Facebook Marketplace Scams: How Fake Buyers and Sellers Work

When the Federal Trade Commission looked at fraud reports from the first half of 2023, one category stood out on social media. People who lost money trying to buy something they had seen there made up 44 percent of all social media loss reports, more than any other kind of scam by count. In most of those reports the item simply never arrived, with clothing and electronics at the top of the list. In the reports about goods that never showed up, Facebook was the platform named in 60 percent. Many of those started with an ad rather than a Marketplace listing, the FTC notes, but the mechanics are close relatives.

That is the buyer side. Sellers get targeted too, often by people who have no interest in the couch or the bike at all and only want a phone number, a code, or money sent back for an overpayment that never happened. Facebook Marketplace scams come in dozens of versions, and new ones turn up every few months. Underneath, they share a very small number of moves, and those are what this article is about.

The one thing almost every Facebook Marketplace scam needs

Marketplace itself is mostly a place to find each other. For a local pickup the payment usually happens between the two of you, and the FTC points out that some marketplaces leave payments, returns and refunds entirely to buyers and sellers. What the platform does have is a messaging system it can see into, report buttons and seller profiles with ratings.

Scammers work around those few protections by getting you out of them. There are three exits, and nearly every scheme uses at least one:

1. A different channel. WhatsApp, text, email or a phone call. Meta’s own help pages tell users to be cautious when someone wants to move the chat off Facebook or Messenger, especially early on, because conversations routed elsewhere make scams harder to detect.
2. A different payment. Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, a wire transfer, gift cards or crypto, anything that behaves like cash once it is gone. The FTC’s advice is short: don’t buy from anyone who wants you to pay outside the marketplace’s payment system, because you lose whatever protection the site offers.
3. A different page. A link to a “payment portal”, a shipping site or a login page that looks like the real thing. Meta calls these off-platform link scams.

Once you look for the exit instead of the story, the stories stop mattering much. It is the same pattern we described in our piece on romance scams: the script changes, the moves don’t.

Scams that target sellers

If you sell on Marketplace, the person messaging you may want something other than your item. Fast replies, a generic “is this still available?”, no questions about condition and an immediate push to pay in an unusual way are typical first signs.

The verification code. The buyer says they have heard about fake listings and want to make sure you are a real person, so they will send you a code and you just read it back. The FTC has warned about this since 2021. The code is a Google Voice verification code, and with it the scammer can create a Google Voice number linked to your phone number. They then use that number to cheat other people, and if anyone traces it, the trail leads to you. With enough other details about you, the FTC adds, they could go further and try to get into your accounts. Its rule is simple: don’t share a verification code with anyone you did not contact first. If you already did, Google has steps for reclaiming a linked number. Codes sent to your phone are also what SIM swap attackers are after.

The fake payment. A buyer insists on paying through a payment app and then sends a screenshot of the payment or a notification that looks like it came from the app. The hope is that you hand over or ship the item before you notice that nothing arrived. Meta’s advice is not to trust screenshots as confirmation at all and to check your own account. A related trick, also listed by the FTC: the buyer claims to have paid twice by mistake and asks you to refund one payment that never existed.

The overpayment. The buyer sends a check for more than the price and asks you to deposit it and return the difference, or pays “extra” for movers who will pick up the item. The FTC explains why this works: banks have to make deposited money available quickly, usually within two days, but it can take weeks to find out a check was fake. By then you have sent the difference and the item, and the bank takes the full amount of the check back out of your account.

The email from the payment app. You receive an email that looks like Zelle or Venmo, saying the money is waiting but you have to upgrade your account or pay a fee first. Meta lists this exact pattern. Instead of following the email, open the payment app yourself and check whether any money is there.

Scams that target buyers

On the buying side the scammer wants your money, and the story is usually built to explain why you can’t see the item first. The seller is deployed, has just moved, or is shipping from somewhere far away. The price is noticeably low, and there are supposedly several other people interested.

Deposits on things you haven’t seen. Rentals and cars are the expensive versions. Meta specifically warns against sending deposits for high-value items like apartments or cars before confirming they exist and belong to the seller, in person or at least over a video call.

Prices that are too good. The FTC and Meta both say it in nearly the same words: an expensive item listed for very little may be fake, defective or not exist at all. Look closely at the photos. If you only see stock images or pictures that look too polished, you can’t check the condition or be sure the seller has the item. A reverse image search often turns up the same photos in an old listing or an online shop within seconds.

Payment methods that work like cash. Payment apps are convenient between friends. Between strangers they are a problem, because, as the FTC puts it, once you send money it is hard to get it back. The same goes even more for wire transfers through companies like Western Union or MoneyGram, gift cards and cryptocurrency. The FTC compares them to sending cash. A seller who will only accept those for a shipped item is telling you something.

Fake tracking. If an item is supposedly shipped, Meta suggests checking the tracking number on the carrier’s own website and making sure the address is yours. A tracking link sent in the chat can lead anywhere.

What you give away when you buy and sell

Trading with strangers moves data around, and in most of these scams the data is either the prize or the tool. It is worth knowing what each piece is good for.

Your phone number. It opens the channels without moderation, text and WhatsApp, and it is the anchor for the verification-code scam. “How did someone get my phone number from Facebook Marketplace” gets searched around a hundred times a month in the US. Often the honest answer is that it was handed out in the second message, because the buyer asked nicely.

Your email address. It is where the fake Zelle or Venmo email will land, and an address that has answered once tends to get more attempts. If you sell often, a separate address just for selling keeps those messages away from your main inbox. We cover how that works in our guide to disposable email.

Your home address. Needed for a local pickup, but there is no reason to send it before you have agreed on a time. Meeting in a public place takes it off the table entirely.

Codes and logins. Nobody buying a dresser needs either, ever. Meta lists requests for two-factor codes and for account logins as phishing, without exceptions.

Safer ways to pay

There is no perfect payment method between strangers, but there are clear differences in what you can do if something goes wrong.

For local deals, the FTC notes that many sites recommend selling to a local buyer in person and only accepting cash. It is not elegant, but it removes most of the schemes above in one step, because there is nothing to fake and nothing to reverse.

Five checks before you buy or sell

1. Is the conversation still in Messenger? A request to move to text, WhatsApp or email is the moment to slow down.
2. Has the money actually arrived? Open the payment app or your bank yourself instead of trusting a screenshot, a notification or an email.
3. Does the profile make sense? Meta suggests looking at ratings, mutual friends, other listings and Marketplace activity. A brand-new profile selling expensive items is worth a second look.
4. Do the photos belong to the seller? One reverse image search, and ask for a current photo of the item if anything feels off.
5. Is there a way to pay with protection? Cash at pickup, a card, or a payment method with buyer protection. Anyone who rules out all of them without a good reason has one they are not telling you.

And for sellers, two fixed rules that cover most of the list: don’t accept a mobile payment from someone you don’t know, and never deposit a check for more than the selling price. Both come straight from the FTC.

I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace. What can I do?

Speed matters more than anything else here, and embarrassment is the main reason people wait. These scams are run by people who do this all day.

1. Call your bank or card issuer. If you paid by credit or debit card, the FTC says to file a dispute and withhold payment while the issuer investigates. If you entered card details on a fake page, ask for the card to be blocked.
2. Report the payment in the app. If you used Cash App, Venmo or PayPal, report it through the app’s own support. PayPal disputes go through its Resolution Center. With Zelle, contact your bank, since Zelle is built into banking apps.
3. Report the listing and the profile to Facebook, and stop replying to the other person.
4. Save everything. Screenshots of the listing, the profile, the conversation and any payment details or links.
5. Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. In the FTC’s words, reporting helps it and other law enforcement agencies stop scams, and the numbers in its data spotlights come from exactly these reports. Only a small share of fraud victims ever report, according to a study the FTC cites, which is part of why the problem looks smaller than it is.

If you gave someone a verification code, follow Google’s instructions to reclaim your number, and check whether any of your accounts used that number for sign-in. Our guide on whether your phone has been hacked walks through what to look for.

The short version

The list of Facebook Marketplace scams will keep growing, and nobody needs to memorize it. One question covers most of it: is this person trying to get me onto another channel, another payment method or another page? If the answer is yes, stay where you are. Many scammers give up at that point, because the tools they rely on only work outside. And if you were caught anyway, call the bank first. The rest can wait an hour.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Facebook Marketplace scams?

For sellers: fake payment screenshots or notifications, buyers who "accidentally" overpay and want the difference back, fake checks, and requests for a verification code sent to your phone. For buyers: sellers who want a deposit or full payment before you see the item, prices far below market value, stolen photos, and requests to pay with gift cards, wire transfers, crypto or a payment app you cannot reverse. Almost all of them try to move you off Facebook and Messenger first.

Why does a Marketplace buyer want a code sent to my phone?

Because the code lets them set up a Google Voice number tied to your real phone number, which they can then use to scam other people while hiding behind your identity. The usual story is that they want to make sure you are a real person. The FTC is blunt about it: if you did not contact them first, a request for a verification code is a scam, every time.

Is PayPal safe for Facebook Marketplace?

PayPal Goods and Services comes with PayPal Purchase Protection for eligible purchases. Friends and Family payments are personal payments and are excluded from it. For in-person pickups, PayPal does not cover "item not received" claims, and vehicles are excluded entirely, so for local deals cash at the handover is still the simplest option.

I got scammed on Facebook Marketplace. What can I do?

Contact your bank or card issuer right away and ask about a dispute or chargeback. If you used a payment app, report the payment inside the app. Report the listing and the profile to Facebook, keep screenshots of the conversation and the payment, and file a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Be wary of anyone who then offers to recover your money for a fee.

Is it safe to give a buyer my phone number or email?

It is rarely necessary and often the first step of a scam. Meta itself lists buyers who push you to WhatsApp, text or email early in the conversation as a warning sign, because scams are harder to detect once they leave Messenger. Your number is also what the verification-code scam needs.