10 common Facebook Marketplace scams, and how to avoid and report them

Insider

• If you are buying or selling items on Facebook Marketplace, beware of scammers.
• If you are mailing an item, use a tracking number and don't send the product until you receive payment.
• Here are the most common Facebook Marketplace scams and how to avoid and report them.

In addition to Craigslist and eBay, Facebook Marketplace has become a go-to destination for people to buy and sell personal goods online, in large part because Facebook doesn't charge any sort of fee for listing on the service.

Unfortunately, Marketplace's popularity also makes it an attractive destination for scams. Thankfully, if you know what to look for, scammers aren't hard to detect. Arm yourself with knowledge about the most common signs of Facebook Marketplace scams so you can buy and sell safely. 

Red flags for common Facebook Marketplace scams

You're asked to send the item before you receive payment

How the scam works: A scammer may ask you to put down a deposit or send payment in advance to secure your spot. But they'll take off with your money and give you nothing in return.

How to avoid getting scammed: Never agree to pay for an item before you receive it. If the seller continues pressuring you or implies it's urgent that you pay in advance, it's probably a scam.

You think the price seems too good to be true

How the scam works: Beware of anything that's for sale for a fraction of the proper retail price. Scammers could be listing non-working electronics or counterfeit designer clothing.

How to avoid getting scammed: The safest way to ensure you're not being ripped off is to pick up the item locally, in person, and inspect it carefully before paying.

Non-working electronics 

How the scam works: While you can make a successful purchase by having an item shipped to you, there's some risk in that approach. Especially if you're buying something electronic, it's a good idea to complete the transaction in person, so you can verify that the item actually works.

How to avoid getting scammed: Turn on the phone, tablet, laptop, game console, or other gadget and make sure it holds a charge and you can successfully boot it all the way up. 

Someone sends you an overpayment and asks for a refund

How the scam works: This scam is as old as the hills: Someone sends you an overpayment — usually in the form of a check — and, for some convoluted reason, asks you to refund the overage. If you do this, you'll find that the check will eventually bounce. You'll have lost the item you're selling, sent them some of your own money, and to add insult to multiple injuries, you're liable to your bank for the bounced check fee.

How to avoid getting scammed: Never accept an overpayment; it's guaranteed to be a scam. 

You're asked to send back codes texted to your phone

How the scam works: This insidious scam starts when the other party suggests moving the conversation from Marketplace to text messaging. Soon thereafter, he or she will say that in order to "prove you're real," you'll be texted a code. Send the code to the other person, and you can proceed with the sale. Danger! This code can be any number of things, such as a two-factor authorization code that'll let the other party take over one of your own accounts. Or it might be the authorization code to set up a new Google Voice number, which the other party can use to run even more scams, except now their number will be linked to your phone, not theirs.

How to avoid getting scammed: There's no reason why you'd ever have to "prove you're real," especially by forwarding some sort of code. 

Beware of fake rentals

How the scam works: Using Facebook Marketplace to rent an apartment? Be very careful — it's easy to create a fake listing for a property that isn't really for rent. Or just happens to be for rent, but not through this Marketplace seller.

How to avoid getting scammed: Always verify the veracity of a rental by contacting the property listing manager independently of Facebook before handing over any money or even completing a rental agreement, which is chock full of requests for personal and private information. 

Don't agree to a bait and switch

How the scam works: You're trying to buy something on Facebook Marketplace, but when the seller gets back to you, it's already sold. That's okay, though, because they have a similar item instead. Sometimes that might be okay — it's your call — but this is a classic bait and switch scheme designed to entice you to want one product but get you to later agree to a much less appealing one.  

How to avoid getting scammed: Move on from the seller and find the item you really wanted elsewhere.

Prevent claims of lost packages

How the scam works: Buyers can claim they never received the item in the mail, even though they did, to attempt to get their money back.

How to avoid getting scammed: If you ship an item to a buyer, do it smartly. Always use a tracking number so you can dispute any claims that a package has been lost or was never shipped. If you're the buyer, be sure to insist on getting a tracking number so you can confirm the item is enroute and know when it arrives. 

Don't trust a payment receipt provided by the buyer

How the scam works: If you're selling an item, you should work with a common online payment system like PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle. And if you're new to online payments, don't accept the word of the buyer that they've made the payment (or an image of a receipt they've texted to you). 

How to avoid getting scammed: The point of using a solution like PayPal, Zelle, or Venmo is that you get an instant verification that payment has been received — you don't need to take the word of the buyer.

Use an app like Venmo or Paypal in which you can instantly see that you've been paid, and don't give away your item until you can confirm the sale for yourself.

Dave Johnson/Insider

Giveaways are often phishing scams

How the scam works: Free is always great, right? Often, people who are moving, for example, are motivated to get rid of household stuff and are happy to offer many items for free. But beware of online giveaways in which you need to fill out a form to get something for free. These are fraught with danger because they are often little more than phishing schemes designed to harvest your personal and confidential information. 

How to avoid getting scammed: Never give out personal information to an online seller. Someone genuinely getting rid of free items would not need to ask for your sensitive data.

How to report a Facebook Marketplace scam

If you think you are dealing with a scam on Facebook Messenger, you should stop communicating with the buyer or seller and report the incident to Facebook. 

If you encounter a listing on Facebook that you think is a scam, open the listing and then click the three-dot menu to the right of the Share button. In the dropdown, choose Report listing.

You can report listings that appear to be scams.

Dave Johnson

If you have a listing and a potential buyer appears to be a scammer, you can also report that individual to Facebook. On the right-hand side of the listing, there's a module titled Seller information. Hover over the seller's name and then click Report. Click Scam, and then follow the instructions to submit your scam report.

Here's more information about how to get customer support from Facebook.

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