$12.5B
FTC-reported fraud losses in 2024
FTC says consumers reported losing $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024.
textbook buyback scam targeting students
Fake textbook buyback services offer high prices for used textbooks, collect the books from students, and then never send payment or pay a fraction of the quoted price.
“student scam”
↑ 271%Key indicators
Usually targetsCollege students
Often hitsTech workers and developers
Common regionUnited States
Last updated2026-04-04
Estimated impact
$640
median reported loss
Typical range$40 – $4.0K
Recovery rate~15%
Scam breakdown
1
Scammers create professional-looking textbook buyback websites that quote above-market prices for used textbooks, advertising heavily on social media during finals week.
2
Students ship their textbooks at their own expense, expecting payment within days.
3
The scammer either never sends payment, claims the books arrived damaged, or pays a tiny fraction of the quoted price and becomes unreachable.
What to do first
Sell textbooks through established platforms like Amazon, Chegg, or your campus bookstore that have buyer protections.
Related terms
textbook resale fraudbook buyback scamfake textbook buyerStudent-targeted scamsWebsiteRisingCollege studentsTech workers and developersEducators and studentsOnline shoppersUnited StatesCanadatextbook resale fraudbook buyback scam
Real-world example
How this scam plays out in practice
Based on reported patterns. Names and details are illustrative.
The setup
Laura, 21, a college students, encountered what appeared to be a legitimate student-targeted scams situation while using Website. Scammers create professional-looking textbook buyback websites that quote above-market prices for used textbooks, advertising heavily on social media during finals week.
Step 2
What happened next was calculated: Students ship their textbooks at their own expense, expecting payment within days.
Step 3
The pressure escalated quickly: The scammer either never sends payment, claims the books arrived damaged, or pays a tiny fraction of the quoted price and becomes unreachable.
The outcome
Laura realized something was wrong when buyback site offers prices significantly higher than established platforms like amazon or chegg. By that point, significant damage had already been done — money sent, personal information shared, or trust exploited.
The lesson
Sell textbooks through established platforms like Amazon, Chegg, or your campus bookstore that have buyer protections. Laura's experience shows why buyback site offers prices significantly higher than established platforms like amazon or chegg and no physical address, phone number, or verifiable company information on the website are the clearest early warning signs.
How to identify it
- Buyback site offers prices significantly higher than established platforms like Amazon or Chegg
- No physical address, phone number, or verifiable company information on the website
- Payment is promised only after you ship your books, with no tracking or insurance
- Pause before paying, clicking, or sharing information. Scammers rely on speed.
- Verify the sender, company, or agency using a phone number or website you already know is legitimate.
- Treat secrecy, urgency, and off-platform payment requests as strong scam signals.
What to do now
- ✓Sell textbooks through established platforms like Amazon, Chegg, or your campus bookstore that have buyer protections.
- ✓Research any buyback site on the BBB and Trustpilot before shipping your books.
- ✓If you must use a new service, require payment before shipping or use a platform with escrow protection.
What to save before reporting
- ✓Save the message, profile, phone number, email, or URL that was used.
- ✓Keep payment confirmations, receipts, and account alerts before you dispute or delete anything.
- ✓Write down the timeline while the details are still fresh.
How big is this problem
You are not alone — this scam affects millions of people.
These numbers come from government agencies and official reports. If you have been affected, know that this is a widespread problem — not something that only happens to careless people.
FTC 2024 fraud losses
Imposters
Most common FTC fraud category in 2024
FTC says imposter scams remained the most commonly reported fraud category in 2024.
History and evolution
- This scam family tends to persist because the social-engineering pressure works even when the exact scripts, platforms, and payment methods change.
- The specific packaging evolves over time, but the core pattern usually stays the same: create urgency, control the channel, and push action before verification.
- The BBB Scam Tracker logged over 3,000 reports of textbook buyback scams in 2023, with students losing an average of 150 USD per incident.
Recovery and follow-up
- ✓Save the messages, receipts, account alerts, and transaction details before you block or delete anything.
- ✓Report the scam through the official platform or government channel that best matches where it happened.
- ✓Sell textbooks through established platforms like Amazon, Chegg, or your campus bookstore that have buyer protections.
- ✓Research any buyback site on the BBB and Trustpilot before shipping your books.
- ✓If you must use a new service, require payment before shipping or use a platform with escrow protection.
Why this pattern keeps working
Even when the story changes, most scams still use the same pressure pattern: urgency, authority, and a request to move money or data fast.
The BBB Scam Tracker logged over 3,000 reports of textbook buyback scams in 2023, with students losing an average of 150 USD per incident.
BBB Scam Tracker 2024
Where to report it
If you have been targeted by this scam, reporting it helps authorities track the pattern and protect others. United States has dedicated agencies that handle fraud reports.
ReportFraud.gov
Federal Trade Commission
Central U.S. consumer fraud reporting portal.
File an IC3 complaint
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
FBI portal for internet-enabled crime reports.
Start identity theft recovery
IdentityTheft.gov
Official U.S. identity theft recovery plan builder.
Explore further
Understand the bigger picture
Who is most at risk
Who this scam targets
Primary targets
College students
Geographic concentration
United States, Canada
Primary channel
Website — Student-targeted scams
Why this group is vulnerable
College students are particularly vulnerable because this scam exploits trust in familiar brands, authority figures, and time-sensitive decisions. The growing number of reports suggests that awareness among this demographic remains low.
Sources and methodology
How we verify this information
OpenScam tracks scam patterns using a combination of government consumer protection databases (FTC, IC3, Action Fraud), platform-specific fraud reports, and verified consumer complaint data. Each entry is cross-referenced against at least two independent sources before publication.
Severity ratings are based on financial impact potential, reversibility of damage, and volume of reports across multiple reporting channels. Trend velocity reflects the rate of change in report volume over the most recent 90-day window.
This page was last verified on 2026-04-04. Red flags, recovery steps, and reporting resources are reviewed quarterly against current agency guidance.
Evidence and indicators
- The BBB Scam Tracker logged over 3,000 reports of textbook buyback scams in 2023, with students losing an average of 150 USD per incident.
Source notes
- BBB Scam Tracker 2024
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about textbook buyback scam targeting students
How does the textbook buyback scam targeting students work?+
Scammers create professional-looking textbook buyback websites that quote above-market prices for used textbooks, advertising heavily on social media during finals week. Students ship their textbooks at their own expense, expecting payment within days. The scammer either never sends payment, claims the books arrived damaged, or pays a tiny fraction of the quoted price and becomes unreachable.
What are the warning signs of textbook buyback scam targeting students?+
Buyback site offers prices significantly higher than established platforms like Amazon or Chegg No physical address, phone number, or verifiable company information on the website Payment is promised only after you ship your books, with no tracking or insurance
What should I do if I encounter textbook buyback scam targeting students?+
Sell textbooks through established platforms like Amazon, Chegg, or your campus bookstore that have buyer protections. Research any buyback site on the BBB and Trustpilot before shipping your books. If you must use a new service, require payment before shipping or use a platform with escrow protection.
Who is most at risk for textbook buyback scam targeting students?+
This scam primarily targets College students. It is most commonly reported in United States, Canada and typically appears on Website.
Is textbook buyback scam targeting students on the rise?+
textbook buyback scam targeting students is currently on the rise with growing reports. It has been reported across US, CA. Last updated 2026-04-04.
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Help someone avoid this scam.
Scammers succeed because people do not talk about it. If you or someone you know has been affected, there is no shame in it — it happens to millions of people every year. Share this page with friends and family so they know what to look for.
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