Updated August 2026
The camera advertised at half price, the Facebook page with thousands of followers, the seller who only accepts advance payment — Nepal’s online shopping scams follow a small number of repeatable patterns. Learn the patterns and you become uninteresting to scammers. Here is how to spot an online scam in Nepal before it costs you.
The core patterns
1. The impossible price
The pattern: a NPR 80,000 camera advertised at NPR 40,000. A flagship phone at half market rate. Branded earbuds for a fifth of their price.
Why it works: the discount overrides judgement. People convince themselves of an explanation — clearance stock, customs seizure, an urgent seller.
The check: apply the price sanity test used throughout this site. A price far below every legitimate seller is information, not opportunity. It means counterfeit, stolen, non-existent, or a scam.
2. Advance payment only
The pattern: the seller insists on full payment via eSewa, Khalti or bank transfer before dispatch. Often with a reason — “we’ve been cheated by fake orders”, “the courier requires it”.
Why it works: urgency plus a plausible-sounding justification.
The check: cash on delivery, always, for any seller you do not know. A legitimate seller in Nepal accepts COD or works through a platform with buyer protection. Refusal is the scam.
3. The cloned or fake page
The pattern: a Facebook page that looks like an established shop — sometimes a direct clone of a real one, sometimes fabricated with AI-generated content.
The checks:
- Page transparency → creation date. A page created three weeks ago selling expensive electronics is a warning.
- Post history — genuine shops have months of ordinary posts, not just product ads.
- Comments — are they disabled? Are complaints being deleted?
- Reverse image search the product photos — stolen photos are standard.
- Phone number — call it. Scam pages often have numbers that never answer.
4. The pressure close
The pattern: “only two left”, “offer ends in one hour”, “another customer is asking”.
Why it works: urgency prevents verification.
The check: any legitimate purchase survives a ten-minute delay. Say you will confirm shortly, then run the other checks. Pressure to decide immediately is diagnostic.
5. The delivery-fee scam
The pattern: you receive a message saying a parcel is held and a small fee must be paid via a link. The link harvests your card or wallet credentials.
The check: never pay a delivery fee via a link in a message. Contact the courier directly through their official number.
The four checks that stop nearly everything
- Cash on delivery, for any seller you do not know
- Check the page’s creation date and post history
- Apply the price sanity test — impossible prices are impossible
- Never share OTPs, and never install screen-sharing apps — the rules that protect your wallet apply here too
Buying on platforms
Platforms like Daraz offer meaningful protection if used properly — official stores, COD, disputes raised through the platform. Our Daraz guide covers the specifics.
The critical rule: if a seller asks you to complete the transaction outside the platform — direct eSewa payment, a WhatsApp deal — that is a scam, without exception. The request itself is the evidence.
If it has already happened
- Contact your bank or wallet immediately — speed matters most for recovery
- Report to Nepal Police Cyber Bureau
- Preserve everything — screenshots of the page, chat, payment confirmation
- Report the page to the platform
- Tell people. Silence protects scammers; sharing protects your community
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a Facebook shop is genuine? Check the page creation date and post history, look for enabled comments with real customer interaction, reverse image search the photos, and insist on cash on delivery.
Is cash on delivery always safe? It protects your money far better than advance payment. Open the package on delivery where policy allows, so you can refuse the wrong item.
What if the seller says COD is not available? For an unknown seller, walk away. That refusal is the most reliable scam signal there is.
Are scams on Daraz possible? From unrated marketplace sellers, yes. Buy from official stores and use COD — see our Daraz guide.
Can I get my money back? Sometimes, if you report immediately to your bank or wallet. Delay reduces the chance sharply.
The bottom line
Online shopping scams in Nepal rely on impossible prices, advance payment and urgency. Cash on delivery, a page-age check, the price sanity test and never sharing OTPs defeat almost all of them. And remember the simplest rule: any seller who refuses COD or pushes you to pay outside a platform has already told you what they are.