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Facebook Marketplace, like the social media platform itself, has become a bustling hub of activity. With 1.1 billion reported visitors, it’s arguably one of the largest online resale commerce sites in the world. This is great news for furniture flippers, sustainability enthusiasts, or anyone looking for a deal. However, the amount of traffic is also a huge draw for online criminals.
By now we’re wary of Facebook ads and other third-party communication across the site, including the proprietary Facebook Marketplace, and it can be easy to fall for a fraudulent transaction.
Facebook Marketplace scammers are on both sides of the platform as fake sellers and fake buyers, along with those looking to steal your identity. So how can you tap into the benefits of Facebook Marketplace without being scammed?
Facebook Marketplace can be a safe and effective way to find goods or services you’ve been looking for in other markets. For people on a budget moving to a new city, it’s a way to furnish an entire apartment without breaking the bank. Furniture flippers and vintage collectors are also huge fans of the platform.
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, knows it attracts scammers along with legitimate Facebook users, which is why they have so much information available on safety. Verified badges on profiles are one way this online marketplace is battling fraud. Another is the shopping safety guide that outlines best practices. There you can find information about responsible commerce, scams, purchase protection, and how ratings work.
Ready to start buying and selling? The first step is reading through the responsibility guide. Follow this up with the purchase protections or seller protections pages for a sound foundation. This will set you up to be able to spot new scams and keep you from becoming a victim.
Scammers prey on your emotions to make you think you’ll be missing out on a great sale or amazing deal if you don’t follow through on their rules. This emotional response is the basis of social engineering attacks, and they rely on you acting quickly rather than taking time to investigate. If you encounter any of these while buying or selling, it’s best to abandon the transaction:
Because of the nature of the platform, scams are targeted at both buyers and sellers. These can include scams to steal your products or services, get you to pay for fraudulent products or services, or even identity theft. Read on so you can identify the most common scams and avoid becoming a victim.
Have you received a message telling you about the new Macbook you just won? Maybe a link to a “survey” that will get you a gift card to a store you love? These are ways to gather your personal information or gain access to your device to install malware. Be cautious of anything that directs you outside of the Facebook platform.
Fraudsters will advertise what you’re looking for at a great price. When you inquire about the product, it’s suddenly “unavailable” but a higher-priced product is offered as a replacement.
This is a pretty common trick that’s still in use. Scammers will ask you to purchase a gift card to send in lieu of meeting in person to exchange a product for payment. Since it’s impossible to protect a gift card, you’re scammed out of the money you spent and never receive the product or service you were trying to purchase.
Selling counterfeit items is a business all on its own. If you’re looking for the real deal, the most expensive brands come with a certificate or a stamp of authenticity.
For example, designer bags come with a certificate of authenticity. Jewelry has model numbers and engravings or the company name stamped. Niche jewelry designers like Lionette stamp all their pieces with their company names. Ask to see the proof of authenticity before paying.
This scam is big with electronics. Make sure you can make the product work the way it’s supposed to before paying. Either agree to meet somewhere you can plug the item in and test it, or ask for a video showing the working product. For Apple products, you can ask for the serial number or IMEI and verify with Apple support that this product is registered to the person selling it.
People will list a property for rent that isn’t theirs. If you want to rent, double-check with a trusted source that this property is legit. Most rentals are cross-listed. This means you’ll find them on Airbnb, Vrbo, or similar websites.
When purchasing a car on Facebook Marketplace, ask for the vehicle identification number (VIN) and check sites like CARFAX or AutoCheck for the vehicle. Verify the name of the seller and make sure they have a history.
New Facebook accounts or people with less than 100 or so friends with no personal information on their page are probably scams. If you can’t verify the validity of the listing and prove the item exists and is for sale, don’t send money to hold it!
A lot of people will purchase something knowing there are protections in place to keep them from losing money on a scam. They’ll collect the item, then claim they never received it. Paying to have the package tracked and signed for upon receipt may be a little more expensive, but it’ll keep you from losing out on the entire sale.
An example of an overpayment scam is when the buyer agrees to pay $100 for your item and then sends you $200, “accidentally” overpaying. Then, they ask you to return the difference. When the bank catches on to the fake payment, they cancel the $200 transaction. You’re the one left holding the bill!
This ties in with the overpayment scam. Once the bank or credit issuer catches on, you’re left without the money and the product/service. This is why you should never accept Venmo, CashApp, or wire transfers. Facebook-approved channels are cash, PayPal, or Facebook Checkout. Using these three methods will ensure you receive the money for the item sold.
By sending you a shipping label, buyers have control over verified delivery. The “buyer” can then claim they never received the package. You never want to use a prepaid shipping label for a sale on Facebook. You’re the one who has the risk of losing out, so make sure you control the verification of delivery.
These scams can send you to a phishing site looking to extract data or steal other information. Once you enter your information, your identity, bank account information, or other sensitive data can be accessed. Our guide to identity theft protection can also help you keep your data protected.
Did you list your $200 shoes five minutes ago and now someone is contacting you telling you to email them so they can buy your shoes? That’s almost guaranteed to be a scam. The scammer will frequently ask you to contact them via email instead of communicating through the site.
If someone is immediately interested, communicate only through Facebook Messenger. If they provide a contact method outside of Messenger, you can report and block them.
Often fake Facebook accounts don’t have a profile picture, have just a few friends, or are brand new. Check out the person’s account to see if they have a history and network of real friends on Facebook.
The potential buyer needs the item you are selling to be sent right away in time for a birthday or holiday. They’ll definitely pay you tomorrow once you send the tracking information letting them know it’s being shipped — except you never receive the payment.
A hacker can get into your account with your name and phone number by rerouting two-factor authentication to themselves. It’s best to stay within Messenger for all transactions and not offer up any private information. Also, use a password manager to keep track of complex passwords so they’re harder for scammers to guess.
Similar to the phone number scam, fraudsters will set up a Google voice number. The verification code you provide will allow them to piggyback that Google number onto your actual phone number. This way they can authenticate themselves as you without you ever knowing.
This is a straightforward phishing scam. A buyer or seller doesn’t need a completed form of your information for the transaction. Never click links from sources you don’t trust completely.
While getting scammed is always possible, there are plenty of ways to keep yourself safe while using Facebook Marketplace. The following reminders can act like a checklist for every transaction:
Even if you’re diligent and careful, it’s still possible to be scammed. If you find yourself on the other end of a fraudulent transaction, there are steps you can take to mitigate the damage. Start by contacting your bank, filing a report with local law enforcement, and reporting the scam itself on Facebook.
In legitimate situations, a Facebook Marketplace seller lists a product or service for sale. A buyer then contacts the seller inquiring about the purchase. An agreed-upon price is reached between the two parties. The seller delivers the product or service and the buyer pays for that product or service.
Yes, you can get scammed as a seller on Facebook Marketplace. There are people out there trying to trick you into fraudulent transactions through any means of payment or product scamming. Protect yourself and keep all the proof to report these scams.
Facebook has multiple pages set up to assist you if you think you’ve been scammed. Their reporting pages have all the information you’ll need.
Staying safe on social media might require a few extra steps, but they’re well worth it. Keeping within the guidelines of the community by only communicating through Messenger is a great start. Only accepting or paying with cash, PayPal, or Facebook Checkout can also protect you. Additionally, checking the length and validity of a seller or buyer’s account goes a long way.
With preparation and vigilance, you can effectively use a far-reaching tool like Facebook Marketplace without worrying about being scammed. Keep yourself from becoming a victim by following the guidelines above and by keeping your Facebook privacy settings locked down tight. By staying diligent, you can enjoy the commerce and convenience of the resale platform while also knowing your information is safe.
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