Facebook Marketplace buyer scams: how fake buyers try to get your money
Quick answer
A buyer who sends a check you must deposit before shipping, pushes you to be paid off-platform, or asks for a code or your details is a scammer. Don't deposit a check and send money back, and don't give out codes. Report the buyer to Facebook and the FTC.
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How it works
Sellers on Marketplace get messages from buyers who seem eager. The FTC describes the pattern behind most payment scams: the scammer pretends to be someone legitimate, says there's a problem or a prize, pressures you to act fast, and tells you exactly how to pay or be paid.
Applied to a sale, that looks like a buyer who wants to pay in a way that's hard to reverse or that favors them. The FTC warns about people who send a check that later turns out to be fake, tell you to deposit it and then send some of the money back. By the time the bank finds the check is bad, your own money is gone.
Others try to move the chat to text or another app, ask for personal or financial information, or want you to confirm details so they can "verify" the sale.
Red flags
- A buyer who offers more than your asking price, or pays before seeing the item
- A check or payment you're told to deposit, then send money back or ship at once
- Pressure to move the chat to text or another app
- Requests for personal or financial information, or a verification code
- Insisting on a payment method like gift cards, a payment app, wire or cryptocurrency
- Not wanting you to take time to check things
Example message
I'll take it, I'm sending a check for more than you asked since my shipper takes a cut. Deposit it and send the difference to my shipper at [phone number]. Please do it today.
What to do
- 1
Never deposit a check and send money back
The FTC says never deposit a check and send money to someone. Fake checks can take days to be found out.
- 2
Don't pay anything to receive money
Honest buyers don't ask you to send them money to complete a sale.
- 3
Don't give out codes or personal details
The FTC says honest organizations won't ask for personal information you weren't expecting to give.
- 4
If you already sent money, call your bank or payment service
Tell them it was a scam and ask them to stop or reverse it. Change passwords on any account you shared.
- 5
Report the buyer
Report the profile to Facebook through the Marketplace report option, and report it to the FTC.
Report it
Check if your details are exposed with Serus
Scammers find your number and address on data brokers and people-search sites. Serus removes them.
Why you got it
Scammers don't pick numbers at random for the convincing ones. Names, phone numbers, addresses and email addresses are easy to buy from data brokers and look up on people-search sites, and breached databases circulate among scammers. Serus finds the data brokers and people-search sites that list you where you live and removes you from them, and alerts you when your details show up in a breach, so fewer scammers can reach you with a message that sounds personal. Our guides on data brokers and data breaches explain how it works.
More Facebook scams
Frequently asked
Why does the buyer want to pay in a strange way?
Scammers want your money quickly and in a way that's hard to get back. The FTC lists cryptocurrency, wire transfers, payment apps and gift cards as typical payment methods in scams.
Is a check always safe once my bank shows the funds?
No. A fake check can be accepted at first and found out later, after you've sent money. Never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
Is Facebook the scammer here?
No. Scammers use Marketplace to find sellers. Facebook says in its Help Center that you should buy and sell responsibly and has trust and safety guidance.
Should I stop talking to the buyer?
If they pressure you or ask for money or personal details, yes. Block and report them.
Sources
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