Never refund an overpayment
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. Never accept an overpayment; it's 100% guaranteed to be a scam.
Never send back codes texted to your phone
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. 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
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. 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
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.
Prevent claims of lost packages
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
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). The point of using a solution like PayPal is that you get an instant verification that payment has been received — you don't need to take the word of the buyer.
Giveaways are often phishing scams
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 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.
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