Facebook Marketplace shipping scams: the fake payment and ship-first tricks
Quick answer
A Marketplace buyer who pushes you to ship before payment shows up in your own account, sends a payment screenshot, or says they overpaid is likely a scammer. Never ship on a screenshot or email. Confirm the money in your bank or payment app first, and report the buyer.
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How it works
These scams target people selling an item and willing to ship it. The buyer agrees to the price fast, often without asking questions, then moves the deal toward shipping and away from in-person cash.
The FTC describes the common tricks. A scammer may show you a fake payment notification and hope you ship before you notice no money arrived. Or they may claim they overpaid, send a check for more than your price and ask you to deposit it and send back the difference. The check is fake, but if you deposit it, it'll appear in your account balance for a while before the bank finds it is bad. You lose the item or the money you sent back, and sometimes both.
Red flags
- A buyer who agrees to your price right away and wants it shipped
- A payment screenshot or an email you're told is proof of payment, instead of money in your own account
- A check or payment for more than your price, with a request to send back the difference
- A request to move the chat or the payment off the marketplace
- A link or code request: someone asking for a verification code sent to your phone
Example message
I'll take it at your price. I'm paying through my payment app and my cousin will pick it up, so please ship it. I sent the payment, here's the confirmation: [link]. I sent a bit extra for shipping, please send the difference back.
What to do
- 1
Don't ship until the money is in your account
Open your bank or payment app yourself, not through a link in a message. A screenshot, an email or a 'pending' notice doesn't count as payment.
- 2
Don't deposit and send back any difference
The FTC says a check for more than your price is fake, even if the deposit shows up in your balance. Refuse and walk away.
- 3
Sell locally and take cash when you can
Meeting in a public place and accepting cash avoids the fake payment trick entirely.
- 4
Never share a verification code
If a buyer asks for a code sent to your phone, stop. It's an attempt to take over your account.
- 5
If you already shipped or sent money
Contact your bank or payment app right away, and report the buyer to the marketplace. If you deposited a fake check, tell your bank at once.
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
Marketplace scammers pick sellers from public listings, then use your name, phone number and city to look credible. Those details, and your email, are also on people-search sites and in data breaches. Serus finds where your details are listed and removes them, and alerts you when your email shows up in a breach, so there's less for a scammer to use on you.
Frequently asked
Is it safe to ship an item to a Marketplace buyer?
Only after the payment shows in your own bank or payment account. Fake payment notifications are a known trick, and a screenshot proves nothing.
What if the buyer says they overpaid?
Don't send money back. The FTC says a check for more than your price is fake, even if the deposit appears in your balance.
Do scammers target buyers too?
Yes. The FTC says to treat requests for wire transfers, gift cards or cryptocurrency as a red flag, and to pay with a card or a secure payment system that protects you.
Where do I report a Marketplace scammer?
Report the account to the marketplace, then file a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and with your state attorney general.
Sources
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