the full page, its HTML and network traffic, fixes everything with SHA-256 hashes and seals it with an eIDAS qualified timestamp and a Bitcoin anchor. The Evidence ZIP can be verified offline or on our verify page. No tool guarantees that a court will accept it, but it is far harder to challenge than an image.

Starter pack: 3 forensic proofs for 9 €, no subscription →

Frequently asked questions

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Leboncoin rules and French procedures can change, so check the platform’s help centre and official sites before relying on a deadline.