Facebook’s purchase protection policies only cover payments made through Facebook, so scammers will steer you away from Facebook in an effort to steal your money. [1] X Research source
Since you agreed to the purchase plan, you’ve knowingly agreed to pay now and run the risk of not getting the item in return. You may receive screenshots that the seller shipped your item, but these can be fake screenshots or false shipping information. To avoid this, it’s best to purchase items that you can pick up and hold in person, but that’s not always an option. The “Pay now and I’ll ship later” scam is sneaky and easier to avoid by shopping with reputable shops, outside of Facebook. Reputable shops only take your money when the item ships! Another popular use of this is if the seller claims that the item is very popular and selling out fast, in order to get you to fork out money in advance. They disappear before you get the item that you paid for.
Counterfeit or pirated items usually have a very low price tag, so knowing the average price of what you’re looking for is a good idea to avoid getting a fake item. You can try a reverse image search to see if the image on the Marketplace is anywhere else or see if you can get multiple angles on the sale item so you can make sure it’s real before you buy it.
Avoid this by simply declining any overpayment and asking the buyer to send the correct amount.
Some of these scammers ask for money upfront, but make sure you’ve toured the property in person before filling out an application or transferring money. If someone claims they are out of town and can’t show you the property before you pay, that should be a red flag and you shouldn’t do business with them.
Always test the item you’re purchasing to make sure it works properly. If the seller tries to sell you the item before you can test it, that’s a red flag and you shouldn’t spend your money on an item that is potentially an over-priced paperweight.
Avoid this by not clicking any suspicious or unknown links on Marketplace pages. If you did get malware in your system, you can easily get rid of any traces of malicious coding on your computer.
Avoid this by using only Facebook Marketplace payments or PayPal.
Scammers may post a listing for items that are prohibited under Marketplace guidelines, pocketing your cash and never completing the transaction. Scammers also will often request payment or delivery of an item in a way that is outside the general guidelines. Using alternative means of payment or delivery gives you fewer protections as a buyer, which is why scammers try to steer you toward these methods.
Keep in mind that a legitimate seller may have a lot of information that is restricted to friends only, but you might not get a lot of information from their public profile. However, you can still see their main profile picture and how long they’ve had a Facebook account. [4] X Research source For example, if a seller only started their Facebook account the day before they posted the listing, they may be attempting to scam you.
Avoid giving out any personal information. Don’t give the seller your bank account or credit card number over Facebook Messenger, or any other information the seller could potentially use to steal your identity. If the seller is claiming to be local but you don’t believe they are, you can ask them questions about local events or different neighborhoods to gauge their actual familiarity with the area. Use your best judgment and if you have a bad feeling in your gut after talking to them, shut down the transaction.
Scam artists often will try to get you to pay with a money order, cash, or wire transfer. Avoid these methods of payment – even with local sellers – because if the seller runs off with your money, you won’t have any way to trace it or get it back. If a local seller wants cash, use your best judgment. Generally, a legitimate seller will not refuse a method of payment that you offer. Secured payment systems offer benefits and greater confidence to sellers as well.
Be wary of a seller who wants you to come to their house, or who wants to meet at night. Insist on making the exchange in a public place during daylight hours – especially if you are paying them in person. Many local police precincts will allow you to meet the person in their parking lot, or in the vestibule of the station. If you have this option available, it is the most secure place to meet a seller.
What actually happens here is that the scam artist’s payment fails, but they have already received the amount you reimbursed them for the “overpayment. " They may also have received the item as well. There is no legitimate reason a person would need to pay you more than your asking price for an item, expecting you to give them back the difference.
Some users’ privacy settings may limit the amount of information you can glean from their profile. However, you’ll still be able to see their main profile picture and a general chronology of the profile itself.
If the buyer claims to be local but you suspect they aren’t, ask them questions about local events or neighborhoods. Depending on their answers, you’ll know how familiar they actually are with the area. Don’t ignore gut feelings. If you feel like something just isn’t right, don’t be afraid to pull out of the transaction and call off the sale.
With the gift card scam, the gift cards typically have a zero balance, or were stolen and cannot be used. Money transfer services or wire services don’t provide any guarantee that the money will arrive, or give you any protection if you send the item and never receive payment.
The idea behind this scam is that you will see that you’ve been paid and go ahead and ship the item. Later, the payment fails, or the buyer’s check bounces, and it’s too late for you to reverse the shipment of the item. You can avoid this scam by stating clearly in your listing where you are willing to ship the item and refusing to deviate from this.
Refuse to meet the buyer in a rundown location or seedy part of town and don’t meet up at night. Check with your local police precinct to see if you can meet your buyer in their parking lot or just inside the station. A scam artist/buyer who is intending to rob you or rip you off will balk at this location.
Go to the Marketplace and find the item you suspect is a scam. When you click on that post, you’ll see a link that says “Report Post” on the bottom right. Click that link and follow the instructions to make your report.
Go to the website at https://www. ic3. gov/default. aspx to learn more about the service and file your report. The information you provide will go into a database that is used by federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify patterns of fraudulent activity. Gather all the information you have about the person who posted the scam listing as well as the listing itself. While filing a report with the FBI does not mean that law enforcement will actively investigate your case specifically, it does help their efforts and may lead to additional evidence that helps stop the scammer.
If you’ve already reported to the IC3, you can provide that report to your local police. Bring all the information and documentation you have about the transaction, including a printout of any conversations you had with the scam artist through Facebook Messenger. Go to the police station in person to file your report. Do not call 911 or your country’s equivalent emergency number unless there is an actual emergency and you feel your life or safety is in immediate danger. Get a copy of the police report for your records. You may want to call the officer who filed the report after a week or two to follow up if you haven’t heard any news on the status of your case.
