Facebook Marketplace scams: buyers and sellers

What it looks like

Other forms it takes

How the scam plays out

1. A “buyer” messages about your listing and seems eager, but a little nervous.
2. They say they want to be sure you’re real, and that they’ll send a code to your phone.
3. A text with a Google Voice code arrives. They ask you to send it to them.
4. With that code, they set up a Google Voice number linked to your phone. They use it to cheat other people while hiding who they are.
5. With enough of your details, they may also try to get into your accounts or open new ones in your name.
6. Other versions: a fake payment email or screenshot, an overpayment with a request to refund the difference, or a deposit for an item that never comes.

Signs it’s a scam

• A buyer asks you to read back a code (they’re setting up an account in your name).
• An email from “Zelle” or “PayPal” saying the payment is waiting until you pay a fee.
• A buyer who sends too much and asks for the difference back.
• A seller who wants a deposit before you see the item.

What to do

1. Never share codes.
2. Only trust money you can see in your own banking or payment app.
3. Meet in public, inspect the item, then pay.

How to check if it’s real

1. Check your own bank or payment app to see if the money really arrived, even if the buyer sends a screenshot.
2. Unsure about a payment? Contact your payment app’s support team directly, from inside the app.
3. Keep the conversation in Marketplace. A buyer or seller who wants to move to phone or email early on is a warning sign.

Already clicked, paid or shared something?

1. Shared a Google Voice code? Follow Google’s steps to reclaim your number.
2. Paid a seller with Zelle? Call your bank right away and ask them to reverse it. Paid with Venmo, Cash App or PayPal? Report it in that app and ask for a reversal.
3. Paid by credit or debit card? Call the number on the card and dispute the charge.
4. Sent back an “overpayment”? Tell the payment app you used right away. Scammers often reverse their first payment and keep your refund too.
5. Deposited a check for more than your price? Tell your bank. A check can seem to clear and still turn out to be fake.
6. Stop replying, then report the buyer, the seller or the listing to Facebook, and report it to the FTC.

Where to report it

• How to report a buyer, seller or listing (Meta)
• Report it to the FTC

Related scams

• Zelle scams: how they work and what to do
• Cash App scams: what to watch for
• Venmo scams: how to spot them
• Make a family safe word

Sources

• Meta: Trust and safety on Marketplace
• Meta: Avoiding investment and payment scams online
• FTC: Selling stuff online? Here’s how to avoid a scam
• FTC: The Google Voice scam
• FTC: What to do if you were scammed