The buyer insists on their own escrow service

If a buyer insists on a particular escrow company you've never heard of, assume the buyer runs it. Escrow.com says plainly that "the person recommending a fraudulent escrow site is usually a participant in the scam" (Escrow.com).

What it looks like

An offer to buy something valuable: your domain, your app or browser extension, your channel, your side project. The price is good. The buyer is careful and says they'd only feel comfortable using an escrow service, and names one. The site looks professional. Soon it tells you, by email or on its dashboard, that the buyer's money has arrived and it's safe to hand over the asset.

How the scam works

Escrow.com lays out the usual sequence:

1. The buyer recommends a fraudulent escrow site to the seller.
2. The fake escrow site tells the seller it has received the money.
3. The seller thinks the money is secure, and ships the goods or transfers the asset.
4. The buyer takes the asset and the seller is never paid.

With digital assets the last step is instant: once a domain or account is transferred, it's gone.

Red flags

• The buyer chooses the escrow company, and won't use one you pick.
• The escrow site is new, unfamiliar, or impossible to reach by phone.
• You're told funds are held, but the only proof is the escrow site's own email or dashboard.
• Pressure to transfer before you can verify anything independently.

What to do

1. Pick the escrow service yourself, and choose an established, licensed one. Reach it by typing its address, not through a link the buyer sent.
2. Confirm funds are held by calling the escrow company on a number you found yourself.
3. Don't transfer the asset until your own verification is done. A real buyer will wait.
4. Check when the escrow site's domain was registered. Escrow.com notes fake sites claim years of history on a domain that's days old. The scam checker flags "use my escrow" and "transfer first" messages.

Questions people ask

The escrow website looks legitimate. How can I tell?

A good-looking website proves nothing. Escrow.com's own advice is never to assume a company with a website is legitimate. It also suggests contacting the licensing authority the site lists to confirm the company is registered, and reaching it through contact details you found independently.

The buyer says their company policy requires this escrow. Is that normal?

Insisting on one unknown escrow is the pattern itself. A real buyer can accept an established service you both trust.

Can I check the offer before replying?

Paste it into the free scam checker. It flags buyer-chosen escrow and asset-before-payment requests.