17 Popular Facebook Marketplace Scam to Avoid: Expert Guide
Facebook Market Place is one of the most popular social media platforms around the world, and in 2016, the facebook Marketplace platform was launched, where you can sell a variety of items, from furniture to car houses also.
Similar to other online marketplaces, this platform is also at risk of encountering fraudulent sellers as well as dishonest buyers but still I felt scam are in very small number compare to the large number of successful trade happens.
Facebook Marketplace scams are on the rise, whether you’re buying or selling. Learn to spot, avoid, and report to facebook them. are you worried about fb market scams? its good habit to know these scams to prevent them.
now we highlight some common scams and show you how to stay safe. Scammers play both roles, as fake sellers or buyers, and may try identity theft. If you think you’re a victim, don’t worry you might get a refund in certain situations.
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That’s common in some of the facebook marketplace scams. involves paying or communicating outside the ecosystem, sending goods directly to the customer without meeting the person, creating fake invoices, and sending them to the customer or seller.
Selling fake, stolen products. When using the marketplace so that a person or customer loses their money, personal information, or valuables due to a scam, it is very important to be aware of how to avoid it before becoming victim of scam.
In these articles, we’re going to discuss market plus scams that are common and how to protect yourself from these scams, as well as how you can seek help in the event of a scam.
List of scams by fraud sellers
In the e-commerce world, various products are bought and sold on the platform, and the Facebook marketplace is immune to this scam but user’s makes mistakes as scamsters work with different ideas.
I’m going to help you navigate safely. Now we’re going to explore facebook scams happen with vendors and learn something from them, and we’re going to learn a whole lot of detail step by step about how to protect you from falling prey to these scams.
Products that don’t exist or are made: One of the most prevalent scams is that sellers advertise that the item doesn’t exist or that the item they’re making may seem authentic, but shortly after you buy it, you’ll know you’ve been cheated.
- First get the goods properly tested, and only then pay the person. No matter how true it seems, try the items from different sides. And it will be appropriate to see the details and proof of the authenticity of the products on Google.
Fake giveaway scams
In the facebook marketplace scam often involve fake sellers who promise free items or tempting discounts to lure in potential buyers.
But when a customer clicks on the provided link, they’re asked for personal and payment information.
Unfortunately, this information is used to transfer money to the scammer, and the promised items never shipped to them.
So it is important to be aware not to fall prey to such scams.
For example, free iPhones or items that you’ll encounter in seemingly real ads or lists are offered at an unusually low priced.
Bait and Switch: Sellers make attractive advertisements for certain goods and products to attract potential buyers, and the prices of those items are also attractive.
When the buyer shows interest and prefers to buy, All of a sudden, the item becomes “unavailable,” and you’re presented with more expensive items, and the customer is prepared to spend more money that scammer wants.
Paid gift card: On market-plus platforms such as paid gift cards and Facebook Market, fraudulent vendors often act as legal vendors by placing common goods for sale.
Digital payment methods are used in transactions where a customer requests payment via gift card after they have shown interest in the item, which is considered a warning , you spent money and product never receive you were trying to purchase. One of the most secure gift cards is MasterCard e gift card
Counterfeit Items: Facebook Marketplace is the where not every time you get scammed, they sale of counterfeit goods at the low price products.
These individuals or groups create many fraudulent lists so that no distinction can be made between the real item and the fake item being sold, in which case the customer becomes a victim and the buyer buys the fake goods and realise the fakeness after using them.
It is necessary to be very careful about this.
For example, Apple iPhones are sold fake and they kept the listing price low in price, often claiming no receipts or being shown to be used items.
Best way you can check Verizon iPhone deals Ex: I’ve only used an iPhone for two months, and now I’m selling it for some personnel reason.
Ex 2: When buying any item, verify its reality. Ask for the valid bill or if its jewelry check gold jewelry makers sign (initials or the name of the manufacturing firm) or check on hallmark gold chain or any other jewelry then you can also see that the name of its model number and company engraved on the jewelry.
Faulty Products: Some fraud sellers selling defective products deliberately list damaged goods by describing them differently. The item is described in such a way that it is very attractive to the customer and pretends the condition of the item is excellent.
Most of the time, the object is a broken.
Fake home rental: In this deceptive scheme, scammers pose as the property owner or manager and claim to offer a house for rent that doesn’t actually exist. We want to understand how this online extortion works and analyse its effectiveness, especially in the short term. But let’s see how this scam of renting a fake house works.
Let’s first create a list of the houses with the best image and description to attract tenants and keep the rent of that house lower than the average, i.e., the market price.
Then you get the impression that there is more demand for this house, and in a way, this property is in high demand and it will be rented soon.
The work is also accomplished through international wire transfers or non-traditional payment methods in which ways to send and receive money.
Car Deposit Advance Payment Scam: Such seller’s tell you about the listed car in high demand car in which buyers are interested.
Various attractive photos of such cars are taken, and then the rights are pretended to be true with a positive description, and the price of the car is kept below the market value to attract many buyers at a time.
As seen in the previous scam, this car is in high demand in the market, or the buyers are encouraged to act immediately by creating a false demand that the car has some customers who are ready to buy immediately.
The buyer is then requested to make an advance payment to book car.
These payments are often made through e gift cards and unconventional methods, and after payment, the seller suddenly disappears and with the listing.
So to avoid scams, ask the seller about car history and report of his car as well or check free vin, after which the seller was asked to watch the online video and show his car in it. With his permission, you should do a Car Inspection Before Buying.
Scams targeting seller’s by scammer buyers
False claims of lost packages: Some false buyers claim that they have not received any goods through shipping or delivery and pretend to the seller that they have not received the item at all, and they ask for the refund.
Overpayment Scam Payment: When the seller wants to buy the goods and the buyer buys, then there is a scammer while makes extra payment.
Ex Person A Listed car for sale at the price of $2000 in this case buyer pretend that he paid $3000 saying send accidently and show fake email and receipts to get back $1000.
He says that he sends extra money to the seller accidently. The customer then tries to contact the seller and ask for refund.
In such a situation, the buyer claims to have sent money to the seller using cash apps and also submits false invoices and emails, so the seller gets confused about making payments.
Use of stolen credit cards to make payments: Some thieves buy goods and services from Marketplace and pay their payments to the seller using stolen credit cards.
When a true credit card holder reports an unauthorized transaction on his card to the police, the Credit Card Fraud detection team validate the case and then credit card company reverses the transaction and returns the money to the cardholder, and the seller has to bear this loss.
The seller can also be falsely booked under the case of accepting money from a stolen credit card.
Prepaid shipping label: When a buyer sends you a shipping label on Facebook Marketplace, it might seem convenient, but there’s a catch. They gain control over the verified delivery, and here’s where the trouble can start.
You see, this so-called “buyer” can later claim that they never received the package, even if you did send it. The risk of loss in this situation falls squarely on your shoulders.
In essence, don’t use prepaid shipping labels provided by the buyer. Instead, use best shipping methods that you trust and can verify by yourself.
Your peace of mind and security matter!
QR code scam: When you, as the seller, are all set to sell your goods, the scammer sends you their own QR code for payment. But here’s the tricky part once you scan their code, they send you spammy emails with links that lead to fake websites.
These sites are designed to steal your information.
When the payer enters their details, the scammer can grab things like their phone number, email, ID verification, and other sensitive data. They might even use this data for blackmail or secretly withdraw money from your account.
So, it’s essential to be cautious and avoid scanning QR codes from unknown or untrusted sources to protect your sensitive information and finances.
Customer’s spontaneous response: When you start receiving messages immediately after you list your item, when the customer shows interest in your item and asks you to contact details you by email, avoid going outside the ecosystem of Facebook Marketplace local only, avoid talking to the scammer on email, and do not give him any personal information.
Your privacy protection is must sometimes it could be transform into online extortion case
Unless you contact identity theft lawyer you can’t recover your financial losses.
Common Facebook Marketplace scams
It is very important to be aware of the scams that commonly occur in the Facebook marketplace that deceive both the buyer and the seller.
New Fake Facebook Account: Many times you will see listings where, when you look at the profile of the person listing such ads, you will realize that his profile is incomplete and the photo is suspicious. in this case see hidden information about product seller you read this.
Having incomplete information on the profile indicates that the seller is a fraudster.
Advance Payment: The potential buyer makes you emotional and tells you that he likes your item and wants to give it to someone for his birthday or that he wants it, so he asks you to send the item immediately and informs you that he will pay immediately when the item arrives, and at the end, he never gets paid.
Fake checks: Many times buyers offer invalid checks, but those checks are never accepted in the bank because they are false.
How to Avoid Scams on Facebook Marketplace
How to Recognize scams before happening to you on Facebook Marketplace as a seller: Facebook Market Place is a standard platform for buying and selling goods.
However, the seller should be aware of the frequent scams on the platform.
Uncovering marketplace scams how should a seller protect himself from a scammer’s?
I’m giving you some tips that emerged from my experience below that will give you plenty of insight into how to avoid scams as a market-play store vendor.
You should avoid transactions outside the official facebook Marketplace platform. You can use Facebook Pay.
The scanner will request that you pay outside of Facebook for a long time, but remember that this does not get your money back, such as wire transfers or Venmo payments.
Facebook’s official purchase protection policies state that payments made through Facebook check-out come under facebook privacy policy, so there will be no guarantee that you will receive your money back if you take or transact with a buyer in any other way.
For example, if you decide to pay for another person, you should first pay attention to the Venmo scam or cash app scam.-
Verify the identity of the buyer. At the beginning of any transaction, you should first look at the customer you are talking to and the Facebook profile of that customer.
Test where you work and some other things, and see if there are any red flags.
Meet in person: Try to meet the buyer in person whenever possible, as well as take a friend with you on the way to the place you are going to meet, as well as when choosing a meeting place.
Why use official payment or Facebook’s shipping method?
If there is any mistake while buying and selling, as well as after making payment or delivery, the official payment and shipping system is from Facebook, the company will be responsible for this incident.
Goods after first payment: In this scam, fraudsters ask you to send the listed item first and then refuse to pay you, so I advise you to take the money first and then the item.
If you find a suspicious incident profile, you should report the activity to Facebook as well as report it to Facebook .
List of Facebook Marketplace Scams
Google voice verification code scam: On Facebook Marketplace scammer’s use method of Google ६ digit verification code in which customer information is misused to take financial advantage of their information by targeting sellers on the fb market place.
The buyer often chats with the seller as a potential buyer and requests to give a phone number, after which they get a Google 6-digit verification code for various reasons, such as organizing package pickups and checking the seller’s identity.
Car scams : usually happen in large numbers. Some details of the scam will open your eyes. This scam is done in the name of buying expensive cars at auction by posting advertisements of expensive tops and cars by fraudsters like BMW, Audis, and Mercedes. They ask you to pay advance money.
Pay Pal scam: In the scam of Pay Pal is a fraud design mirror website so that the scammers gets his payment information, card information, email address, and phone number from a mirror website, where all the money is directed to the fraudster’s account.
The scanner earns users’ trust and then asks the victim to click on the link given to them. On the website link where you’re supposed to send a fee along with a seed fee, scammers try to trick you into sharing your card details, bank account information, and other personal data.
Pay ID scam : In this type of scam, scammers exploit payment IDs to make fraudulent purchases.
Here’s how it works: The buyer shares their payment ID with the seller. The seller’s phone number, email, and ABN (Australian Business Number) payment details are used for the transaction.
After the payment is made, the buyer sends a message to the seller, pretending that they’ve overpaid. They then request a refund for the extra money sent.
Venmo app scam: This scam is also similar to the Zelle app scam only changing the app company. In this scam, the buyer also convinces the seller that he is sending money through a demo, and then the friend agrees to accept the money. Then a false email and a fake message are made in the name of the Venmo app, and they are sent to the seller.
Ups courier scam: This is one of the most commonly held scams on Market Plus, in which the buyer tells the seller to send the goods by UPS courier or FedEx courier. Currently, the company’s workers are busy; they will come to your house soon and give you the shipping label.
When you pay for this fake shipping label, the buyer takes an advance payment from the seller.
How do I report fraud on Facebook Marketplace?
Follow the steps given below to report a scam involving you.
Stop talking to the buyer: If you suspect you’re being cheated, stop talking to the buyer right away. Report the scam on Facebook.
Immediately report suspected fraud. If you have some screenshots or receipt bills of transactions, save them.
If a seller cheated you while buying goods on Marketplace, you go to your feed, click Marketplace in the left menu, and then click Buy in the left menu.
Click on the list of sellers you want to complain about as scammers.
The process for the seller mentioned above applies to the buyer; it is the same process you must follow to buy, and you must report it to the buyer as a scam.
After a complaint is lodged with Facebook, the company investigates the matter and takes appropriate action, and if or is found to have violated the company’s policies in favor of a scam, it is suspended from that person’s profile as well as that IP address and prevented from coming back to the platform.
You can also contact a bank or credit company to dispute your fees if you lose your money after being duped.
It is very important to note at this point that the company does not offer any kind of guarantee or protection for transactions that take place outside, so when you are in contact with the seller or the buyer, you need to use only the official method of payment and shipping to break your transaction arrow with great caution.
How long will it take Facebook to respond to my report?
The time required can vary depending on the nature of the report you give and the number of reports that were there at the time.
To the best of my knowledge, it takes Facebook sometime after sending a report, which can be a few hours or even two to three days.
When you send a report to Facebook or don’t comply with community standards, your support inbox has the option to check the status of the report, and you can click on any report to learn more about Facebook’s policies in the support inbox and see what decision they’ve made on that report and when Facebook is going to take action.
can i get my money back from facebook?
It depends on certain situations. You can request a refund from Facebook Marketplace by following some steps. Refer your delivery date and file claim within (72 hours) or 3 days of delivery of purchased product or within 7 days of payment.
In the Marketplace cash app scam, shortly after a seller posts a listing of his goods, these scammers contact the seller to convince the seller to receive money online through the Zelle cash app. and then create a fake transaction email and message that zelle has sent money to the seller. But in reality, the customer hasn’t sent money.