Buying and selling safely on Pasaran
Most trades on Pasaran are straightforward. The ones that go wrong nearly always follow the same handful of patterns — and they are easy to spot once you know them. This page covers the habits that keep you safe, the warning signs worth walking away from, how we review what gets listed, and what happens when you report something.
Last reviewed August 2026
How to transact safely
Five habits that prevent almost every problem we see.
Keep the conversation and the payment on Pasaran
Everything you agree in Pasaran messages is visible to a moderator if a dispute is opened. A WhatsApp conversation is not, and a cash handover leaves no record at all.
See the item, or use a protected checkout
For anything under a few million rupiah, checkout with buyer protection is the simplest safeguard. For property and vehicles, view in person before any money moves.
Check the seller before the item
Open their verification page. An account verified against a government ID, trading for two years, with a reply record, is a different proposition to a week-old account.
Use an independent professional for big purchases
For land and leases, instruct your own notary — never the seller’s. For vehicles, pay for an inspection from someone the seller did not choose.
Never send a deposit to secure a viewing
No legitimate agency in Bali asks for money before you have seen a property. This is the single most common property scam on the island.
The one rule that matters most
Red flags
If you see two or more of these together, stop and report the listing.
Pressure to move off Pasaran immediately
“Message me on WhatsApp, it’s easier” in the first reply, before any details are discussed, is the opening move of most scams.
A price far below everything comparable
A villa in Berawa at half the going rate is not a bargain that everyone else missed. Check three or four comparable listings before you get excited.
Deposit requested to a personal bank account
Transfers to an individual’s BCA or Mandiri account are unrecoverable. A registered agency invoices from a company account, and Pasaran checkout never asks for a transfer to a person.
The seller is “abroad” and cannot show you the item
A courier will “deliver on payment”, or a friend will “hand over the keys”. Neither exists. Insist on a video call from the property or with the item in hand.
Documents that never quite arrive
Certificate photos are blurred, the IMB is “with the notary”, the BPKB is “being renewed”. Real documents can be shown on a video call within a day.
Stock photographs and no original images
If a reverse image search finds the same photos on a hotel site, the listing is not real. Ask for a photo taken today with something specific in shot.
Scammers rely on urgency. “Another buyer is viewing tomorrow”, “the price goes up on Friday”, “I need the deposit today to hold it” — any pressure to decide faster than you are comfortable with is itself a warning sign, whatever else looks fine.
You lose nothing by slowing down. A genuine seller with a genuine property will still be there next week, and will not mind you checking the paperwork first.
Our review process
What happens to a listing between someone pressing publish and you seeing it.
- 1
Automatic checks at submission
Every new listing is screened for duplicate photographs, prohibited categories, contact details hidden in the description, and prices that fall far outside the range for that category and area.
- 2
Human review where it matters
Property, vehicles and anything flagged by the automatic checks is read by a moderator before it goes live. Most decisions are made within four working hours.
- 3
Document verification on request
Sellers can submit certificates, IMB paperwork or a BPKB for checking. Verified facts appear on the listing with the level of proof stated — and unverified claims are labelled as such.
- 4
Continuous monitoring
Reports, message patterns and payment behaviour are reviewed continuously. Accounts can be suspended after they go live, not only at signup.
We are deliberately honest about the limits of this. Reviewing a listing tells us whether it is plausible and whether the documents shown match the claims made. It cannot tell us whether the seller will behave well, or whether a lease will be extended in fifteen years.
That is why the verification labels on a listing state the level of proof behind each fact — verified, document uploaded, under review, seller provided, or not provided — rather than presenting everything as equally certain.
How to report
Reports are the main way we find the accounts that automatic checks miss.
- 1
Use the report link on the listing or profile
Every listing and every account has a report link. Choosing the right category sends it straight to the moderators who handle that type of problem.
- 2
Describe what actually happened
Dates, amounts, and what was said. A screenshot of the message asking for an off-platform transfer is worth more than a paragraph of description.
- 3
We review, usually within a working day
Outcomes range from an edit request through to removing the listing, suspending the account, and passing information to the police where there is evidence of fraud.
- 4
You hear back by email
We tell you that action was taken. We cannot tell you what happened to someone else’s account — that would breach their privacy, and would tell scammers how we work.
Reports are anonymous
Common questions
Related pages
- Buyer protectionWhat is covered, what is not, and how to open a claim.
- Seller protectionPayout timing, chargebacks and what to keep as evidence.
- Community guidelinesThe behaviour we expect from everyone on Pasaran.
- Prohibited itemsWhat may never be listed, and why.
Seen something that needs attention right now? Use the report link on the listing or account, or contact support from your account for anything urgent.