Bazoš and Aukro Scam Prevention: How to Avoid Marketplace Fraud in the Czech Republic

Bazoš is the Czech Republic's most popular classified ads platform — the local equivalent of Craigslist. Aukro, modeled after eBay, is the go-to auction and fixed-price marketplace. Together, these two platforms handle millions of transactions every year. And together, they are the primary hunting ground for scammers targeting Czech online shoppers and sellers.

Policie ČR reports thousands of marketplace fraud complaints annually, with the average victim losing between 5,000 and 30,000 CZK. Here is how these scams work and how to avoid becoming a statistic.

How Bazoš Scams Work

Bazoš has almost no built-in buyer or seller protection. There is no escrow system, no identity verification, and no integrated payment processing. Buyers and sellers communicate directly and arrange payment themselves. This simplicity is both its appeal and its biggest vulnerability.

1. The Fake Buyer Overpayment Scam

You list an item on Bazoš. A buyer contacts you immediately, agrees to your price without negotiation, and says they will send payment via bank transfer. They then send you a fake payment confirmation screenshot and ask you to ship the item. By the time you realize the transfer never arrived, the item is gone.

Variation: The buyer "accidentally" sends too much money and asks you to refund the difference. The original payment is either fake or reversed.

2. Off-Platform Payment Links

A buyer or seller suggests using a "secure payment service" and sends you a link. The page mimics a banking or payment platform and asks for your card details or internet banking credentials. This is pure phishing — the payment service does not exist.

3. The Shipping Deposit Scam

A buyer claims they want to purchase your item but asks you to pay a small "shipping insurance deposit" first, promising it will be refunded. They send you a link to a fake courier service page. You pay the deposit, and the buyer disappears.

4. Too-Good-To-Be-True Listings

A seller lists high-value electronics, furniture, or vehicles at suspiciously low prices. They insist on advance payment via bank transfer, claiming they are out of town or abroad. Once you transfer the money, the listing vanishes along with the seller.

How Aukro Scams Work

Aukro offers more buyer protection than Bazoš, but scammers have found ways around it.

1. Moving Communication Off-Platform

A seller contacts you outside Aukro's messaging system — via email, WhatsApp, or phone — and offers a better price if you pay directly by bank transfer instead of through Aukro's checkout. This bypasses Aukro's buyer protection entirely.

2. Fake Product Listings

Scammers list brand-name electronics they do not actually have. Photos are stolen from legitimate listings. After payment, you either receive nothing, a cheap counterfeit, or an empty box.

3. Account Takeover Fraud

Scammers compromise legitimate Aukro accounts with good feedback ratings and use them to create fraudulent listings. The buyer trusts the seller's history, pays, and never receives the item.

Czech Marketplace Scam Red Flags

Warning Sign	What It Means
Buyer agrees to price instantly, no questions	Likely a scam — real buyers ask questions
Request to pay outside the platform	Bypasses any buyer/seller protection
Fake payment confirmation screenshots	Always verify in your actual bank account
Seller insists on advance bank transfer only	No recourse if they do not deliver
Price significantly below market value	If it seems too good, it is
Seller or buyer is abroad or "traveling"	Common excuse to avoid in-person meetups
Pressure to complete the transaction quickly	Scammers want you to skip verification

Safety Checklist for Bazoš and Aukro

1. Meet in person whenever possible — For Bazoš especially, face-to-face exchange is the safest method. Meet in a public place.
2. Never ship before confirming payment in your bank account — Screenshots can be faked. Check your actual account balance.
3. Stay on the platform's messaging system — If a buyer or seller wants to move to WhatsApp or email, that is a red flag.
4. Use Aukro's built-in payment system when available — it provides some level of buyer protection.
5. Reverse image search product photos — If the same photos appear in listings across multiple countries, the listing is fake.
6. Check the seller's history and registration date — New accounts with no history selling high-value items are suspicious.
7. Never pay "deposits" or "shipping insurance" to a buyer — That is not how legitimate transactions work.
8. For high-value items, use a na dobírku (cash on delivery) option through a verified courier.

What to Do If You Got Scammed

1. Contact your bank immediately — If you paid by bank transfer, ask about a recall. Speed matters.
2. File a police report at your local Policie ČR station or online.
3. Report the listing to Bazoš (bazoš.cz) or Aukro (aukro.cz) support.
4. Save all communication — Screenshots of messages, payment confirmations, and the listing itself.
5. Warn others — Post in Czech marketplace safety groups on Facebook so others do not fall for the same scammer.

Share Payment Details Without Leaving a Trail

When you do need to share your bank account number or payment instructions with a legitimate buyer or seller, avoid pasting them in plain text in a chat that lives forever. Use LOCK.PUB to create a password-protected link with an expiration. Share the link and password separately. Once the recipient views your details, the link expires — no permanent record in anyone's chat history.

The Bottom Line

Bazoš and Aukro are useful platforms, but their open nature makes them easy targets for fraud. The golden rule is simple: never ship before your bank account shows the actual payment, and never pay for an item you cannot inspect. If a deal feels too convenient, too fast, or too cheap, it almost certainly is.

For sharing any sensitive transaction details, use LOCK.PUB — free, encrypted, and self-destructing.