Facebook Marketplace Scams
Americans lost $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024, according to the FTC.
Quick Answer
Scams on Facebook Marketplace trick buyers and sellers into losing money or items through tactics like fake listings, overpayment schemes, and non-secure payment requests, with fraud originating on social media platforms costing consumers billions annually.
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How It Works
1
A scammer, posing as either a buyer or a seller, creates a fake listing or expresses interest in an item. For sellers, this often involves listing a high-demand item at a suspiciously low price to attract many potential victims. For buyers, they may offer to pay more than the asking price.
2
The scammer pressures the victim to move the conversation off of Facebook Messenger and to use a non-secure payment method. They may request payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or peer-to-peer cash apps like Zelle or Venmo, which offer little to no fraud protection for marketplace transactions.
3
Once the payment is sent, the fraudulent seller disappears without shipping the item, or sends a counterfeit or broken product. In buyer-focused scams, the fraudster might use a fake payment confirmation, a fraudulent check that later bounces, or an overpayment scheme to trick the seller into sending them money.
4
After securing the money or item, the scammer blocks the victim on Facebook and deletes their account, making it difficult for the victim to make contact or recover their losses.
Red Flags
- Prices that are significantly lower than the market value for a similar item.
- Sellers who refuse to meet in person or insist on shipping for a local item.
- Buyers or sellers who pressure you to communicate or pay outside of Facebook's official platform.
- Requests for payment via methods that lack buyer protection, such as wire transfers, Zelle, Venmo, or gift cards.
- Buyers who "accidentally" overpay and ask you to refund the difference.
- Profiles that are newly created, have no friends, no profile picture, or no history of buying or selling.
- Sellers who ask for a deposit or full payment in advance before you have seen the item.
What to Do If Targeted
- Stop all communication with the scammer immediately and block their profile on Facebook.
- Report the fraudulent listing or the user's profile directly to Facebook Marketplace.
- Contact your bank or payment service (e.g., PayPal, credit card company) to report the fraud and see if the transaction can be reversed.
- File a police report with your local law enforcement agency, especially if you have lost a significant amount of money or personal information.
- Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
- File a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.
How to Report It
- FTC — File a fraud report with the Federal Trade Commission to help with law enforcement investigations.
- FBI IC3 — Report internet-enabled crime to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- FCC — File a complaint about phone scams, robocalls, or unwanted calls with the Federal Communications Commission.
- AARP Fraud Helpline — Call 877-908-3360 for free support from trained fraud specialists. Available to anyone, not just AARP members.
Key Statistics
- Americans have lost upwards of $2.7 billion to scammers on social media since 2021. — Federal Trade Commission
- Scams starting on social media accounted for the highest total losses at $1.4 billion in 2023. — FTC 2024
- Online shopping was the second most commonly reported type of fraud in 2023. — FTC 2024
- The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 880,418 complaints in 2023, with reported losses exceeding $12.5 billion. — FBI IC3 2023 Internet Crime Report
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Frequently Asked Questions
Scammers posing as buyers insist on paying with Zelle and then send a fake email that appears to be from Zelle. This email falsely claims the seller must pay a fee or upgrade to a 'business account' to receive the funds. The seller is tricked into sending money to the scammer to 'unlock' a payment that never existed.
Recovery of funds depends on the payment method used. Payments made through credit cards or PayPal's Goods & Services may offer fraud protection and chargeback options. However, money sent via wire transfer, gift cards, or peer-to-peer apps like Zelle and Cash App is often impossible to recover as these services are intended for use between people who know and trust each other.
A scammer posing as a buyer will ask for your phone number to 'verify' you are a real person. They then send you a six-digit Google Voice verification code and ask you to share it with them. If you provide the code, they can create a Google Voice number linked to your phone number, which they then use to commit other scams anonymously.
A fake profile often has very few details, may have been created very recently, and typically has no friends or a very low friend count. The profile picture might be missing or look like a stock photo, and they will have no history of prior marketplace ratings or reviews.
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