To buy a used phone in Bulgaria without getting scammed, keep the whole deal inside a platform with visible listing rules, meet in person in a busy place, inspect the handset before money changes hands, and never send a deposit to someone you have not met. Prepayment and fake payment links cause most losses in this category.
Bulgaria's second-hand phone market runs through classifieds sites, Facebook groups and Telegram channels, and the same handful of tricks turn up on all three. The pattern rarely changes: a price that sits below every comparable listing, a seller who cannot meet because they are "out of town", and a request to pay a courier, a deposit or a "reservation fee" before you ever hold the phone.
None of this means the market is unusable. Plenty of people in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas sell a phone they no longer need, and a careful buyer can get a good handset at a fair price. What separates a safe purchase from a loss is process, not luck. This guide covers the scam patterns, the warning signs in a listing and in the chat, what a safe meeting looks like, and what to do in the first hour after something goes wrong.
What are the most common used phone scams in Bulgaria?
The most common used phone scams are prepayment requests, fake courier and delivery schemes, fake payment confirmations, and impersonation of a relative or an agent. Each one depends on the same weakness: the buyer pays before seeing the device, and the seller disappears once the money lands.
Prepayment and the fake courier
The seller says the phone is in another city, offers to send it by courier, and asks for the price or a deposit by bank transfer or a money transfer service. Sometimes the story includes a courier who "needs" a fee paid directly to them. Once you pay, the number goes quiet. A real courier arrangement is paid to the courier company on delivery, not to a private individual in advance.
Fake payment links and screenshots
You get a link that looks like a payment page or an escrow service, usually sent through a messenger app. The page asks for card details, and the money leaves your account rather than arriving in it. A screenshot showing a "successful transfer" proves nothing: screenshots are easy to edit and easy to fake. Check your own banking app, not the other person's image.
Fake agents, fake owners and phishing in messengers
Someone claims to be selling on behalf of a friend or relative and pushes you to continue the conversation in a messenger app, where they send a link to "confirm" the deal. That link is a phishing page for your bank credentials. A genuine seller has no reason to move you off the platform's chat or to ask you to log in anywhere.
How do you spot a scammer in a phone listing?
You spot a scammer by reading the listing against the market and against the platform's own rules. Price, photos, location and the seller's willingness to meet in person tell you more than any single message. Treat a combination of warning signs as a stop signal, not as something to negotiate around.
Check these points before you write to anyone:
- The price is far below every other listing for the same model and storage size. Compare across several listings on EX & GO and on other sites before you decide it is a bargain.
- The photos look like stock images or catalogue shots, or the same photo appears in several different listings. Ask for a photo of the phone next to a piece of paper with today's date.
- The city is vague or changes between messages. A seller who lists Sofia and then says the phone is in another town is setting up a delivery story.
- The account is new, has no history, and the listing has no detail about the device's condition, battery or accessories.
- The seller pushes you to a messenger app immediately, before you have asked a single question about the phone.
- Payment is requested by transfer, deposit or a link before you have seen the handset.
- The listing breaks the platform's own posting rules. Report it rather than engaging with it.
Reading the rules of the site you are using is part of the check. EX & GO publishes its posting rules at /en/rules, and a listing that ignores them is a listing worth skipping.
Ask the seller to send a short video of the phone turning on, showing the settings screen with the model and storage, and the IMEI in the dialler. A scammer working from stolen photos cannot produce this, and a genuine seller can film it in under a minute.
What does a safe meeting and payment look like?
A safe meeting is in person, in daylight, in a busy public place, with the phone inspected and tested before any money is handed over. Cash on inspection is the simplest option. If you use a bank transfer, send it only after the phone is in your hand and the checks are done.
Choose a meeting point with people around and, ideally, cameras: a shopping centre, a busy cafe, a metro station entrance. Take someone with you. Avoid meeting at night, in a flat, or in a car park chosen by the seller.
At the meeting, work through the device itself rather than the seller's description:
- Check the IMEI in the dialler against the IMEI on the box and in the settings.
- Open the settings and confirm the model, storage size and battery health, if the phone reports it.
- Sign out of nothing on the seller's behalf, but confirm the phone is not locked to an account the seller cannot remove. A handset still tied to someone else's account is a problem you inherit.
- Test the screen, speakers, microphone, cameras and charging port. Bring a cable if the seller does not have one.
- Insert your own SIM card and make a call.
- Ask for the original receipt or proof of purchase if it exists, and note the seller's name and phone number.
- Pay only after all of the above. Get a short written confirmation of the sale in the chat, with the price and the IMEI.
If any step fails, walk away. There is no shortage of phones, and a seller who resists a basic check is telling you something useful.
How does in-site chat and seller history reduce the risk?
In-site chat and seller history reduce risk because they keep the conversation and the record in one place. A platform that shows a seller's listings, account age and reviews gives you something to judge before you commit, and a reporting route if the deal goes wrong.
On EX & GO you can search by city, radius and category, message sellers through the site, and see a seller's other listings from the same account. Moderation of listings exists, but moderation is not a guarantee of identity, ownership, item condition or transaction safety. Treat it as a filter against obvious junk, not as a background check.
Phone verification requirements depend on the platform's current configuration and the verification channels available at the time, so do not assume every seller or every phone number has been verified. What you can rely on is your own check of the account: how long it has existed, what else it lists, and whether the seller answers specific questions about the device in plain terms.
Where a platform offers an optional protected payment route on eligible listings, read its own terms before you use it. Such services carry their own payment conditions and do not cover every listing. You can find the current terms and support routes at /en/support.
What should you do right after a phone scam?
Right after a phone scam, stop all contact, call your bank, keep every piece of evidence, and report the listing and the account to the platform. Speed matters most with the bank, because a transfer that has not yet been collected can sometimes be recalled.
Work in this order:
- Stop messaging the seller. Do not send more money to "unlock" a refund, and do not accept a call from someone claiming to be from the platform or the bank.
- Call your bank's hotline immediately, describe the transaction as a suspected fraud, and ask whether the payment can be stopped or recalled. Do not wait for a branch visit.
- Keep the evidence: screenshots of the listing, the full chat, the payment confirmation, the phone number and any links you were sent. Save them somewhere you will not lose them.
- Report the listing and the account through the platform's reporting tools, and send the details to its support channel.
- If your card details were entered on a link the seller sent, ask the bank to block the card.
- Report the case to the police. The official portal is Ministry of Internal Affairs, where you can find the current contact routes for reporting.
- If you are unsure which consumer rules apply to your situation, check the official source at Consumer Protection Commission rather than relying on what a seller or a forum post tells you.
Do this even for a small amount. The record helps the platform act on the account, and it helps you if the bank asks for documentation later.
Which deal should you walk away from?
Walk away from any deal where money has to move before you see the phone, where the seller refuses a public meeting, or where the story changes between messages. Those three conditions cover most of the losses in this category, and none of them is worth the discount.
A simple rule works: if the seller needs your money more urgently than you need the phone, the deal is not for you. Genuine sellers answer questions, share a live photo, and meet in person. The ones who cannot are usually selling something other than a handset.
Before you start browsing, decide your price ceiling and the models you will accept. Then compare listings on EX & GO and elsewhere so you know what the market looks like. You can browse current phone listings here: used phones. If you are selling a phone yourself and want to avoid attracting the wrong buyers, the account and posting terms are set out in the platform's rules: used phones in Sofia.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to pay a deposit to reserve a used phone?
No. A deposit paid before you see the handset gives the seller your money with nothing in return, and it is the single most common request in prepayment scams. If a seller insists on a deposit, offer to meet in person instead. A genuine seller who wants to hold the phone for you will usually accept a short window without payment. If they refuse a meeting and keep pushing for a transfer, end the conversation and report the listing.
How can I tell whether a used phone is stolen or locked?
Check the IMEI in the dialler against the box and the settings, and confirm the phone is not tied to an account the seller cannot remove. Ask for the original receipt if it exists. At the meeting, insert your own SIM card and make a call. If the seller avoids these checks, or the phone is still signed in to someone else's account, do not buy it. For any official rules on the device, check the relevant official source rather than a forum post.
What should I do if I already sent money to a seller who stopped replying?
Call your bank first and describe the payment as suspected fraud, then keep every screenshot of the listing, the chat and the payment confirmation. Report the listing and the account to the platform through its reporting tools. Report the case to the police through the official portal. Do not send more money to anyone promising to recover the first payment, and do not enter your card details on any link the seller sent you.
Your next step
Pick one platform you trust, read its posting rules before you browse, and set your own rule now: no payment before the phone is in your hand. Then compare a few listings, ask for a live photo with today's date, and arrange a daytime meeting in a busy place. If a seller pushes back on any of that, close the chat and move to the next listing.