PromptPay has made selling online much easier. The buyer scans a QR code, transfers the money and sends you the slip. Many shops see the slip and pack the order straight away.

The problem is that a slip is only a picture, and pictures can be edited, faked or reused. This guide covers how to spot a suspicious slip, and the one habit that matters more than any of them: check your banking app every time, before you send anything.

Why a slip can’t be fully trusted

The slip a buyer sends you is a screenshot, not money. Common tricks include:

  • Edited slips. The amount, name or time is changed in a photo editor, or the whole slip is made with a tool that produces realistic-looking fakes.
  • Real slips, reused. The transfer did happen, but it’s an old one, or the same slip has been sent to several shops.
  • Screens that aren’t a finished transfer, such as the confirmation step before the transfer is sent, or a scheduled transfer.
  • A real transfer to someone else. Everything on the slip is genuine, except the recipient isn’t you.

So even the most convincing slip can still be fake.

Warning signs worth a second look

These signs help you stay alert, but they don’t prove anything either way. A slip with no warning signs still doesn’t mean the money arrived.

  • Odd text or numbers: uneven sizes, digits out of line, or a font that differs from the rest.
  • The amount doesn’t match, even by a little.
  • The time doesn’t fit the story: earlier than the order was placed, or several days old.
  • The recipient name isn’t your account name.
  • The image is cropped or blurry so that parts can’t be read.
  • The buyer is in a big hurry: “Paid, send it now, I’m in a rush”, especially with a large order from someone new.
  • They say they paid too much and ask you to send back the difference. Never send money back until you see the full amount in your account.

The one sure check: your banking app

However real a slip looks, do this every time before you ship:

  1. Open your banking app and look at incoming transactions on the account your PromptPay is registered to.
  2. Check the amount matches the order exactly.
  3. Check the time is close to when the buyer ordered and sent the slip.
  4. Check you haven’t already matched this transaction to another order.

Small habits that help a lot:

  • Turn on incoming-money notifications in your banking app, so you know right away without waiting for a slip.
  • Check in rounds when you’re busy, say every two hours, and tell buyers plainly how soon you confirm payments.
  • Some banking apps can check a slip by scanning the QR code on it. That’s a useful extra, but still look at the incoming transactions in your own account.
  • Don’t tap links from strangers that claim to “verify slips”.

How it works in a Tellsell shop

Tellsell’s payments were designed from the start on the idea that a slip is a reference, not proof.

  • The QR code has the amount filled in. Buyers don’t type it themselves, so the money in your account should match the order exactly. The payment page also shows the order number for the buyer to add as a transfer note.
  • Money goes straight to your account, not through anyone else.
  • Slips are stored privately. Only your shop can see them.
  • You’re alerted to every order: by email on every plan, with instant LINE alerts on paid plans up to a monthly allowance, and always under the Orders button.
  • You check your banking app, then tap Paid, and later Shipped when the order goes out.
  • Orders with a slip never cancel on their own, because the buyer may really have paid. You get a reminder email each day until you tap Paid or Cancel. Unpaid orders with no slip cancel automatically after 24 hours (you can change this), and their stock comes back.

Tellsell deliberately doesn’t let AI read slips and confirm payments for you, because fake slips are made to fool the eye. Card and wallet payments through Payso, which confirm payment automatically, are coming later.

If you receive a fake slip

  • Don’t ship, and cancel the order.
  • Keep the evidence: the chat, the slip, the order details and the phone number the buyer gave.
  • Tell your bank and report it to the police. Thailand has official channels for reporting online fraud; check the Royal Thai Police’s official website for the current way to file a report.

In short

A slip only tells you the buyer says they paid. Your banking app tells you whether the money really arrived. Make opening your banking app a habit before every shipment, and taking payments online becomes much safer. To see how Tellsell handles payments and orders from start to finish, see how Tellsell works.